Seeking opinions
Gentle Readers, tonight we seek your opinion. We realized that our local circulating library has one (35-year-old) biography of Jane Austen and one (even older) book of criticism–and not a single copy of Northanger Abbey! We hope to correct the latter situation and perhaps donate one or two biographies and/or books of criticism, but we cannot decide which. Our favorite biography, by Elizabeth Jenkins, is out of print; and our second-favorite, Deirdre Le Faye’s Family Record, is packed full of facts but not for the neophyte Janeite. Thus, we turn to our Gentle Readers. What is your favorite Austen biography, keeping in mind this might be the first and only biography that the good citizens of our home town might ever read? We can think of a reason not to donate just about every biography we can think of, so tell us why you like it; sell it! Pimp it! Convince us!
We currently are leaning toward donating a copy of Irene Collins’ Jane Austen: The Parson’s Daughter when it comes out in paperback next month. It is a favorite, though it only covers the first part of Jane’s life. Librarians, what is your opinion vis-a-vis paperback and hardcopy in the stacks?
May 2nd, 2007 at 2:38 am
On AbeBooks, it appears that there are some copies of the Elizabeth Jenkins biography available used, although some are ex-library copies and others are paperbacks.
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:09 am
I own the Jenkins biography but have not yet read it. I have read the Tomalin book, and liked it very much. I do not recommend Nokes at all. He seems to be trying way too hard to find the Dark Side of JA. Plus, there’s the fact that, in the edition I read (he may have changed it later, who knows), Mary was said to be the youngest Bennet girl. If he makes an error on something so basic, what else did he get wrong?
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:42 am
Carol Shields’ biography of Jane Austen is the very best place to start. Just my humble Canadian opinion.
BB
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:45 am
Admittedly, I have not read that many Austen bios, but most of the ones I have read have aggravated me with the excessive amount of wild speculation and ‘psychoanalysis’ of Austen’s personality they contain — usually negative. For that reason I tend to prefer the older bios. Unfortunately many of these are out of print, and even if they’re in print, your library probably won’t want to add something old to the collection unless it’s a classic. Soooo… I think I would go with the Oxford World’s Classics edition of ‘A Memoir of Jane Austen: and Other Family Recollections’ by James Edward Austen-Leigh (Author), Kathryn Sutherland (Editor), which has a lengthy introduction and copious notes to fill in the blanks or correct known errors in JEAL’s version.
But as I said, I haven’t read many, so there may be a better choice. Maybe a bio aimed at ‘young adults’ would be most useful for the library…
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:29 am
The first bio on Jane Austen I ever read was Claire Tomalin’s and it’s still my favourite one. It’s really easy to follow - not too scholarly, not too basic, and thus it would suit anyone who reads it.
LeFaye’s Family Record has been collecting dust on my bookshelf since last August, so perhaps it’s time I finally pick it up.
And what about a copy of your book too?
I love what you’re doing for the library
May 2nd, 2007 at 10:03 am
One book I’m quite fond of is Marghanita Laski’s Jane Austen and her World (1969.) I would say it is very appropriate for a public library. It is not currently in print, but readily available in hardback or paperback. It’s another example of sloppy Amazon authority work; the author’s name is spelled wrong in amazon.com…
Jane Austen: the Parson’s Daughter is another great choice.
I think public libraries should mostly go with hardbacks, since they should withstand the wear and tear of frequent use.
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:25 am
Robin–the Laski book is the work of criticism that they have already! And the biography is the Jane Aiken Hodge. I actually like both of those books, I just thought something newer might be more appealing. (Of course, then I go and suggest Elizabeth Jenkins!)
I like Joan Ellen’s idea of the Oxford World Classics edition of the Memoir (which I own), perhaps coupled with the Le Faye. It can be sort of a gateway drug to the more complex work.
I still like the idea of Parson’s Daughter, too. I was also thinking of a copy of Fine Brush on Ivory by Richard Jenkyns, which can still easily be found in hardback. I think a copy of 101 Things You Didn’t Know About Jane Austen might be a good choice as well; another good gateway bio and very readable; same with Jane Austen for Dummies. It’s a tiny little library, not sure how many books they might actually want to acquire.
