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Beautiful books that make unforgettable gifts

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Jane Austen’s literary influences

Book recommendations for Jane Austen characters, from Mr. Knightley to Elizabeth Bennett.

Books we’d recommend to Jane Austen’s best characters 

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Is Jane Austen’s legacy more than just romantic love? Ask Penguin Podcast

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The Penguin books that ignited a pop culture phenomenon

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Penguin books that reshaped love and relationships, with insight from Paloma Faith.

The Penguin books that redefined love and relationships

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Introducing the Vintage Collector’s Classics series

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Best romance books for ultimate escapism

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Children's reading lists

The best father figures in children’s literature

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What book to read, based on your favourite rom-com

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The best classic love stories for young readers

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Short books to read when you’re overwhelmed

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The best books to hunker down with this autumn

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Which is the best on-screen Jane Austen adaptation?

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What to read if you love Bridgerton

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Quizzes

Penguin quiz: who said it, Bridgerton or Pride and Prejudice?

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8 times Jane Austen was right about modern romance

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The greatest walks in literature

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Where to start with Jane Austen

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The best literary quotes about hope and optimism

Reading Remedy: what to read to transport you to a good night out

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Reading Remedy: books to help you deal with unrequited love

From Jane Austen's Chawton to Bram Stoker's Whitby, this is the definitive literary tour of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

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A literary tour of the United Kingdom

Weekly Penguin quiz: How well do you know Watership Down?

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Weekly quiz: How well do you know Jane Austen?

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Mood-lifting books with only happy endings

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The best books about Jane Austen, for all the superfans

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Books to solve your Secret Santa dilemma

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Best Jane Austen quotes

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6 unforgettable fathers in literature

Which book should you read AFTER Jane Austen?

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Extracts

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Jane Austen: The 250th Anniversary Collection

A female-centred collection of four dramatisations celebrating Jane Austen’s classic novels - plus bonus series When I Met Jane Austen 
 
On 16 December 1775, a literary icon was born. Jane Austen’s groundbreaking novels pioneered the romantic comedy genre and put women front and centre, depicting their innermost thoughts and feelings. To celebrate her 250th anniversary, here are four new dramas, focusing on the fabulous, flawed, funny and fascinating women who blaze out from her books. Full of her characteristic wit and biting comedy, they feature star-studded casts including Tamsin Greig, Isabella Laughland, Luke Thompson, Miles Jupp, Adjoa Andoh, and Ben Hardy. 
 
Pride and Prejudice – Featuring one of the best-loved heroines in literature – lively, quick-witted Elizabeth Bennet – this radical reimagining tells the story of the five Bennet sisters’ romantic escapades, as they endeavour to fulfil their mother’s dreams and marry well. 
 
Sense and Sensibility – When their father’s death turns their world upside down, rational, reserved Elinor Dashwood and her impulsive, emotional sister Marianne leave their old lives behind and embark on a voyage of romantic discovery. 
 
Northanger Abbey – Seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is a kind, honest and unworldly young woman with a head full of Gothic novels and little experience of the real world. So when wealthy, handsome Henry Tilney invites her to Northanger Abbey, she is determined to discover its dark secrets... 
 
Mansfield Park – Aged just nine, Fanny Price is sent away from her impoverished parents to live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park. Shaped by family and adversity, this displaced child becomes a fiercely moral young woman with an unshakable conscience – and as she navigates the complexities of love and jealousy, her true strength of character is revealed. 
 
