The best books about Jane Austen, for all the superfans

Few authors have been as analysed, criticised, lionised, imitated, adapted and parodied as Jane Austen. And yet, you could barely hang a bonnet on what is known of the writer who lampooned the gentry of Georgian England with such ruthless precision that, in 2017, she became the first female writer to be pictured on a British banknote.

No diaries, if they ever existed, survived and her family mysteriously burned the bulk of her correspondence after her death. But despite the enduring questions over what Jane Austen was really like, her work endures stronger than ever-inspiring TV shows, films and books. Lots of books.

If you're an Austen Super Fan, as loyal to her as Mr Darcy is to an awkward encounter, these are the ones you should consider, from the classics she influenced to modern fiction she inspired to non-fiction that shines a light on one of literature's most intriguing figures.