There are always new Austenesque titles to be discovered when browsing for books on Amazon. That is how I found out that A Jane Austen Christmas is officially released today in hardcover edition. Not to be confused with Maria Grace's A Jane Austen Christmas: Regency Christmas Traditions, this non-fiction book is penned by Carlo DeVito, a prolific writer who has written a number of biography, winery, pets and history-themed books. Take a sneak peek at the three excerpts presented below and be sure to comment to win the giveaway.
"Mr. Austen had long observed with approval his younger daughter's facility for literary composition," wrote Nokes, "and 12 [shillings] seemed to him a modest enough sum to invest in a talent which might prove, after all, to be nothing more than a source of ephemeral diversions." Nokes added that Reverend Austen had taken note of Jane's tendency toward flirtation by this point. "He considered it highly desirable that what he called her 'effusions of fancy' (which tended invariably to elopements and similar reckless adventures) should be confined to the pages of her manuscript book, and not acted out in real life."
"Mr. Austen, according to Eliza's letters, thought about very few topics unconnected with his family. He had broad interests, but children were the focal point, and Eliza might not have been astonished if anyone called him a successful father," opined Honnan. "His attitude was oddly easy and charitable."
It was with this generosity of spirit and a love for his youngest daughter that George Austen indulged Jane in her passion. He and she shared a love of books, but Reverend Austen was much taken with his daughter's desire to write. He intended to encourage it.
"For her nineteenth birthday, Mr. Austen bought Jane 'a small mahogany writing desk with 1 long drawer and glass ink stand compleat' which he purchased from Ring's of Bastingstoke for 12 [shillings]," wrote Nokes.
"This was a small but precious gift..."
Being a family contented to stay within their own unit, one can only imagine the Austens honouring the traditions of the season. Jane and Cassandra had by now brought in the usual greenery. A seemingly conservative family, the Austens might have followed the tradition of the Yule log, which was still very much in the fashion those days.
"A great blazing fire was the centerpiece of a family Christmas. The Yule log was chosen on Christmas Eve. It was wrapped in hazel twigs and dragged home, to burn in the fireplace as long as possible through the Christmas season. The tradition was to keep back a piece of the Yule log to light the following year's Yule log," wrote historian Ben Johnson.
Filled with the remarkable wit and insight of one of the world's most cherished authors, A Jane Austen Christmas gives readers insight into Austen's life through little-known stories about how she and her family celebrated the treasured holiday season.
Carlo DeVito provides an intimate portrait of Austen's most cherished Christmas memories with her family: from the gift of her first writing desk, to her first love and heartbreak, to her brewing mead and beer in time for the holidays. Along the way readers will spend a holiday in the Austen house, celebrate Jane's birthday, meet the inspiration for more than a dozen characters, attend the Christmastide series of balls, and learn how to make family's favourite recipes and dedicate a novel to the Prince Regent. Remarkably fresh and supremely entertaining, A Jane Austen Christmas brings Austen's world to life as never before.
The winner will be announced about two days later. She/he is given 72 hours after the winner's post is up to claim the prize by contacting me on this page. Please take note that although you may have written your email address in your comment, you still need to inform me to confirm that you are interested to receive the prize. Otherwise a new winner will be chosen instead.
Excerpt
Jane's constant scribbling was not lost on Reverend Austen, a well-read man himself, who did as much as anyone to further Jane's interests in literature."Mr. Austen had long observed with approval his younger daughter's facility for literary composition," wrote Nokes, "and 12 [shillings] seemed to him a modest enough sum to invest in a talent which might prove, after all, to be nothing more than a source of ephemeral diversions." Nokes added that Reverend Austen had taken note of Jane's tendency toward flirtation by this point. "He considered it highly desirable that what he called her 'effusions of fancy' (which tended invariably to elopements and similar reckless adventures) should be confined to the pages of her manuscript book, and not acted out in real life."
Pages 50-51
"Mr. Austen, according to Eliza's letters, thought about very few topics unconnected with his family. He had broad interests, but children were the focal point, and Eliza might not have been astonished if anyone called him a successful father," opined Honnan. "His attitude was oddly easy and charitable."
It was with this generosity of spirit and a love for his youngest daughter that George Austen indulged Jane in her passion. He and she shared a love of books, but Reverend Austen was much taken with his daughter's desire to write. He intended to encourage it.
"For her nineteenth birthday, Mr. Austen bought Jane 'a small mahogany writing desk with 1 long drawer and glass ink stand compleat' which he purchased from Ring's of Bastingstoke for 12 [shillings]," wrote Nokes.
"This was a small but precious gift..."
Page 51
Being a family contented to stay within their own unit, one can only imagine the Austens honouring the traditions of the season. Jane and Cassandra had by now brought in the usual greenery. A seemingly conservative family, the Austens might have followed the tradition of the Yule log, which was still very much in the fashion those days.
"A great blazing fire was the centerpiece of a family Christmas. The Yule log was chosen on Christmas Eve. It was wrapped in hazel twigs and dragged home, to burn in the fireplace as long as possible through the Christmas season. The tradition was to keep back a piece of the Yule log to light the following year's Yule log," wrote historian Ben Johnson.
Page 58
Book Blurb
Carlo DeVito provides an intimate portrait of Austen's most cherished Christmas memories with her family: from the gift of her first writing desk, to her first love and heartbreak, to her brewing mead and beer in time for the holidays. Along the way readers will spend a holiday in the Austen house, celebrate Jane's birthday, meet the inspiration for more than a dozen characters, attend the Christmastide series of balls, and learn how to make family's favourite recipes and dedicate a novel to the Prince Regent. Remarkably fresh and supremely entertaining, A Jane Austen Christmas brings Austen's world to life as never before.
Author Bio
Carlo DeVito is a longtime publishing executive, who has worked with many of the nation's major historians. He is also the author of A Mark Twain Christmas and Inventing Scrooge. His work has been reviewed in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor and the Hartford Courant. Carlo lives with his family in Ghent, NY at the Hudson-Chatham Winery.
Giveaway
Thanks to the generosity of Mr DeVito's publisher, Cedar Mills Press, a hardcover copy of A Jane Austen Christmas is up for grabs. However only readers from US and Canada are eligible to enter this contest which closes at 11.59 pm on Monday, 12 October 2015. Just leave a comment mentioning why you would want to read this book as an entry.The winner will be announced about two days later. She/he is given 72 hours after the winner's post is up to claim the prize by contacting me on this page. Please take note that although you may have written your email address in your comment, you still need to inform me to confirm that you are interested to receive the prize. Otherwise a new winner will be chosen instead.
I would like to read as I have an interest, a big interest in history, and I am curious about the portrayal of family life in the past
ReplyDeleteGood find, Sylvia! I love it when an author tackles any aspect of Jane Austen's life, but this is neat that its all focused around Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway opportunity.