A fascinating look at the female authors who influenced Jane Austen and her works, and a very interesting look into why these authors disappeared (purposefully or accidentally) from public consciousness when they were at one point household names.

As a Jane Austen fan aka a Janeite which I learned this terminology in this book, it got me thinking. Jane Austen like all of us had authors she admired and whom inspired her in some of her writing. In school you don’t learn of these authors particularly the women who came before Jane Austen. I was dumbfounded to learn about not only the works of these literary giants but how their lives impacted them. If you’re a huge Janeite and want to learn more of what Jane Austen read then this is the book for you.

I want to thank NetGalley @marysueruccibooks and @_simonelement! for this wonderful and insightful ARC

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much. The author takes a fascinating deep dive into the books that influenced Jane Austen and discovers how wonderful most of them are. My to-read list has definitely grown from reading this book.

In a Nutshell: An amazing and comprehensive compilation of outstanding authors who might have been a part of Jane Austen’s Bookshelf. Contains these authors’ biographies as well as other bookish and historical tidbits. This isn't a treat just for Jane Austen fans but for every book lover and feminist.

Jane Austen is often considered the best woman writer of her era, and sometimes, even referred to as the first successful woman writer. Is this claim true? Was she really a pathbreaking novelist who forged the way for others after her? Did no other woman writer have a successful writing career before Austen? Is Austen the only worthy female writer from the Georgian/Regency era?
As you might have guessed, the answer to these questions is a resounding ‘No!’ However, do we have enough knowhow to elaborate on the answers? Do we casual readers know even one woman novelist from Austen’s time? As a huge Austen fan, I admit I did know one woman writer from Austen’s time: Frances Burney, of whom Austen was a huge fan. But I was aware of Burney’s name only because I knew that the title of Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’, my favourite book, came from a phrase used in one of Burney’s novels.
Every Austen fan knows that she loved books and made multiple references to books, plays and novelists in all of her writings, including her letters to her sister Cassandra. (I loved learning that Austen used an appreciation of her favourite writers’ books as a litmus test for whether someone had good taste. I do the same but I use Austen's novels as my litmus test. 😄) Most of the references she makes are for works by women writers. Then why are these ladies’ names unknown today? When did they fade into obscurity? Can we find their books easily today?
Attempting to answer these questions and more is author Rebecca Romney, a book collector who, other than co-running a thriving rare books business, is also a Janeite. A few years ago, she began a personal project titled “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf”, in which her aim was to have a bookshelf containing the physical books that Austen’s bookshelf might have held or that are related to the authors that Austen read. This result of this lofty aim was a period of discovery and astonishment and even frustration.
Austen wasn't a lone genius. The Georgian era had many women writers experimenting with plots and characters and writing structures, and even making a successful career from writing. Yet each of these women came from different familial circumstances, each wrote in a different genre (and not necessarily in the same style as Austen’s), and some even created their own niche across fields, such as by being poets or playwrights who ALSO wrote novels. Some of them wanted to write, some of them stumbled into writing, some of them were compelled to write. But no matter what their background and circumstances, all these successful woman authors have been erased from the literary canon simply because their works weren’t deemed worthy enough by male peers.
Time to return to them the literary status they earned!
The book begins with a chapter on Austen and how/why her writing is the author’s favourite. It then moves on to other writers in subsequent chapters, with each chapter profiling a different woman writer. (I am deliberately not naming any of these writers here except for Frances Burney; I want you to discover the rest through this book.) We get an extensive and accurate biography of these women and the circumstances of their writing career. All of these are writers that Austen read (or almost certainly read) but not necessarily loved.
One of the author’s included in this book was an oddity, considering how both Austen and Romney weren’t her fans. But I do understand why she was included; like it or not, her books, despite their flawed content, were a humongous success back in the day.
