Persuasion by Jane Austen
What's It About?
“I was re-reading Jane Austen’s 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.” --- Barbara HellerIt has taken Barbara Heller three years, but now Chronicle Books is set to release Persuasion, Jane Austen’s last completed novel, published six months after her death, in a special edition featuring the full text, and removable replicas of the characters’ letters and papers, written and folded by hand.
A CLASSIC STORY BROUGHT TO LIFE
Captain Wentworth’s letter to Anne Elliot remains one of the literature’s most unforgettable confessions. It is the jewel at the heart of Persuasion, Austen’s captivating story of second chances and enduring love. Throughout the story, letters, newspapers, maps and other paper ephemera reveal the characters’ deepest motivations and shape their destinies.
Anne’s snobbish father obsesses over a written history of their noble family, and a page from the Bath Chronicle reveals the elaborate social scene of the town where the lovers are finally reunited.
This deluxe edition brings all of this and more to life. As you read this edition, you will find pockets throughout containing replicas of 13 items from the story, recreated with exquisite calligraphy and painstaking attention to historical detail. For anyone who loves Jane Austen or still cherishes the joy of letter writing, this book deepens the experience of a favorite story in an entirely new way.
With two new film adaptations of Persuasion on the horizon, Chronicle Books saw this as the perfect time to revisit the original text in a unique way, with physical ephemera that links you directly to Austen’s world.
BEAUTIFULLY PAINSTAKING DETAIL
From the masterful calligraphy to the painstaking attention to historical detail to the hand-folding of the letters to the quality of the materials — each book is an object made by fans for fans. This edition offers an immersive experience of the story, stands apart on the shelf and makes for a truly lovely gift and keepsake.
“In truth, I wanted to possess the originals of all the letters in Pride and Prejudice,” says Heller. “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.”
She continues, “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.”
“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 the genius of Jane Austen.”
About Barbara Heller:
Barbara Heller’s career in film and television encompasses finding furnishings and props for many shows including The Americans and When They See Us; location managing films for Francis Coppola, Nancy Meyers, and Barbet Schroeder; and directing award-winning short films that have played at festivals around the world (Cannes, Berlin, Sundance). To satisfy her curiosity, she reported on why hotels fold the end of the toilet paper into a point for NPR. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature and lives with her son in New York City.
Persuasion is her third curated novel, preceded by Pride and Prejudice and Little Women.
About Jane Austen:
Jane Austen, (born December 16, 1775, Steventon, Hampshire, England — died July 18, 1817, Winchester, Hampshire), an English writer who first gave the novel its distinctly modern character through her treatment of ordinary people in everyday life. She published four novels during her lifetime: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815). In these and in Persuasion and Northanger Abbey (published together posthumously, 1817), she vividly depicted English middle-class life during the early 19th century. Her novels defined the era’s novel of manners, but they also became timeless classics that remained critical and popular successes for over two centuries after her death.
