Sanditon, Lady Susan, & The History of England (MacMillan Collector's Library)

Fabulous find for Austen fans, collecting all her early and late works, generally not included in Collected Works editions. Lady Susan aka Love and Friendship, became known from recent movie adaptation. It is a most atypical satiric profile of a greedy parent willing to sacrifice anything including her daughter for her own gain. Done in the 'epistolary' exchange-of-letters style pioneered in Richardson's Pamela. Sanditon, her last work, has often been considered a failure because it stops. Attempts have been made to write endings. Recent critical thought argues that, like Schubert in his Unfinished Symphony, Jane stopped because she had nothing more to say. Her meditation on her own death which had been coming on for about10 years. Nicely bound, too.

When you love classics like I do, having a sweet, small edition that you can tuck into your pocket, purse or backpack is a great thing. This volume is beautifully made and definitely worth owning. I think I have the entire Austen collection by Collectors Library. 1) You cannot beat the price for what you are getting. 2) Book binding is sturdy and not cheap. 3) Pages are gold leafed. 4) Ribbon book mark is a lovely feature. 5) Illustrations by Hugh Thomson are delightful. Sandition doesn't have any though.

It is the cuttiest book I ever held in my hands, great gift idea for a book lover or to inspire someone to be a lover of books.

I'm glad to see Collector's Library books back! These are a set of classic novels - Jane Austen, Sherlock Holmes, the Odyssey & such - in hardback form but in paperback size & price. The print is good quality, though the text quality depends on which edition of a work is being copied. This collection of Jane Austen's less-known works includes an intro explaining the editors' choices, then gives the stories in as close to chronological order as possible. The "Juveilia" read like a kid sister's first efforts, complete with comical exaggerations. I join the probably-large number of people who wish that Ms. Austen had been able to finish "The Watsons," & click my tongue disapprovingly at "Lady Susan" even while I remember the conditions she thought made her behavior necessary. Next to actually going to a public library, I think this edition is a good investment for those on a budget who want a book they can keep for a while.

Our 15 y/o grand-daughter was absolutely thrilled. The book is fairly small, with gold edging and a nice book cover. She LOVES Jane Austen--and reads her novels repeatedly!

As Sanditon is unfinished it is hard to get a grasp of the characters. Lady Susan, however, is Austen's usual character study.

Jane Austen is wonderful. If you love Jane Austen there is no reason not to add this book to your reading collection.

This one is only for true Jane Austen lovers. It is her early work and not up to her usual standard of perfection. I should say I am only half way through it and should not comment further.

Received it at my place as my friend liked this book as she wished for her birthday.

Beautiful edition for a delightful book.

The gold edges are really nice. This is a great collectors edition. A small book that is travel friendly. I am very pleased.

It is a beautiful edition. Very handsome!

De las obras de JA escritas antes que Sense & Sensibility, sólo había leído Lady Susan, sin mucho interés. En el contexto de la biografía de JA, ésta y las restantes obras de JA que aparecen en orden cronológico aparecen como mucho más reveladoras. A los dieciséis años, JA ya era un genio. Algunas de estas obras aparecen como avanzadas a su tiempo. Por otra parte, la parte escrita de la inacabada Sanditon es muy buena, pero es demasiado corta para decir si hubiera superado a Persuasion o si por el contrario iniciaba un declive. En cualquier caso una buena edición, pero se echan a faltar unas buenas notas y un índice de personajes o el X-Ray.