The chapters don’t just stop at a biographical account. We also get details of the Romney's experience reading their works, of finding (or attempting to find) rare copies of their books, drawing a connection between their words and Austen's, and investigating whether their works can be considered similar to and at par with Austen’s. There are additional insights about books and rare books and book collecting, and also about historical literary practices, publishing policies, gender discrimination, discriminative patriarchal laws, and social strictures.
Romney writes like a true book aficionado, flitting across bookish topics without pausing for breath. As a fellow bibliophile albeit with a much lower level of expertise, I was both awestruck by her knowledge and thrilled to see shared opinions on many topics. There's even one chunky paragraph of her complaining about barcode stickers on modern-day books and the difficult of removing them without damaging the book. All of us will empathise with that frustration!
However, this passionate approach towards the topic also means that the readability of the book gets a bit affected. She jumps across points and at times, repeats points she already mentioned before. The content gets too detail-intensive sometimes, especially when it comes to book-collecting. The pacing is overall quite slow, but it is further cumbersome because of the lengthy chapters. Also, like a true researcher, she provides an annotated reference for every claim and quote. (After a point, I just skipped this on my Kindle.) Though this book contains relatively light academic content, it still feels tedious after a point because of the generous factdumping. (I did love the trivia. It just became too much to keep track of.)
My biggest disappointment is that there are no photos at all in this book. It would have been so great to see author portraits and pictures of some of the rare books Romney so fondly talks about. Also a photo of the final “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf” as it stands today, whether complete or I progress.
Overall though, my complaints are negligible. Honestly, I had picked this book only for my favourite Jane Austen. But I completed this work with so much enlightenment. I learnt more not just about Austen and these other women writers, but about books, genres, book collection, publishing, history, politics, law, and sociology.
Definitely recommended. This book will be a treat for academic-minded bibliophiles, especially but not only Austen and classic fiction fans. It’s the perfect book for Women's History Month.
4.25 stars.
My thanks to Simon Element for providing the DRC of “Jane Austen's Bookshelf” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I’m so sad that I didn’t finish this, because I read Lucy Worsley’s Jane Austen at Home right before starting it and wanted to really get a picture of what Austen was drawing from in her own work. But while I loved learning about each woman, something about the writing was just bogging me down, and I found myself turning to other books instead. It might be the author’s insertion of herself and her work into the narrative. Not that rare books and bookselling isn’t fascinating to me (I’m an archivist, so honestly that’s my jam), but I wanted the information on each woman and her place in the evolution of novel writing more than the specifics of what edition the author found and how. It’s important to know why the books may be difficult to find and what that means for the history of women in literature, but somehow the whys and wherefores just didn’t do much for me. Gah, so hard for me to explain what turned me off with this book, but I think there are many people who will enjoy it and be able to immerse themselves more fully into the world that Jane Austen lived in.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was enlightening! As someone who is tangentially studies the 18th century, I was familiar with most of the included authors (sadly I've only read Radcliffe and Edgeworth, but I own most of the other authors). Despite this previous knowledge, I learned so much through this book, especially biographical information and their connection with Austen. I think Romney did a great job of balancing presenting information to people like me who knows some but not all of what she is saying with those who have never heard of any of these women authors. I think what Romney has done with Jane Austen's Bookshelf is prove just how patriarchal canon formation is and fights against this with women writers who deserve to be canonical because they are /good/ writers not just because they are women writers. Romney made me want to pull out my copies of these women's books (although none of them are as are as hers!) and lose myself in these women's stories - many of which have sadly been forgotten throughout the centuries. As an academic scholar, I have a newfound passion to study these authors and make sure that their names and their works remain in the canon for centuries to come.