When I Met Jane Austen – Ten of the world’s most prominent authors and thinkers talk to Jane Austen biographer Paula Byrne about when they first encountered the great writer. Featuring contributions from David Baddiel, Andrew Davies, Amy Heckerling, Marlon James, Philippa Perry, Gurinder Chadha, Val McDermid, Colm Toibin, Katherine Rundell and Kate Atkinson. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Jane Austen 
 
Pride and Prejudice 
Starring Tamsin Greig, Isabella Laughland, Luke Thompson, Miles Jupp, Rosie Cavaliero, Lucy Doyle, Kitty O’Sullivan, Gaia Wise, Imogen Front, Louis Landau, Toby Regbo, Adjoa Andoh, Catherine Bailey, Josh Bryant-Jones, Sasha McCabe, Jasmine Hyde, Clive Haywood, and Sarah Thom 
 
Produced by Tracey Neale 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13-14 Dec 2025 
 
Sense and Sensibility 
Starring Tamsin Greig, Madeleine Mantock, Rose Basista, Ben Hardy, Enyi Okoronkwo, Richard Goulding, Ava Talbot, Jasmine Hyde, Carolyn Pickles, Clive Hayward, Django Bevan, Sasha McCabe, and Bethan Rose Young 
 
Produced by Anne Isger 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20-21 Dec 2025 
 
Northanger Abbey 
Starring Madeleine Gray, Will Howard, Cecilia Appiah, Ella Smith, John Heffernan, Scarlett Courtney, Jasmine Hyde, Josh Bryant-Jones, and Django Bevan 
 
Dramatised by Clara Glynn 
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-9 Nov 2025 
 
Mansfield Park 
Starring Lydia Wilson, Bryan Dick, Tala Gouveia, Tom Mothersdale, Janice Acquah, Madeleine Worrall, Joshua Riley, John Hollingworth, Samuel Valentine, Faith Alabi, and Hollie Burgess 
 
Dramatised by Clara Glynn 
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-17 Jul 2022When I Met Jane Austen 
Presented by Paula Byrne 
With David Baddiel, Andrew Davies, Amy Heckerling, Marlon James, Philippa Perry, Gurinder Chadha, Val McDermid, Colm Toibin, Katherine Rundell and Kate AtkinsonProduced by Maggie Ayre 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-19 Dec 2025 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

50 Postcards from 10 Decades

Jane Austen at Penguin

A box set of 50 postcards, each featuring a classic Jane Austen cover design from Penguin 
 
From the first Penguin edition of Pride and Prejudice in 1938, with its glorious woodcut illustrations, to a special wartime Northanger Abbey published to provide troops with comforting reading material; and from the Clothbound Classics covers designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith to a brand-new edition of Jane Austen’s juvenilia from 2025, here is a celebration of ten decades of publishing history and design heritage, and one of the world’s most beloved authors. 
 
Publishing in Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary year, this box of postcards will make the perfect gift for both lovers of Austen and fans of classic book design.

Jane Austen, the daughter of a clergyman, was born in Hampshire in 1775, and later lived in Bath and the village of Chawton. As a child and teenager, she wrote brilliantly witty stories for her family's amusement, as well as a novella, Lady Susan. Her first published novel was Sense and Sensibility, which appeared in 1811 and was soon followed by Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma. Austen died in 1817, and Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published posthumously in 1818.

‘I have now attained the true art of letter writing,’ wrote Jane Austen in one of her many missives to her sister Cassandra. This new box set will enable Austen fans to embrace the art of letter-writing for themselves, with 50 postcards celebrating book covers by Penguin across ten decades. 
 
Included in this set are Helen Binyon’s classic 1938 illustrated edition of Pride and Prejudice; a special wartime Northanger Abbey, published to keep troops supplied with comforting reading material; much-loved Clothbound Classics covers designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith; and a brand-new edition of Austen’s juvenilia from 2025. 
 
Publishing in Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary year, this box of postcards will make the perfect gift for both lovers of Austen and fans of classic book design.

Pride and Prejudice

One of six new delightful and collectible hardback editions from Penguin Classics, publishing to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th anniversary 
 
'No sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes ... ' 
 
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

'No sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes ... ' 
 
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

Northanger Abbey

One of six new delightful and collectible hardback editions from Penguin Classics, publishing to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th anniversary 
 
'To look almost pretty, is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life, than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive' 
 
During an eventful season at Bath, young, naïve Catherine Morland experiences the joys of fashionable society for the first time. She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine's love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father's mysterious house, Northanger Abbey. There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney. With its broad comedy and irrepressible heroine, this is the most youthful and and optimistic of Jane Austen's works.

