Hello, dear readers! This month, I’m featuring this new edition of Pride and Prejudice, a Handwritten Classics edition. This is a luxurious collector’s edition in two volumes, featuring Austen’s complete novel. Inside, you’ll find a collection of characters’ letters and papers, written and folded by hand.
This new collector’s edition offers a luxurious cloth binding, deluxe paper, and new printed ephemera that lend an additional dimension to the reading experience. Examples include a newspaper clipping announcing that Netherfield Park is available to let, an invitation to the ball at Netherfield, an illustrated guide to Pemberley, Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage license, and so forth.
About the Book
This collector’s edition invites fans inside the world of Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet. A deluxe, cloth-bound, two-volume set includes gorgeous replicas of the characters’ letters, plus all-new mementos, such as the Darcys’ marriage certificate and an invitation to the ball at Netherfield.
Heller’s specially curated edition, first published in 2020, brought these epistles to life and became a fan favorite. Pockets throughout the novel contain handwritten replicas of nineteen letters, from Mr. Collins’s unctuous letter of introduction to Jane’s urgent missive announcing Lydia’s elopement. Readers can pull out each piece, peruse its contents, and feel transported to the breakfast table at Longbourn.
Heller’s research notes shed fascinating light on how she imbued each letter with the character’s unique personality and recreated historical postage marks. Delve deeper into the history with guest essays by Philip Palmer, curator and department head at the Morgan Library & Museum, and Dr. Juliette Wells, curator of the Morgan’s 2025 exhibition of Austen’s own letters, A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250. For anyone who loves Austen, and for anyone who still cherishes the joy of letter writing or collects printed memorabilia, this book offers an immersive experience of a favorite story.
You can revisit Austen’s original text and experience it in a unique way with physical ephemera that links you directly to the world of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. From the masterful calligraphy and the painstaking attention to historical detail to the hand-folding of the letters and other paper memorabilia—this book is an object made by fans for fans.
The novel is presented in two volumes, cloth-bound, foil-stamped, and housed in an elegant slipcase. It offers an exceptional reading experience, stands apart on the shelf, and makes for a truly lovely gift and keepsake.
Barbara Heller
Barbara Heller is a set decorator for film and television, including The Americans and When They See Us, and a writer and director of award-winning short films that have screened at festivals around the world (Cannes, Berlin, Sundance). She graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature. Her previous books include special editions of Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Persuasion, and Anne of Green Gables. You can read about her work and visit her online HERE.
How the Series Began
Heller, an avid Austen fan, shares about creating this series of handwritten editions of classic books and how it all started:
“I was re-reading Pride and Prejudice for the gazillionth time, savoring my favorite passages in Mrs. Gardiner’s “long, kind, satisfactory” letter to Elizabeth, when a sudden desire to have that letter in my hand came over me. To hold the very letter that Elizabeth Bennet once received – ink faded, paper yellowed – would be utterly satisfying. In truth, I wanted to possess the originals of all the letters in Pride and Prejudice. A vision of myself at a flea market, happening upon the letters, was so real that I experienced the twin electric thrills of discovery and possession. I became determined to transform reverie into reality.
“[It took] three fascinating years during which I examined hundreds of letters written in early 19th century England; dove deep into their cryptic postal marks; agonized mightily over each character’s handwriting, and met the talented scribes who could write a period hand.
“I was extraordinarily lucky to find a home amongst the Austen lovers at Chronicle Books. In this special edition, each letter is tucked inside a glassine envelope bound at the appropriate place in the novel. I have now read the letters so many times I practically have them memorized; and yet, with every re-read, I still get caught up in the story, discover something new, and marvel at (and feel grateful for) the genius of Jane Austen.”
Jane Austen Book Collecting
I personally think this is an edition for serious book collectors and Jane Austen collectors. The price point is high, but it’s currently on sale right now on Amazon (subject to change). It would make a lovely gift or a fun splurge for yourself. It is truly an immersive experience.
As I thought about how I would use this book, I think it would make a wonderful display at a Jane Austen party, book club, program, or exhibit. I can imagine gathering a group of Austen friends together to dress up, have tea, and read the letters and papers out loud together.
As we step into Fall over the next few months, I look forward to sharing several new books that are releasing this year in celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th! I hope you’ve found a few books to add to your shelves along the way.
RACHEL DODGE teaches writing classes, speaks at libraries, teas, and conferences, and writes for Jane Austen’s World blog. She is the bestselling, award-winning author of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, The Secret Garden Devotional, and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen. A true kindred spirit at heart, Rachel loves books, bonnets, and ballgowns. Visit her online at www.RachelDodge.com.
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