This Jane Austen Collectors Set Features Woodcut Title Pages, and Is Capped at 750 Copies Worldwide
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The Folio Society is marking Jane Austen’s 250th birthday with a collector’s edition fit for a literary icon. On Sept. 9 at 11 a.m. ET, the London-based publisher will release “Jane Austen: The Complete Novels,” a six-volume limited edition of Austen’s major works, capped at just 750 copies worldwide.
The release gathers all six of Austen’s beloved novels — “Sense and Sensibility,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Mansfield Park,” “Emma,” “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion” — in an elaborate set. Each volume features woodcut frontispieces and Regency-inspired illustrations by printmaker Sarah Young. Each copy also comes with a new introduction by historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley exploring Austen’s world and cultural influence. Traditional versions of Austen’s books are also available at a less steeper price on Amazon.
Austen’s novels have inspired some of the most enduring film and television adaptations of the last half-century, from Ang Lee’s 1995 “Sense and Sensibility” starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, to Joe Wright’s 2005 “Pride & Prejudice” led by Keira Knightley, and countless television versions for the BBC and PBS’ Masterpiece. More recently, Autumn de Wilde’s candy-colored Emma (2020) introduced Austen to Gen Z audiences, while Netflix’s Persuasion (2022), starring Dakota Johnson, proved the an enduring appetite for Austen’s romantic worlds.
Hollywood isn’t done with her either: several new projects are reportedly in development, with studios and streamers continuing to mine her works for fresh takes. A new remake of “Sense and Sensibility,” starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, is in the works at Focus Features.
With only 750 sets available, “Jane Austen: The Complete Novels” is as much a collector’s piece as a reading experience. Buy the new release starting Sept. 9 here.
