The “food for thought” is a new reading of a simple sentence in Letter 153 of Jane Austen’s Letters. While breakfasting today, I pulled out van Ostade’s book In Search of Jane Austen at the point of my bookmark – page 88. As typical with me, although I had read past the point, my eye drifted towards the early paragraph (but not at the TOP of the page) on the left-hand page. She writes, “Only a few spelling errors went uncorrected [i.e., demonstrated or endnoted in Le Faye’s editions] — visitted in letter 37, to for too in letter 73 [I may have spotted another one of these], and ..read more

My December 16, 2023 blog post announced the book I am currently writing: In Vindication of Cassandra Austen: How Jane Austen’s Sister Saved a Legacy, but Lost her Reputation. I supply the link, in case, Dear Reader, you are not reading the blog in chronological order (it is the previous post). I have quite gotten out of the habit of blogging about WHAT I AM DOING. The “finds” that used to happen are fewer and some things I just won’t talk about (or show) online. Yet, today, I have been enjoying the minutiae of letter transcription – and think to share a few “thoughts”. The book I am currently ..read more

Today, on Jane Austen’s birthday – 248 years ago; and in the year that celebrated Cassandra Austen’s 250th Anniversary of her birth (January of 2023), I announce an upcoming project, which (hopefully) will see the light of day in the celebratory year of 2025: The project is entitled, In Vindication of Cassandra Austen: How Jane Austen’s Sister Saved a Legacy, but Lost her Reputation. Based on my investigation into the (extant) familial correspondence of the Smith and Gosling family networks, this book will redress Cassandra Austen’s significance as collector of her sister’s epistol ..read more

It is with GREAT pleasure that I announce the publication – released on 15 December 2023 (in time for Christmas gifting) of our book, Women and Music in the Age of Austen (Bucknell University Press). A couple of weeks ago I received my copy of the book: The first time of seeing everyone’s essays, this day’s mail, long awaited, ended up being quite exciting. Part of the series “Transits: Literature, Thought & Culture, 1650-1850,” here is Bucknell’s description of our collection: “Women and Music in the Age of Austen highlights the central role women played in musical performance ..read more

From time to time I search for new books that are nearing publication. Recently, I noticed that costume historian Hilary Davidson has a new book, Jane Austen’s Wardrobe, due out on September 12, 2023: “What did Jane Austen wear? “Hilary Davidson delves into the clothing of one of the world’s great authors, providing unique and intimate insight into her everyday life and material world.” Davidson’s earlier book, Dress in the Age of Jane Austen, was – despite its minuscule, grey typeface – a fine introduction to clothing of the era. It will be interesting to see how this history is bu ..read more

Hilary Davidson’s research into Regency-era fashion, specifically that related to Jane Austen, gets the royal treatment in her second book Jane Austen’s Wardrobe (published like her first, Dress in the Age of Jane Austen, by Yale University Press). Profusely-illustrated, Jane Austen’s Wardrobe deals with items that Austen wrote about in her correspondence; as well, it presents extant “Austen” items. One item is already known to general audiences through Davidson’s early article on Austen’s Silk Pelisse. Davidson pulls inspiration from letters, matching text with accompanying images drawn from ..read more

This story is so FANTASTIC that I simply have to blog about it, so you can read it for yourself. “A combination of detective work, art expertise, … a few strokes of serendipity” and GOOGLE (of all things…; but I’ve been there myself!) has led researchers to locate – and reunite! – a family portrait, from which the mother had been divided from the father and son. “The baroque family portrait by Flemish painter Cornelis de Vos was painted in 1626, but the large double portrait housed at The Nivaagaard Collection [Denmark] only featured a father holding his young son’s hand. In the lower right ha ..read more

Join JASNA-VERMONT on Sunday, 4 June 2023 – “A House Divided? How the ‘Sister Arts’ Define the Dashwood Sisters” is my topic, which examines how ART and MUSIC affect our perceptions of Jane Austen’s Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. We meet in the community room at Temple Sinai (500 Swift ST) in South Burlington, VT, 2-4 PM ..read more

A quick post to say “thank you” to JASNA-Vermont for inviting me to speak on Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. Yesterday (4 June 2023) was GREAT FUN – it’s been so long since I got to talk, in person, with people interested in All Things Austen! Special thanks to Temple Sinai (South Burlington, VT) for hosting the event. And to Marcia, Hope, Heather, and (especially) Mary Ellen for our in-person gathering. I share with you, dear readers, my gift — The World of Jane Austen puzzle. I ate dinner after returning home yesterday, but I was SO INTENT upon finding a large board that I used to us ..read more

Do you shop in “Antique Stores” – and see (sometimes…) tons of “homeless” old photographs? Do you see old photographs pop on the screen in your eBay searches, even when you searched for something completely different? Old cartes des visites are TINY. I purchased one of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour (the son, 1802-1887). It measures about 2.5 by 3.75 inches (depending if the backing is included) – about the SIZE of a CREDIT CARD. So I know what author Lisa Hodgkins has been collecting – and now she shares her collection and superior knowledge of what she sees in these mini portraits with us avera ..read more