Due for publication 13th March 2025

"A stunning, sophisticated and thought-provoking journey through Austen's life, written by a world expert.  This book is small but so, so beautiful, and utterly perfectly formed". Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and author

This is a different kind of biography, in which objects with their own histories offer shifting entry points into Jane Austen’s life. Among objects described in this book are a teenage notebook, a muslin shawl, a wallpaper fragment and a tea caddy. Poignantly, the last manuscript page of her unfinished novel and a lock of hair kept by her devoted sister, Cassandra, are also featured. Objects contributing to Austen’s rich cultural legacy include a dinner plate decorated by Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, Grayson Perry’s commemorative pot from 2009 and Mr Darcy’s wet shirt, worn by Colin Firth in the 1995 BBC adaptation. Each one sheds new light on one of our best-loved authors.

"Objects are witnesses to our lives. It’s wonderful to see the dancing slippers belonging to one of Jane Austen’s nieces, a scrap of wallpaper, a recipe book from Chawton. Taken all together they form a rich and lively picture of a life cut off too soon.  Yes, we have the legacy of her novels, but it’s fascinating to experience more of the wider context of her life.  Is there room in the world for another book about Jane Austen?  Definitely – this one!". Kate Atkinson MBE

Kathryn Sutherland is Senior Research Fellow, St Anne’s College,
Oxford.

• Hardback
• 224 pages, 210 x 161 mm
• ISBN 9781851245819
• Publication March 2025