I probably shouldn’t worry about paperbacks since the library, despite having no Austen bio/critical work of a more recent date than 1972, and I repeat no copy of Northanger Abbey at all (and I’m not sure about Mansfield Park), does have a copy of Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife, which is a paperback. That sound you hear is me grinding my teeth.
I know the Tomalin bio is the default choice for a “first JA bio” but the more I read it, and the more bad movies that come out after it has been consulted, the more I dislike it.
I already planned to offer a copy of my book, as the librarians there were really helpful in getting me books through ILL while I was writing it, and they always comment on how much they like my Jane-oriented phone message when they call to tell me my books are in. In any event I’m going to ask before I do anything, because I don’t want to donate these books with the intention of having them go on the shelves and end up with them on the book sale table.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 pm
I applaud your desire to do this, Mags — I have often thought I should be doing the same for my little local library, which has one moldy copy of P&P and I think that’s it. BUT it’s definitely a good idea to check with the librarian first. Speaking as one (a librarian), I can tell you that most libraries in my experience:
–Do not want to add an old book like Laski’s, no matter how good it is (in fact, I got my copy when the library I was working in discarded it a few years back). They’re usually looking for new stuff.
–If they think the main users of the book will be tenth graders doing a report on Austen, won’t want a 600 page tome that will be too… uh, erudite for their patrons.
– Would rather have you donate money earmarked for “Jane Austen books” and let them decide on the specific choices they think would be appropriate for their patrons — though if they know you they may welcome your suggestions (also they generally get books at the wholesale discount, so they can get more for your money).
– Will feel free to add your donated books to their book sale shelf (if they consider that the best place for them) unless they have previously agreed to add them to the collection.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:59 pm
… no matter how good it is (in fact, I got my copy when the library I was working in discarded it a few years back). They’re usually looking for new stuff.
Very true. I’m getting royally ticked off by librarians and their philistine policies. (I think I’m entitled (a) because I’m a librarian and (b) because I’m getting very close to retirement.) A library isn’t a Barnes & Noble; the old books are just as important as the newly-published.
Anyone familiar with the English novelist Elizabeth Taylor (1912-1975)? She is often compared to Jane Austen and certainly, all or most of her books have several overt or hidden references to JA. One of her novels has a protagonist called Cassandra Dashwood. Anyway, I belately noticed that our library had none - not one - of her books. I’m fairly sure that we probably formerly had them but they were discarded in the misguided weeding of 1995. So, one day I decided (in a fit of pique) to order every single one of her 15 or so books & add them to the collection. The eight that are in print (Virago Modern Classics) I ordered from our usual vendor new, and the other six or eight I looked for in Amazon marketplace and abebooks, preferably early hardback editions. For each book I had my choice of dozens and dozens of copies, including some nice first editions, for as little as four or five dollars each. I noticed that the majority of them were described as “ex-library, with the usual markings.” Some of these books had a late-90s imprint so the library had it on the shelf for less than a decade and then discarded it. What are librarians - sheep?
And, as Joan Ellen says, never give a book that you value to the library unless they have agreed to add it… because the next stop after the booksale is the dumpster. I always check all three of our dumpsters here at the library at least once a day. I’ve now run out of shelf space in my office, and my attic at home is getting quite full.
May 2nd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Robin, you could have a nice little eBay or half.com business there if you want. There’s your retirement business.
My copy of Elizabeth Jenkins’s bio is ex-library, with the usual markings… I originally read it when I got it out of the library! It was a paperback, and falling apart.
I always pick up cheap paperback copies of Jane’s novels in secondhand shops and “accidentally” leave them somewhere, or give them away for others to read.
May 2nd, 2007 at 5:19 pm
This is my first time posting here. I bought, as a result of the review at this site, “Jane Austen for Dummies” and have just finished reading it. It is my first book ON Jane Austen, as opposed to BY Jane Austen. The main reason I bought and read it was the interview with the author, her credentials as a College Professor (with lifetime teaching guarantee at her college), and 3-time President of JASNA. I thoroughly enjoyed it; as it said in the interview (I think), it was like taking a course on Jane Austen from her, without the time committment. I recommend it for any beginner, and for any Library.
P.S. I enjoy your site very much, and thanks for making me aware of “Jane Austen for Dummies!”