For lovers of all books this provides a really interesting perspective from a professional book collector! It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a nonfiction read as much and the author catches right from the first chapter. The historical context of Jane Austens writing combined with the authors genuine love of these titles really make an excellent read.

A moving and sensitive journey through the world of women writers contemporary to Austen and in influence to her own writing. Like the author, I found myself moved to explore their work to see how Austen was shaped into the beloved storyteller we now revere. The plight of the feminine voice and its suppression should come as no surprise, but the fact that Austen was given any notice at all is a miracle. I loved the excellent scholarship, the obvious delight in the research, and the details about the rare book industry.

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy. These opinions are my own.

Jane Austen’s bookshelf is absolutely captivating! This nonfiction book is a real page-turner, diving into the women who inspired Jane Austen but have been excluded from literary canons and largely forgotten. Anyone who loves Austen will find this fascinating. I have also found the book also incredibly relevant to today’s discussions on romantasy, a genre often dismissed by fantasy enthusiasts. Plus, the author’s passion for rare books is contagious, highlighting the beauty of this profession, and so inspiring - I can’t wait to start building my own list of classics.

I enjoyed this! I didn't know most of the authors mentioned prior to reading this so it was really interesting to read about them. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Rebecca Romney, Simon Element and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf is a fantastic work of nonfiction: part literary history, part rare bookseller memoir. It’s an accessible, satisfying read that has grown not only my appreciation for Jane Austen but given meaningful historical context and added to my TBR in a way I didn’t expect. A fun adjunct to my Classics era. 5 ⭐️!

The title, the reader soon learns, is literal. The author explains why she decided to assemble a shelf of Jane Austen’s books—that is, the ones, written by women, that Austen read and mentioned in her letters.

The Jane Austen fan, or reader of Enlightenment Era books is aware that Austen undoubtedly read a lot more than we see named in the letters, which are a fraction of those she wrote. There is no mention of Aphra Behn, or Mary Davys, or even Eliza Heywood, whose great popularity a generation before Austen was born surely meant that her books were to be found in any library that included novels. But these are the names culled from the letters that Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra left for us.

In this book, Romney sets out to acquaint herself with not only the works of these female authors, but with the writers themselves. Most of these authors I’ve already encountered, but I find it fun to read others’ takes on their work. And I really enjoy a literary exploration that brings in the writer’s own experiences and perspective.

Romney is a rare book dealer, which shapes the structure of this book; though I did skim past descriptions of searches for specific copies, and the deets of auctions, as I have never had the discretionary income to spend on rare books, I comprehend cathexis, and agree that some of the satisfaction of reading a physical book is the feel of the book, the font, the illos—and the commentary inside from long-gone owners of the copy. Plus one’s memories of when one first encountered the book, and the emotions evoked by picking up that copy once again. I own a first edition of Chesterfield’s Letters. The pages were uncut, which meant it sat untouched on someone’s shelf for over two hundred years. It might be worth something, it might not. But I would have cherished it far more had this copy been worn from much reading, perhaps with notes and comments from Enlightenment-era or Victorian-era or even early twentieth century previous owners.

So once I skimmed past the auction parts of Romney’s searches, I really enjoyed her description of the physical books. The feel of them in her hands. Her delight in discovering writing on flyleaves.

Another aspect of this book that I relished was Romney’s awareness of the human being behind the printed pages. She gives the reader a quick and sympathetic history of each woman, even of Hannah More, whose work Romney finally gave up on. (Um, yes, so did I. If only there had been even a glimmer of humor…) This book is filled with insights, and also questions. Even when I disagree with Romney’s conclusions, I can see where she’s coming from—and can imagine sitting around a comfortable tea room, exchanging ideas.

She begins with Ann Radcliffe, whose work I don’t like any more than I like Hannah More’s, though for different reasons. I don’t care for Gothick suspense, and the thread of anti-Catholicism running through Radcliffe’s books doesn’t make it worth reading for the elegiac landscape descriptions, much less the creepy horrors and grues. But I appreciated Romney’s digging into the reviews of Radcliff’s books written in her lifetime, and I followed with interest Romney’s detective work tracing the gradual disappearance of Radcliff from popularity, to her present near-obscurity. Romney goes into the “explained supernatural” (in other words, all the supposed supernatural encounters in the books turn out to have rational explanations—unlike Horry Walpole’s ridiculous and flagrantly male-gazey The Castle of Otranto). Romney points out that in keeping her books firmly within the explained supernatural, Radcliffe was bringing logic to an emotional argument. She then traces through reviews and news reports about Radcliffe the false claims that Radcliffe stopped writing because she had sunk into madness.

In exploring this idea, Romney brings forth the seldom-acknowledged point that Catherine Morland, the teenage heroine of Northanger Abbey, who is so delighted by her discovery of Gothic novels that she brings the “emotional logic” of Gothics to imagining Mrs. Tilney being locked up before her death, learns from her mistakes, which are made in the ignorance of youth. Unlike General Tilney and his own quite Gothic, and ridiculous, assumptions about Catherine. He, an experienced man of middle years, has no excuse!

In wrestling with Hannah More’s determination that human beings are morally obliged to stay in their place (that includes women being subordinate to men), Romney states: “I found myself sitting for ten minutes at a time with a Hannah More biography in my lap, staring at nothing. This, too, is a part of reading. What we feel when we read does not remain on the page. We take it with us. We absorb it. It doesn’t have to change us, exactly (though it can, but it does affect us. It becomes a part of all the little moments that make up our lives.”

