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Pride and Prejudice

Name: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Austen, Jane
ISBN: 9781435127449

by Austen, Jane

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Overview

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's classic novel of manners and mores in early nineteenth century England. As the Bennets prepare their five grown daughters to enter into society, each shows personality traits that illuminate their future prospects as wives. Jane, the oldest, is the most demure and traditional, and Lydia, the youngest, the most headstrong and impulsive. Attention centers on haughty second-born Elizabeth, and her blossoming relationship with the dashing but aloof Fitzwilliam Darcy. Adversaries at first in the endless rounds of balls, parties, and social gatherings, they soon develop a grudging respect for one another that blossoms into romance when each comes to appreciate the tender feelings that course beneath the veneer of their propriety and reserve.

First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice is one of the most popular tales of romance in the English language and a cornerstone of Jane Austen's reputation as one of the greatest novelists of all time. This exquisite collectible edition features an elegant bonded-leather binding, a satin-ribbon bookmark, distinctive stained edging, and decorative marbled endpapers. It's the perfect gift for book-lovers and an artful addition to any home library.

At the turn of eighteenth-century England, spirited Elizabeth Bennet copes with the suit of the snobbish Mr. Darcy while trying to sort out the romantic entanglements of two of her sisters, sweet and beautiful Jane and scatterbrained Lydia.

About the Author, Austen, Jane

Jane Austen (1775-1817) never married but wrote some of the most immortal romantic novels in the English language.

Ruben Toledo is a painter, illustrator, and sculptor who has designed everything from store windows and murals to a perfume bottle and award statuettes.

Biography

In 1801, George Austen retired from the clergy, and Jane, Cassandra, and their parents took up residence in Bath, a fashionable town Jane liked far less than her native village. Jane seems to have written little during this period. When Mr. Austen died in 1805, the three women, Mrs. Austen and her daughters, moved first to Southampton and then, partly subsidized by Jane's brothers, occupied a house in Chawton, a village not unlike Jane's first home. There she began to work on writing and pursued publishing once more, leading to the anonymous publication of Sense and Sensibility in 1811 and Pride and Prejudice in 1813, to modestly good reviews.

Known for her cheerful, modest, and witty character, Jane Austen had a busy family and social life, but as far as we know very little direct romantic experience. There were early flirtations, a quickly retracted agreement to marry the wealthy brother of a friend, and a rumored short-lived attachment -- while she was traveling -- that has not been verified. Her last years were quiet and devoted to family, friends, and writing her final novels. In 1817 she had to interrupt work on her last and unfinished novel, Sanditon, because she fell ill. She died on July 18, 1817, in Winchester, where she had been taken for medical treatment. After her death, her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published, together with a biographical notice, due to the efforts of her brother Henry. Austen is buried in Winchester Cathedral.

Author biography courtesy of Barnes & Noble Books.

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From Barnes & Noble

These inexpensive leatherbound editions are Barnes & Noble exclusives, only available in our stores and on our website. Each of these novels is by any standard a classic; from Oscar Wilde's ominous The Picture of Dorian Gray and Bram Stoker's eerie Dracula to the strange human mysteries of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and the nuanced social satire of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Attractively bound and exquisitely readable, these Barnes & Noble Bargain deluxe classics boast a price less than many, if not most paperbacks. Frugal shoppers can fetch even greater savings by purchasing the handsome boxed set, containing all six leatherbound hardcovers for just $70.00! Arguably the best buy of the month.