May 2nd, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Hi Cathy, thank you for the kind words. I do this blog to introduce Janeites to all the delightful and not-so-delightful Jane stuff out there, so I’m really glad you were able to connect with something you enjoyed. If you ever get the chance to hear Joan speak, do so!
May 2nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Thanks, Maggie, for recommending Jane Austen for Dummies. And to Cathy Allen, I am delighted that you enjoyed the book! Re the library plan: based on the experience of the ad hoc library committee formed by JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America), which wanted to supply books by and about Austen to libraries hit by Katrina, we learned from the libraries contacted by committee members (all librarians, by the way!) that libraries preferred the money to buy what they need, as Joan Ellen suggested in her comment. But one place that does need books is third-world countries. A former graduate school professor I had who just retired donated much of her personal library to a college in Africa, and they were very grateful for the books. Just some thoughts before I go back to grading papers!
May 3rd, 2007 at 6:48 pm
For straight biography for non-Janeites, I’m torn between the Shields bio (she got so much right, and look! no footnotes!) or the Tomalin one (who also got so much right. And look! Footnotes!)
The David Nokes one is a no-no (having garnered nearly universally bad reviews), and the Park Honan one is a bit much for me — very into unsupported inferences and implications, imo.
May 4th, 2007 at 2:46 am
I loved the Carol Shields biography, which might also attract readers who love Shields’ own wonderful novels, including “The Stone Diaries,” “Unless,” and, best of all, “Swann.” Robin (comment #9), I love Elizabeth Taylor’s novels, and like you I have a collection of old dark green Viragos weeded from libraries. But Elizabeth Taylor is becoming fashionable: two of her novels have been made into movies (”Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont” and “Angel”) and Virago has reissued several of the novels. I’ve also read that Nicola Beauman, the wonderful editor of Persephone Books, is working on a first-ever biography of Taylor. (Self-promotion: I’ve blogged about Elizabeth Taylor at http://robhardy.blogspot.com/search/label/Taylor). Incidentally, Elizabeth Taylor attended the Abbey School in Reading, as did, briefly, Jane Austen.
May 4th, 2007 at 4:17 am
P.S.: I see that on Amazon.co.uk there is a Naxos AudioBooks 2-CD set of the Elizabeth Jenkins biography. And the Naxos AudioBooks website seems to offer the biography as a free download if you purchase a download of one of Jane Austen’s novels. http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/northamerica/index.htm
May 4th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Claire Tomalin’s and Jane Aiken Hodge’s are my two favorites. *deposits two cents*
May 4th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Robert Hardy wrote:
But Elizabeth Taylor is becoming fashionable: two of her novels have been made into movies (Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont and Angel) and Virago has reissued several of the novels. I’ve also read that Nicola Beauman, the wonderful editor of Persephone Books, is working on a first-ever biography of Taylor.
Robert, thanks for the information about the films. Angel sounds great … has several fabulous actresses in it, including Lucy Russell who plays Grace Elliott in The Lady and the Duke, Eric Rohmer’s dramatization of Elliott’s Journal of My Life During the French Revolution. And a Nicola Beauman bio of Elizabeth Taylor will be something to look forward to! Coincidentally, I was just reading an article about Persephone Books in the magazine Slightly Foxed last night. So I went to the Persephone Books catalogue, and I want to read everything they publish! So little time, so many books not yet read! By the way, they publish a couple of Marghanita Laski’s novels..
May 4th, 2007 at 11:44 am
I can’t afford to buy any more books here in England and ship them back home to Minnesota (whither I return in three months), but I am eager to read Marghanita Laski’s book on Jane Austen. Laski’s novel “The Village” (available from Persephone Books) is one of the best things I’ve read all year. I also can’t wait to read Laski’s other two classic novels, both available from Persephone Books: “The Victorian Chaise-Longue” and “Little Boy Lost.” Anyone who hasn’t yet discovered Persephone Books should do so at once! http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk
May 5th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
I know, it doesn’t really help with your problem, Mags, but I’d like to be pimping, too.
Recently I went to our local library - I am in Austria - and besides that they have only ‘Emma’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (neither of them in English) I was delighted to see the probably best Jane Austen biography in German language, which is a rare find already. It’s ‘Jane Austen’ by Elsemarie Maletzke.
http://www.amazon.de/Jane-Austen-Elsemarie-Maletzke/dp/3895616028