'To look almost pretty, is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life, than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive' 
 
During an eventful season at Bath, young, naïve Catherine Morland experiences the joys of fashionable society for the first time. She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine's love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father's mysterious house, Northanger Abbey. There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney. With its broad comedy and irrepressible heroine, this is the most youthful and and optimistic of Jane Austen's works.

Persuasion

One of six new delightful and collectible hardback editions from Penguin Classics, publishing to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th anniversary 
 
'Her attachment and regrets had, for a long time, clouded every enjoyment of youth; and an early loss of bloom and spirits had been their lasting effect' 
 
Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel, is a moving, masterly and elegiac love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities. It tells the story of Anne Elliot, who, persuaded to break off her engagement to the man she loved because he was not successful enough, has never forgotten him. When he returns, he brings with him a tantalizing second chance of happiness...

'Her attachment and regrets had, for a long time, clouded every enjoyment of youth; and an early loss of bloom and spirits had been their lasting effect' 
 
Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel, is a moving, masterly and elegiac love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities. It tells the story of Anne Elliot, who, persuaded to break off her engagement to the man she loved because he was not successful enough, has never forgotten him. When he returns, he brings with him a tantalizing second chance of happiness...

Mansfield Park

One of six new delightful and collectible hardback editions from Penguin Classics, publishing to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th anniversary 
 
'We have all been more or less to blame ... every one of us, excepting Fanny' 
 
Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation. Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine and subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, one of her most profound.

'We have all been more or less to blame ... every one of us, excepting Fanny' 
 
Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation. Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine and subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, one of her most profound.

Sense and Sensibility

One of six new delightful and collectible hardback editions from Penguin Classics, publishing to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th anniversary 
 
'The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!' 
 
Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love - and its threatened loss - the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

"The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!" 
 
Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love - and its threatened loss - the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

Emma

One of six new delightful and collectible hardback editions from Penguin Classics, publishing to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th anniversary 
 
'I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall' 
 
Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protégée Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

'I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall' 
 
Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protégée Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

The Castle of Otranto, The Monk, The Mysteries of Udolpho & Northanger Abbey

Tales of Terror: A BBC Radio Gothic Drama Collection

Four full-cast dramatisations of classic Gothic novels, plus documentaries exploring the genre’s rise and enduring appeal 
 
Dark deeds, dastardly villains, innocent victims and supernatural happenings – these are the terrifying tropes that make up Gothic fiction, a genre that has captured our imagination for over 250 years. Blending both classic and modern dramatisations, this specially curated anthology couples thrilling masterpieces with insightful documentaries… 
 
We begin with A Gothic Quest, in which Louise Welsh examines what ‘gothic’ really means, and takes a look at its many appearances in poetry, fiction, art, architecture and film. In A Guided Tour of the Castle of Otranto, Rory McGrath explores the origins of gothic horror, first manifested in Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel. It is followed by a dramatisation of The Castle of Otranto itself, a dark supernatural tale of duplicity and dynastic rivalry. Treading warily into the book’s strange world in Kaleidoscope Feature: A Little Gothic Castle, Peggy Reynolds draws parallels between Walpole’s vision for his London villa, Strawberry Hill, and the haunted mansion in the novel. 
 
Next, we unveil the male gothic in a gripping drama featuring disguise, abduction, incest and murder. The Monk, based on the 1796 classic by Matthew Lewis, tells the story of Ambrosio (Michael Pennington), who is tempted into breaking his vows of chastity by a beautiful young nun. The dawn of the female gothic is revealed in The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, centred on a powerless young heroine trapped in an isolated castle and pitted against an evil Italian Count. Showcasing the Gothic satire is Jane Austen’s 1817 novel Northanger Abbey, poking fun at the popular sensation fiction of her day. In this witty drama, Catherine Morland is taken to Bath for the season, and finds that in her fertile imagination, danger and hair-raising horrors lurk around every corner. Georgia Groome, Miriam Margolyes and Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson star in this full-cast dramatisation. 
 
