I must acknowledge that I was sorely tempted to own this annotated copy of Jane Austen's most well-known oeuvre although I already have several copies in my collection including the Penguin Classics edition. This is a luxury that I can well afford because there are several reasons to choose this coffee table book. Firstly, it contains plenty of useful notes that are needed in order to truly understand her masterpiece of witty dialogues and finely drawn characters. An added advantage is its cover is one of the most beautiful which depicts presumably a Regency lady holding her bonnet. What this book differs from other editions is half of the page are devoted to the unabridged first edition text while the other half contains finely printed notes penned by Austen scholar and noted authority of Austen works, Professor Spacks in addition to excellent illustrations taken from various credited sources. This approach makes it much easier to read rather than flip to the appendix chapters at the end of the book which other editions are fond of doing.
It is true that anyone might be able to read Pride and Prejudice without referring to any notes at all as what I have done when I first read it many years ago. Yet it adds to my enjoyment and knowledge in reading the editor's extended notes of historical, social and cultural context of the novel. In addition, some words have lost their meaning overtime as nearly two centuries have past from the first publication in the nineteenth century till the present day. However with Professor Spacks' abundant intelligence gleamed from years of studying Jane Austen's novels, it was sincerely a charming and satisfying experience completing this tome. I also remember in my initial reading of Pride and Prejudice, there are phrases that I misunderstood before but after reading through Professor Spacks' personal insights and observations, it enabled me to read it with a clear direction. Another aspect that I like is the inclusion of relevant scholarly inputs from other Austen academicians and researchers which definitely enlightened me.
In conclusion, I could not help but highly praise this magnificent and splendid book. I know I could not do justice that it deserves but I really enjoyed every minute of my time perusing it. 'And now nothing remains for me but to assure you in the most animated language of the violence of my affection' in reading this delightful and excessively diverting book. How I wish that Patricia Meyer Spacks will edit the annotated version of the other five Jane Austen novels in the near future.
Take a look at the video below to hear the challenges that the book designer and executive editor-at-large faced in producing this wonderful tome.
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