Katie B's Reviews > Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend

4.5 stars

I took a chance on JANE AUSTEN’S BOOKSHELF as I was unsure if my limited knowledge on her works would be enough to fully appreciate this nonfiction book. Thankfully, the writing style is on the more engaging side rather than being dry and academic. It was a fascinating read that explored beyond just the writings of the women who inspired Jane Austen but also rare book collecting and the lives of the women writers.

While Jane Austen’s novels have stood the test of time sadly when it comes to other women writers of that era most of their works of fiction, poetry, and plays have fallen out of the public eye. Rebecca Romney, a rare book dealer, made it her mission to seek out these lesser known works and form her own opinions about the writings. Each chapter features a woman writer and gives biographical info as well as discussing common themes and how it relates to Jane’s writing. It was neat learning how the author went about tracking down these rare books and the business of book dealing and collecting.

Thank you to Mary Sue Rucci Books and Simon Element for providing a free advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.