Wrapping up our collection is In Our Time: Gothic, which sees Melvyn Bragg and guest experts considering the origins and significance of the 18th century Gothic movement. 
 
 
First published 1764 (The Castle of Otranto), 1794 (The Mysteries of Udolpho), 1796 (The Monk), 1817 (Northanger Abbey) 
 
 
Content List 
 
Part 1. Gothic Imagination 
 
A Gothic Quest 
Presented by Louise Welsh 
 
Part 2. The First Gothic Novel: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole 
 
A Guided Tour of the Castle of Otranto 
Presented by Rory McGrath 
 
The Castle of Otranto 
cast and credits to be announced 
 
Kaleidoscope Feature: A Little Gothic Castle 
Presented by Peggy Reynolds 
 
Part 3. Unveiling A Male Gothic: The Monk by Matthew Lewis 
 
The Monk 
Starring Michael Pennington, Sorcha Cusack, Emily Morgan, Christopher Douglas, Brian Smith, Jenny Funnell, Tessa Worsley, Mary Wimbush, Simon Hewitt, Anne Jameson, Alan Thompson, Melinda Walker, Mia Soteriou, Allan McClelland, Garard Green, Graham Blockey, Peter Acre, David Learner and Bernard Brown 
 
 
Part 4. The Dawn of a Female Gothic: The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe 
 
The Mysteries of Udolpho 
Starring Georgia Groome, Tracy Wiles, John Dougall, Finlay Robertson, Luke Thompson, Natasha Cowley, Stephen Wight, John Bowler, Karen Bartke and Alison Belbin 
 
Part 5. Gothic Satire: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 
 
Northanger Abbey 
Starring Georgia Groome, Luke Thompson, Tracy Wiles, Kim Wall, Ainsley Howard, Alison Belbin, John Bowler, Karen Bartke, Miriam Margolyes, Stephen Wight, Finlay Robertson, Natasha Cowley, John Dougall, Nick Murchie, Keziah Joseph and Luke MacGregor 
 
 
Part 6. Gothic Legacies 
 
In Our Time: Gothic 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
With Chris Baldick, A N Wilson and Emma Clery 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The technique of [Jane Austen's novels] is beyond praise.... Her mastery of the art she chose, or that chose her, is complete

The wit of Jane Austen has for partner the perfection of her taste

Like Irvine Welsh, I am a great admirer of Jane Austen

For those of us who suspect all the mysteries of life are contained in the microcosm of the family, that personal relationships prefigure all else, the work of Jane Austen is the Rosetta Stone of literature

How could these novels ever seem remote...the gaiety is unextinguished today, the irony has kept its bite, the reasoning is still sweet, the sparkle undiminished, as comedies they are irresistibly and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be

That young lady has a talent for describing the involvements of feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with

Jane Austen was born in Steventon rectory on 16 December 1775. Her family later moved to Bath, then to Southampton and finally to Chawton in Hampshire. She began writing Pride and Prejudice when she was twenty-two years old. It was originally called First Impressions and was initially rejected by the publishers and only published in 1813 after much revision. She published four of her novels in her lifetime, Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). Jane Austen died on 18th July 1817. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were both published posthumously in 1818.

JOIN THE OBSESSION 
'These might be the most beautiful books I've ever seen? Get them in an art gallery' 
'The marbled paper, I could cry' 
'Love love love this collection ' 
'I must have all of them' 
'Our beloved classics with sprayed edges too! They are absolutely STUNNING!' 
 
Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with this beautiful gift edition of her first novel, the story of the Dashwood sisters, in urgent need of financial security in the form of husbands. It comes complete with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and is finished with a silk ribbon. 
 
Elinor is as prudent as her sister Marianne is impetuous. Each must learn from the other after they are they are forced by their father's death to leave their home and enter into the contests of polite society. The charms of unsuitable men and the schemes of rival ladies mean that their paths to success are thwart with disappointment but together they attempt to find a way to happiness. 
 
