Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known principally for her five major novels which interpret, critique and comment upon the life of the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Her most highly praised novel during her own lifetime was Pride and Prejudice which was her second published novel. Her plots often reflect upon the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favorable social standing and economic security. Austen's main novels are rarely out of print today though they were first published anonymously and brought her little personal fame with only a few glancing reviews during her lifetime. A significant transition in her posthumous reputation as an author occurred in 1869, fifty-two years after her death, when her nephew published A Memoir of Jane Austen which effectively introduced her to a wider public and reading audience. Austen's most successful novel in her own lifetime was Pride and Prejudice which went through two editions during her own life. Her third published novel was Mansfield Park which was largely overlooked by the professional reviewers though it was a great success with the public still within her lifetime. All five of her major novels were published for the first time between 1811 and 1818. From 1811 until 1816, with the premiere publication of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began another one, which was eventually titled Sanditon, but died before completing it.

Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation. Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine and subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, one of her most profound.

Jane Austen's complete novels, collected together in one uniquely comprehensive volume, now published with the complete set of Hugh Thomson's famous illustrations. Comprises the complete text of: "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice," "Mansfield Park," "Emma," "Northanger Abbey," "Persuasion," "Lady Susan," and "Love and Friendship." This is the only single-volume edition of Jane Austen's novels to contain not only the wickedly humorous "Lady Susan," but also the irrepressibly exuberant early work "Love and Friendship." This collection allows readers to explore the development of one of the English language's greatest writers, following her development from the farcical comedy of "Love and Friendship" and "Northanger Abbey," via her most popular work, "Pride and Prejudice," to the masterpiece "Emma," and the considered romance of "Persuasion." A unique collection of the finest and most perceptive love stories ever written. Hugh Thomson first illustrated Jane Austen's works in the 1890's; his illustrations are prized for their wit and liveliness. The illustrations in this edition have been photographed directly from the original books, and digitally retouched for enhanced clarity. Copies of the original Hugh Thomson illustrated edition of Pride and Prejudice, from which these illustrations are taken, are highly prized by collectors, and valued at up to $10,000.