It's insights like this one, strewn through the book, that made it such a delicious read, as she goes on to give similar attention to Charlotte Lennox, Elizabeth Inchbald, Maria Edgeworth, and Hester Thrale Piozzi. And then traces how and why these women, once so famous, fell out of favor.

Did I agree with everything Romney brings up? No. She calls the unctuous, freckled Mrs. Clay from Persuasion a fraud, which I think is disingenuous; it’s true that Jane Austen’s narrator despises Mrs. Clay, but her situation, and her behavior at crucial points, isn’t a whole lot different from that of Mrs. Smith, who is better born, and who the narrator favors.

And again, Romney, in mentioning Mansfield Park seems to regard Fanny Price as humorless (wrong), and professes not to understand why Fanny disapproves of Inchbald’s play being mounted by the young people. She doesn’t seem to distinguish that it’s not the play Fanny objects to, it’s the flagrant disrespect for the missing Bertram paterfamilias—a disrespect that all the others are quite aware of when Sir Thomas comes unexpectedly home. But I blather at length about that in my review.

And from specific instances to general points, Romney maintains that several of these authors’ books are great literature, and deserve rediscovery. This of course goes straight into subjective territory. My own feeling is that there are indeed terrific moments in all of these books, and one can see how they influenced Austen, but (to generalize drastically) they share one fault: unexamined tropes, or downright cliches, both in plot and in language. Whereas Austen was side-eyeing these tropes, and the threadbare figurative language common to all these writers (such as blazing eyes, and frequent faintings, etc etc), and either playing with the expectations or abjuring them altogether. Which is what elevates Austen from really entertaining writer to genius. But again, highly subjective.

My point is, even when Romney and I come to different conclusions, I enjoyed her description of how she got there, and why. I enjoyed this book to such an extent that I plan to buy a print copy once it comes out, and to recommend it to my face-to-face Jane Austen Discussion Group. We should have a blast exploring all its ideas.

3.5 stars

Being a huge Jane Austen fan, and, at times, having the inclination to read the books she mentions — specifically those in Northanger Abbey — I thought this would be a wonderful dive into the women authors who influenced and shaped Austen's own work. And it does do that. But honestly, and this is mostly on me, I wanted more biography and less book collecting. I understand and often love when the author of a nonfiction book like this includes a good deal of their intertwining personal journey, but somehow this one seemed to drag too often for too long a time. I could barely get settled into each author's life and work without Romney's interruptions. The balance was a little too tilting towards this book's author rather than the titular authors themselves.

That being said — I not only love that this book exists, and sheds a good deal of light on Austen as a reader and inspired author, but also allows present day readers and Janeites to get the opportunity to construct a Jane Austen's Bookshelf TBR.

Also, if you're at all interested in book collecting as a hobby (or future side hustle), this might be the very book to inspire you to begin.

This isn't what I was expecting, but it was an enjoyable read. My To Be Read list has grown and I can see my JASNA region using this as a guide as we move through our cycle of reading Jane's work.

I’m admittedly not quite finished with this yet but since it’s out, I just have to give an early review. So well done and well written, really fascinating and engaging. I love this one enough that I plan on picking up a physical copy so I can take my time with enjoying it and be able to reread. Full review to follow on Instagram when I’m completely finished.

Not only does Rebecca Romney has a lot to say but she has found a fun and interesting way to say it. The way the book is set up each chapter is focused on a different female author who's work influenced Jane Austen and Romney writes it all in a chatty voice that feels more like you're talking with someone than reading a non-fiction book about a historical figure.

This reminds me a lot of one of my other favorite books, Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order), which I reread every year and I think Jane Austen's Bookshelf will be another regular reread.

Absolutely LOVED this book. In Jane Austen's bookshelf it takes us through the not so known influential authors of the very well known Jane Austen. As someone who doesn't know much about classic author this is a deep dive on all the women that influenced and inspired her. This book is also written by a book collector which gave unique insight to each author by the way the enjoyed the books and what they learned versus a critique of the books.

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf is that rare book whose author combines knowledge of English literature, especially of the 18th century, a particular love of Jane Austen, experience in the world of book collection and book sales at a high level, and who, above all, wants to throw light on the women who influenced Jane Austen as a writer.

Then add to the mix a sense of humor too.

