It’s fair to say that most of us apprehend Jane Austen by way of words. But for a few outliers, numbers may provide a way into her work. As we count down toward The Big Birthday next month, this week in Austen 250 celebrations offers something for both camps:   * For the linguistically inclined, the University of Western Australia, in Perth, is holding a mini-Austen conference next Monday, featuring an opportunity to view its library’s collection of Austen first editions.  

Does the world need another Jane Austen podcast? Color me skeptical.   A rummage through Google and memory turned up eighteen non-fiction examples of the genre, and I doubt I found them all. There are podcasts sponsored by mainline Austen organizations, including Chawton House , Jane Austen’s House , and the Jane Austen Society of North America . There are podcasts devoted to excavating historical context , or dissecting Austen adaptations , or both . There are podcasts hoste

In life, Jane Austen’s royal connections were minimal. As Janeites will remember, the Prince Regent, later George IV, was a fan of her work. In 1815, a chance encounter scored Austen a private tour of the PR’s London residence, hosted by his librarian, and along the way, she received offer-you-can’t-refuse “permission” to dedicate Emma  to the royal personage. She complied. And that was the sum total of her close encounters with crowned heads.   Posthumously, however, Austen

Amid all the concerts, exhibits, tea parties, balls, walking tours, screen adaptations, and souvenir merch celebrating the 250 th ...

Autumn is a lovely season in England—cue the Keats : “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”--and for Janeites, this fall offers some...

As we approach the last third of this Austen 250 year, the torrent of anniversary-related events shows no sign of abating—especially in...

Jane Austen “is on course to have her best year since 2009,” the UK publishing industry magazine The Bookseller reported recently. “In...

Those of us who live within striking distance of New York City have another five weeks in which to catch the Morgan Library & Museum’s...

My husband was sure there would be no gift shop at 8 College Street , the Winchester house where Jane Austen died, and which opened to...

Halfway through this year of Austen 250 celebrations, you may be considering what sort of merch would make an appropriate souvenir of the...

Just last month, I took issue with the travel guru Rick Steves’ questionable claim that “ Bath  is the mecca for Austen devotees.” (That...

“Jane Austen's grave may save a troubled Winchester Cathedral,” the website of Religion News Service proclaimed earlier this year. And...