Just to be clear, this isn't going to end up mixed in with my Jane Austen collection.

(Thanks to the publisher for the review copy of *Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend* by Rebecca Romney.)

This was absolutely everything my book-loving heart could have dreamed of! Rebecca Romney structured *Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend* brilliantly! It strikes the perfect balance of literary history, insightful information, engaging commentary, and personal reflections.She beautifully intertwines the life stories of these pioneering women, their profound impact on the literary world (and the wider world), how they sparked Jane Austen's imaginati...

3.5⭐️ This felt more like a, “Good for you” read than a genuinely *good* read. What I Liked📺 The author, Rebecca Romney from Pawn Stars, was a definite plus. Her writing style mirrored her likable and impressively knowledgeable personality from the show. 📚I've had a minor brush with ephemera fairs and antiquarian books in the past, and this brought back fond memories. *pats copy of Louis Kornitzer’s The Pearl Trader*🤓 I really enjoyed learning about the works and successes of Jane Austen’s pr...

I'm genuinely amazed by how readable and engaging *Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend* is. It's packed with Austen trivia, but also offers mini-biographies and reading lists of the female authors who came before her and influenced her work. Rebecca Romney explores how their roles as wives and mothers dictated what they could write, and how lacking rights or personal wealth made them dependent on social acceptance. The book also delves into the worl...

4.5 starsI devoured *Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend*. It's a fascinating look into the lives of popular 18th-century women writers, and the commentary on their books is equally compelling. For years, I've sought a critical analysis of how some books become classics while others fade away – tracing their careers through the centuries, observing when their reputations soar or quietly vanish from the canon. So, I was especially excited about this ...

In a Nutshell: An amazing and comprehensive compilation of outstanding authors who could have easily been on Jane Austen’s Bookshelf. Rebecca Romney's *Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend* contains biographies of these authors, as well as other bookish and historical tidbits. This isn't just a treat for Jane Austen fans, but for every book lover and feminist. Consider it your next great read if you love books about books! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Jane...

4 stars – very interesting! Rebecca Romney, a rare bookseller, unearths and dissects the women writers who either influenced Jane Austen or were influenced by her in "Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend". A significant portion of this book also delves into "why" so many of these authors, like Fanny Burney and Maria Edgeworth, aren't as well-known as writers like Fielding, Defoe, and Dickens. The reason, of course, is that they were women – merely tr...

The title, as the reader quickly discovers, is quite literal. Rebecca Romney explains her decision to gather a collection of books that Jane Austen herself would have read—specifically, those written by women and mentioned in Austen's letters. Any Jane Austen enthusiast or scholar of Enlightenment-era literature knows that Austen undoubtedly read far more than what's explicitly stated in her surviving letters, which represent only a fraction of her total correspondence. There's no mention of Aph...

Rebecca Romney's *Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend* is that rare gem of a book. Romney masterfully blends her deep knowledge of English literature, particularly from the 18th century, with a clear passion for Jane Austen. She also draws upon her experience in the world of rare book collecting and sales, all to illuminate the lives and works of the women who influenced Austen's writing. And the author's got a great sense of humor, too, which alwa...

It's a bit unsettling to realize I've read so many of the men on Austen's bookshelf, but none of the women. That thought comes straight from Rebecca Romney's *Jane Austen's Lost Literary Sisters: Rediscovering the Women Who Inspired a Legend*. Back in 1978, I was lucky enough to take a two-semester honors class on Jane Austen. The first semester was all Austen's novels, and the second covered her juvenilia, letters, and the writers who influenced her. Professor Toby Olshin even let me audit the...