This hardback is part of VINTAGE COLLECTOR’S CLASSICS, a series of luxurious books especially crafted for collectors and fans of beautiful special editions. Sumptuous design meets the highest quality production. Discover timeless classics beautifully bound for every bookshelf.

Everyone has their Austen, and this is mine. Sparer, more savage - and also more poignant than Pride and Prejudice, this is a novel that tells us wisely and wittily about the nature of romantic entanglements and the follies of being human. It isn't riven with the deep, muscular ironies of, say, Emma, but there is something about the dry lightness of Persuasion that is deceptive. It stays with you long after you've read it

I worship all of Austen's novels, but if I have to choose one over the others, I plump for the autumnal pleasures of Persuasion. This is the last work Austen completed before her death in 1817, and it is rather more tender and melancholy in tone than the novels that preceded it. I read it once or twice a year, whenever I feel in need of a good cry

A subtle and elegiac novel - more heartfelt than some of her earlier romances and with a truly appealing heroine

Female self-worth could have been invented by Jane Austen. No wonder we still value her

It is a sort of a private novel. In the heroine, Anne Elliot, we have glimpses of Austen and what happened to her; the lost romance and the lost youth

In Persuasion, Jane Austen picks up the pen to tell us who we are and what we want

Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with this beautiful gift edition of her final novel, the book that was being read in the TV series Miss Austen. It comes with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and finished with a silk ribbon. 
 
Eight years ago Anne Elliot bowed to pressure from her family and made the decision not to marry the man she loved, Captain Wentworth. Now circumstances have conspired to bring him back into her social circle and Anne finds her old feelings for him reignited. However, when they meet again Wentworth behaves as if they are strangers and seems more interested in her friend Louisa. In this, her final novel, Jane Austen tells the story of a love that endures the tests of time and society with humour, insight and tenderness. 
 
This hardback is part of VINTAGE COLLECTOR’S CLASSICS, a series of luxurious books especially crafted for collectors and fans of beautiful special editions. Sumptuous design meets the highest quality production. Discover timeless classics beautifully bound for every bookshelf.

Somebody reading over my shoulder refuses to believe that I found Northanger Abbey funnier than Catch 22, but I did. So there

The most perfect artist among women, the writer whose books are immortal

Jane Austen's lightest and most playful novel

Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with this beautiful gift edition of her ingenious satirical swipe at the gothic novel. It comes with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and finished with a silk ribbon. 
 
Catherine Morland is a young girl with a very active imagination. Her naivety and love of sensational novels lead her to approach the fashionable social scene in Bath and her stay at nearby Northanger Abbey with preconceptions that have embarrassing and entertaining consequences. 
 
This hardback is part of VINTAGE COLLECTOR’S CLASSICS, a series of luxurious books especially crafted for collectors and fans of beautiful special editions. Sumptuous design meets the highest quality production. Discover timeless classics beautifully bound for every bookshelf.

Full of the energies of discord - sibling rivalry, greed, ambition, illicit sexual passion, and vanity

Jane Austen is the pinnacle to which all other authors aspire

Jane Austen at her most genteelly acerbic

Austen looks at her world with a cool, undressing gaze...she is a formidable opponent of hypocrisy and sentimentality

Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with this beautiful gift edition of her bold and brilliant novel about privilege, class, love and growing up. It comes with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and is finished with a silk ribbon. 
 
Fanny Price's rich relatives offer her a place in their home so that she can be properly brought up. However, Fanny's childhood is a lonely one as she is never allowed to forget her position. Her only ally is her cousin Edmund. When her cousins befriend two glamorous new young people who have arrived in the area, Henry and Mary Crawford, Edmund starts to grow close to Mary and Fanny finds herself dealing with feelings she has never experienced before. 
 
This hardback is part of VINTAGE COLLECTOR’S CLASSICS, a series of luxurious books especially crafted for collectors and fans of beautiful special editions. Sumptuous design meets the highest quality production. Discover timeless classics beautifully bound for every bookshelf.

