The Jane Austen Handbook: A Guide to Etiquette and Social Norms from Regency England

Keith Kendall: The author has a delightful writing style.

After a while I began to notice that much of the advice was identical to what Jane Austen had written, which made me wonder if it was really descriptive of the society in general. Still, it was a delightful read with catchy front matter, easily read body and interesting back matter.

United States on Oct 04, 2023

Rue23: I love Jane Austen, I love reading about how people lived at different points in history, and I love learning rules of etiquette: I've bought lots of books on each of these topics, and I still learned lots of interesting things from this book. It's a definite must read for any Jane Austen fan who wants a bit of a better grip of the context of Jane's writing!

United States on Feb 23, 2021

Lady from Sutton: OK for a fun, light, introduction to the subject matter, not so good for Janeites hoping for an insight into the period. Those hoping for the latter would be better served looking elsewhere.

United Kingdom on Feb 08, 2021

Angelo Mangiapane: Premessa: acquistato in quanto volevo conoscere ancora di più la storia del "mondo femminile" dell'ottocento.

Voto Generale: 8/10
Prezzo: 8/10
Cura per i dettagli: 9/10
Qualità immagini: 9/10
Packaging: 8/10
Tempi di spedizione: 10/10

Ordine arrivato in anticipo rispetto alla data prevista, senza che il pacco fosse danneggiato o altro. Per quanto riguarda il libro invece, lo consiglio caldamente, in quanto tratta del mondo femminile dell'ottocento, un aspetto che tutt'oggi non è molto chiaro..

Italy on Nov 22, 2019

Cecilia: This is a light-read book with dubious substance and constant flippant or trite statements about the social culture of the upperclass in the Regency era. eg - "Take care of the poor and sick. Visit them, deliver food . . . . and your visits offer a good way to get rid of leftovers . . )

Canada on Feb 27, 2019

Laurie H. Jackson: If you are a fan of Austen-era books of any sort, this is a must-read book! I'm loving reading through this and getting intimate insights into the day-to-day life and goings-on from this era. It really adds an extra layer to the enjoyment of what are some of my favorite books (even movies, too!). It's a distant era not only in time but in the social norms of how they lived their lives, it can be confusing to sometimes try and pick up on the nuances of the what's or why's of what is taking place This book helps provide the depth to understand better what is occurring and to better understand some of the why behind what happens. It's an easy read and is really quite fascinating - a glimpse into the everyday life of Jane Austen and her contemporaries!

United States on Oct 13, 2018

Kriss: This little handbook (which is about the size of my hand; very small!) is quite amusing and informational. It's set up as a practical book of various aspects of life during the Regency period of English, and reads much like a guidebook to tell readers specifics in little bullet-point lists. While it seems to take on a sort of archaic tone/attitude in the way it snarks about "you don't want to be seen as a bluestocking (a woman who pursues intellectual goals and thinks for herself and such)!" I feel these were added to try to make the book sound like something that had popped out of Regency times, like a book a girl might pick up to educate herself on how to do things like divide her time, reject a suitor, and net herself a purse and provide general advice that she'd have gotten from typical people of the time, I think it was an attempt at feeling very authentic to the time period in every way, even if it isolates the modern reader. Overall it felt informative and interesting; I've watched a lot of period pieces from the early 1800's and read a number of 19th century novels, so it was a nice change to read about the details of daily life. I liked the book and am happy to have...

United States on Aug 17, 2015

Me_Mo: It is a nice book, however, I can't help feeling that the author did not exactly go out of her way to collect facts that are more difficult to come by. Mostly it is a collection of trivia that all readers who are just a little acquainted with Jane Austen's novels can very well derive for themselves from the books. Occasionally there are some extras, but not that much. If you are interested in the life and times of Jane Austen, read "The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen" or "Jane Austen in context". They are both interesting and educational and give a thorough review of things Austen.

United Kingdom on Jan 05, 2015

Cecyle: I am an avid Jane Austen fan and I have often wondered what her world must have been like (ex. how much is 10,000 pounds today, what do women do to occupy themselves during the day, etc.). If you want to experience a full day in her world, then this is the book for you. It details everything from what dresses to wear in the morning and the evening, why married women wear a lacy cap and the basic accomplishments of a young girl before marriage. I truly felt like I could experience Jane Austen's Regency world by reading this book.

Canada on Jan 05, 2014

K. C. Scarpinatto: This book seemed to have multiple personalities. Some sections, such as those on clothing, hairstyles, card games, and the family of Jane Austen contained excellent, detailed information. These portions were clearly well-researched and well-thought out. The explanations of card games in particular showed how the characters' choice of card games in Austen's novels was a reflection of their personalities, a detail that was lost on me prior to reading this book. Other sections, such as those on social behavior, were filled with flippant allusions to Austen's novels. If you had not read the novels, you would be mystified by these allusions. If you had, they were tiresome. Once you got past the allusions, the rest was not very informative.

In summary, I would say the book is worth buying. The good sections are very good, and more than make up for the rest.

United States on Aug 27, 2011