Romney writes in a very readable style of eight women acknowledged by Austen in novels, letters or conversations during her lifetime. Some are slightly remembered today, such as Ann Radcliffe or Frances Burney, but most have been lost except to some 18th century literature texts, if they happen to include women other than Austen.

The subtitle really says it all: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend. You need not be a devoted Austen reader to enjoy and appreciate this book. I haven’t read all of her books yet, I will admit, but I have enjoyed those I have read. And I very much appreciate any effort to open up history and shine light on other women who were also entering the then new world of writing novels. It wasn’t only men making the leap into this genre.

Highly recommended and prepare to add to your reading list!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

What is a classic and how does it become one? We can probably all name some "classic novels", maybe even some "great American novels", even if we've never read them. And almost all of the early ones will have been written by men, with the undisputed exception of Jane Austen.

Jane Austen's Bookshelf explores the authors Austen herself enjoyed reading, and the ones who influenced her own writing: Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Charlotte Smith, Hannah More, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, and Maria Edgeworth specifically. These authors are mentioned in Austen's letters and novels, they were among the best sellers of her day. Author Rebecca Romney takes us on two adventures: she explores the lives of each of these remarkable women- their lives, their triumphs, tragedies, and how they came to fall from best selling author status off of the canon of "must-read English authors"; Romney also takes us on her modern journey of discovering these authors herself.

As a rare book seller and a lover of Jane Austen books, Romney wanted to read the books Austen read and find out what she enjoyed reading. Did they stand up to the test of time or did they deserve their fall off their pedestals as brilliant writers? As much as I enjoyed the biographies Romney crafted of the writers themselves, I enjoyed her discoveries of these women, their lives, their books, and their reinterpretations over the centuries possibly more. Her descriptions of finding the copies of the rare book edition that speaks to her for her own collection, her discoveries of her own particular prides and prejudices towards certain kind of books and how she changes her thinking, and the books themselves, are all wonderful.

Romney makes sure Jane Austen's Bookshelf is never a dull read. If you decide after reading this to add Burney, Lennox, and any of the other women's works (and their biographies) to your TBR piles like I have, Romney includes a wonderfully helpful appendix "Selected Books from the Jane Austen Bookshelf" to get you started.

Not a daunting, scholarly work, but readers who enjoyed Devoney Looser's Sister Novelists or Ramie Targoff's Shakespear's Sisters and the forgotten- or purposely overlooked- women writers will enjoy Rebecca Romney's Jane Austen's Bookshelf for many of the same reasons.

I received a DRC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Oh, I found this book fascinating! I love all of Jane Austen's novels/novellas. Through my love of her books, I was led to discover the Brontes, Elizabeth Gaskell, and even Ann Radcliff's Mystery of Udolpho. I was so excited to receive this ARC and immerse myself into discovering the authors that influenced Ms. Austen. I was really surprised that of the 8 women authors, I had only ever heard of two!

Rebecca Romney writes in such an engaging way that the reader feels like they are having a tete-a-tete with her by a cozy fireplace. We learn about her experience as a rare book dealer, what excites her, the nuances of assessing value to old books. She delves into the authors that influenced Jane Austen and offers proof through Jane's own novels, letters, etc. Many of these authors were part of "The Great Forgetting"- a time when the voices and outlook of women writers in the Victorian era were ignored/forgotten. Literature was a mainly male-dominated at this time, causing a huge gender divide in the depiction of authors. However, Jane was influenced by these very same women. The beloved "Pride and Prejudice" derives it's name from a Frances Burney novel! And The Mystery of Udolpho is mentioned in Northanger Abbey.

However, where this book shines is by not just telling us who the influencers were, but giving us a detailed mini-biography of each of their lives- personal and professional. Ms. Romney looks into why they seemed to vanish after having successful publishings, and it is all mesmerizing, and somewhat bittersweet. These authors were successful in their own right. Some wrote for financial reasons, while others were part of higher society. However, writing anonymously (which even some men did at the time because the "novel" was looked down upon!), was a way that society judged them because their writing was seen as influencing morals! Each woman has a fascinating story, and I feel that Rebeca Romney did them all justice. It was also wonderful to see her zeal grow as she looked into each author- it was her personal excitement and love of books/reading , not just her professional side.

I highly recommend this book! The writing is engaging, honest, and fun. The subject is so interesting! And I now have about 20 books added to my list! This not a boring read at all!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.