The History of England by a Partial, Prejudiced and Ignorant Historian

90 Classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books 
 
During his reign, Lord Cobham was burnt alive, but I forget what for. 
 
In Jane Austen’s breezy and entirely biased telling of English history, Mary, Queen of Scots is a scandalously wronged victim, Elizabeth I is a wicked villain and most historical facts and dates are cheerfully disregarded. It is accompanied here by other riotous early pieces in which young women steal money, escape from prison, agree to marry two men at once, faint and repeatedly ‘run mad’.

During his reign, Lord Cobham was burnt alive, but I forget what for. 
 
In Jane Austen’s breezy and entirely biased telling of English history, Mary, Queen of Scots is a scandalously wronged victim, Elizabeth I is a wicked villain and most historical facts and dates are cheerfully disregarded. It is accompanied here by other riotous early pieces in which young women steal money, escape from prison, agree to marry two men at once, faint and repeatedly ‘run mad’.

(Vintage Classics Austen Series)

Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with this beautiful gift edition of her irresistibly sharp and funny novel of love, marriage and human nature. It comes with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and finished with a silk ribbon. 
 
JOIN THE OBSESSION 
'These might be the most beautiful books I've ever seen? Get them in an art gallery' 
'The marbled paper <3 I could cry' 
'Love love love this collection ' 
'I must have all of them <3 <3' 
'Our beloved classics with sprayed edges too! They are absolutely STUNNING!' 
 
When Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr Darcy, she is repelled by his overbearing pride and prejudice towards her family. But the Bennet girls are in need of financial security in the shape of husbands, so when Darcy’s friend, the affable Mr Bingley, forms an attachment to Jane, Darcy becomes increasingly hard to avoid. Polite society will be turned upside down in this witty drama of friendship, rivalry and love – Jane Austen’s classic romance novel. 
 
This hardback is part of VINTAGE COLLECTOR’S CLASSICS, a series of luxurious books especially crafted for collectors and fans of beautiful special editions. Sumptuous design meets the highest quality production. Discover timeless classics beautifully bound for every bookshelf.

Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with this beautiful gift edition of her groundbreaking novel, a story with the most charming and unreliable of heroines, Emma. It comes with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful paper and is finished with a silk ribbon. 
 
JOIN THE OBSESSION 
'These might be the most beautiful books I've ever seen? Get them in an art gallery' 
'The marbled paper <3 I could cry' 
'Love love love this collection ' 
'I must have all of them <3 <3' 
'Our beloved classics with sprayed edges too! They are absolutely STUNNING!' 
 
Emma is young, rich and independent. She has decided not to get married and instead spends her time organising her acquaintances' love affairs. Her plans for the matrimonial success of her new friend Harriet, however, lead her into complications that ultimately test her own detachment from the world of romance. 
 
This hardback is part of VINTAGE COLLECTOR’S CLASSICS, a series of luxurious books especially crafted for collectors and fans of beautiful special editions. Sumptuous design meets the highest quality production. Discover timeless classics beautifully bound for every bookshelf.

With a foreword by Krystal Marquis, author of The Davenports and The Davenports: More Than This 
 
When Fanny Price is taken in by wealthy relatives, she finds herself abused, overlooked and thoroughly unloved. Her only solace is her friendship with their youngest son, Edmund. But they are just friends. At least for now. 
 
Soon, the arrival of Henry and Mary Crawford sets off a flurry of matchmaking and Fanny must decide who she loves and how they might all end up living happily-ever-after.Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Penguin's boldly designed new Jane Austen collection for young-adult readers featuring the complete and unabridged texts. Full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to embrace your inner romantic.

With a foreword by Krystal Marquis, author of The Davenports and The Davenports: More Than This 
 
‘If your only choice is Henry Crawford and his red flags, spinsterhood may the way to go.’ – Krystal Marquis 
 
When Fanny Price is taken in by wealthy relatives, she finds herself abused, overlooked and thoroughly unloved. Her only solace is her friendship with their youngest son, Edmund. But they are just friends. At least for now. 
 
