Every author dreams of having her work spotlighted by a celebrity with a book club, an online following, and a guaranteed power to pump up sales. Reese Witherspoon , anyone? Barack Obama’s annual best-of list , maybe? Oprah Winfrey (oh, please, dear Lord)?   Jane Austen got the pre-Internet version of this boost when the Prince Regent asked/commanded her to dedicate Emma to him, and today she hardly needs the extra publicity—her books are still selling well , 250 years after

In this season of brutal political combat, it’s consoling to remember back to a less conflict-ridden past. And so it is that I felt a...