Soon, the arrival of Henry and Mary Crawford sets off a flurry of matchmaking and Fanny must decide who she loves and how they might all end up living happily-ever-after. 
 
Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin’s boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures. 
 
With a stunning modern design and forewords from leading YA romance authors, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to escape the brutal nonchalance of modern dating and embrace your inner romantic.

With a foreword by Tessa Bailey, author of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line and SinkerSelf-appointed matchmaker Emma Woodhouse is convinced that she’ll never marry. ‘Handsome, clever and rich’, the headstrong Emma has lived a charmed life and has no need for love.But, when her meddling ends a friend’s relationship and upsets the romantic social order, Emma discovers that her actions have consequences – and that love might have been waiting for her all along. 
Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Penguin's boldly designed new Jane Austen collection for young-adult readers featuring the complete and unabridged texts. Full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to embrace your inner romantic.

With a foreword by Tessa Bailey, author of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line and Sinker 
 
‘Perhaps Emma Woodhouse didn’t know who she would end up with, but all the romance authors in the house definitely did.’ – Tessa Bailey 
 
Self-appointed matchmaker Emma Woodhouse is convinced that she’ll never marry. ‘Handsome, clever and rich’, the headstrong Emma has lived a charmed life and has no need for love. 
 
But, when her meddling ends a friend’s relationship and upsets the romantic social order, Emma discovers that her actions have consequences – and that love might have been waiting for her all along. 
 
Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin’s boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures. 
 
With a stunning modern design and forewords from leading YA romance authors, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to escape the brutal nonchalance of modern dating and embrace your inner romantic.

The Sisterhood

With a foreword by Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically 
 
Elizabeth Bennet must get married – her family’s status depends on it. But she and Mr Darcy, her suitor, don’t exactly see eye to eye. He’s embarrassed her, she’s snubbed him. As a pair, they’re headed for disaster. 
 
In one of the world’s most enduring love stories, both would-be lovers must overcome their personal pride and social prejudices to allow their turbulent, but true, love to bloom.Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Penguin's boldly designed new Jane Austen collection for young-adult readers featuring the complete and unabridged texts. Full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to embrace your inner romantic

With a foreword by Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically 
 
‘[Lizzy and Darcy’s] will be a relationship with a high roasting-to-flirting ratio, and it will be perfect.’ – Ali Hazelwood 
 
Elizabeth Bennet must get married – her family’s status depends on it. But she and Mr Darcy, her suitor, don’t exactly see eye to eye. He’s embarrassed her, she’s snubbed him. As a pair, they’re headed for disaster. 
 
In one of the world’s most enduring love stories, both would-be lovers must overcome their personal pride and social prejudices to allow their turbulent-but-true love to bloom. 
 
Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin’s boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures. 
 
With a stunning modern design and forewords from leading YA romance authors, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to escape the brutal nonchalance of modern dating and embrace your inner romantic.

With a foreword by Lauren Asher, author of The Fine Print and Love Redesigned 
 
Craving adventure, seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland leaps at the opportunity to step into the dizzying world of British high society in the resort town of Bath. 
 
Adventure arrives in the form of handsome clergyman Henry Tilney, and the ominous promise of his family home: Northanger Abbey. But for romance to blossom, Catherine must find answers to her dark suspicious about the abbey and face that most terrifying of enemies: money-minded social climbers.Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Penguin's boldly designed new Jane Austen collection for young-adult readers featuring the complete and unabridged texts. Full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to embrace your inner romantic

With a foreword by Lauren Asher, author of The Fine Print and Love Redesigned 
 
‘I dare you to read the first chapter … chances are you won’t be able to stop once you start.’ – Lauren Asher 
 
Craving adventure, seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland leaps at the opportunity to step into the dizzying world of British high society in the resort town of Bath. 
 
Adventure arrives in the form of handsome clergyman Henry Tilney, and the ominous promise of his family home: Northanger Abbey. But for romance to blossom, Catherine must find answers to her dark suspicious about the abbey and face that most terrifying of enemies: money-minded social climbers. 
 
Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin’s boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures. 
 
With a stunning modern design and forewords from leading YA romance authors, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to escape the brutal nonchalance of modern dating and embrace your inner romantic.

Leo Tolstoy

Charlotte Brönte

Gustave Flaubert

William Shakespeare

Colette

Jane Austen

Alessandro Manzoni

Radclyffe Hall

Emily Brontë

Elizabeth Gaskell

Edith Wharton

Thomas Hardy

Vanessa Kirby

Tom Burke

Rory Kinnear

Toby Jones

John Hurt

David Tennant

Kate Philips

Full Cast

12 Full-Cast Dramatisations

Twelve dramatisations of the best love stories ever written, performed by star casts 
 
Treat yourself to this stunning collection of classic stories of love, loss, obstacles overcome and desperate attraction. This is a beautiful, moving and at times thrilling listen which takes you on a journey through the greatest tales of romance ever told. These unmissable, dramatised novels feature stellar performances from fantastic casts including Vanessa Kirby, Hiftu Quasem, Kate Philips, Rory Kinnear, Toby Jones, John Hurt and David Tennant. 
 
Anna Karenina is Leo Tolstoy's powerful drama of desire, transgression and heartache. Starring Kate Philips (Wolf Hall), Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter) and Rory Kinnear (James Bond films). 
 
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a fantastic mix of injustice, romance, passion and danger wrapped up in a glorious love story. Starring Amanda Hale (Catastrophe) and Tom Burke (Strike). 
 
Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary is a masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness - the first great novel of adultery. Starring Sarah Smart (Wallander), Jude Akuwudike (Gangs of London) and James D’Arcy (Broadchurch) with John Hurt (Harry Potter) as the Narrator. 
 
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In a town full of hatred, where the streets ring with the Capulet-Montague feud and swords are too easily drawn, Romeo and Juliet find each other, fall in love, and never let go. Starring Trystan Gravelle (Mr Selfridge), Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible), David Tennant (Broadchurch) and Paul Ready (Motherland). 
 
Chéri by Colette is the story of a love affair between a courtesan and a man half her age, set in Paris before the First World War. Starring Frances Barber (Silk) and Joseph Millson (The Last Kingdom) with Lindsay Duncan (Birdman) as the Narrator. 
 
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen remains one of the world’s favourite novels, dealing with the timeless issues of love, social class and money with a witty, clever - though flawed - heroine at its heart. Starring Pippa Nixon (Unforgotten), Jamie Parker (The Crown) and Toby Jones (The Detectorists). 
 
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni is an icon of Italian literature: the story of two lovers who want nothing more than to marry but are beset by the hazards of war, bread riots and the machinations of a nameless crime lord. Starring Hiftu Quasem (Killing Eve) and Ian Dunnett Jnr (Masters of the Air). 
 
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, written in 1928, is a pioneering novel about love and attraction between women. Starring Valerie Edmond as the enigmatic Stephen. 
 
Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë's iconic love story. Heathcliff and Cathy's love is the beating heart of the story, set against the backdrop of the bleak Yorkshire moors. Starring Chloe Pirrie (Temple) and Ben Batt (Shameless). 
 
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell explores social conscience, ideological difference and love in a mill town in the 1800s. Starring Emily Mortimer (The Pursuit of Love) and David Threlfall (Shameless). 
 
The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a passionate life-long love affair which breaks all the rules of the restrictive high society of 1870's New York. Starring Susan Lynch (Happy Valley) and Kellie Bright (Eastenders). 
 
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy is a story of the belief in true romance and the power of money and love. Starring Alex Tregear (Silk: The Clerk’s Room), Toby Jones (The Detectorists) and Patrick Kennedy (Boardwalk Empire). 
 
This stunning collection is packed with the best romance stories written in the last 500 years – a fully dramatised, unmissable listen featuring some of the biggest names of stage and screen. 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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