Jane Austen’s Fashion Bible

Fans of Jane Austen revel in the visual world that she creates in her novels and early writing, and how she brings the lives of regency women to life. They adore the films and television adaptations and around the world Jane Austen societies celebrate her life and work by reenacting regency balls and social gatherings.

A stunning gift edition from Macmillan Collector’s Library, Jane Austen’s Fashion Bible brings this all together between the pages of a beautiful gift book. It will feature excerpts from Jane Austen’s writing and juvenilia which will focus on the iconic styles and social settings of the era.

Each excerpt will be accompanied by a corresponding colour fashion plate and extract from the regency magazine, La Belle Assemblee. Published from 1806 until 1832, La Belle Assemblee was most famous for its beautiful fashion plates featuring outfits for all occasions from the most lavish ball gowns to dresses to wear on a country walk.

Ros Ballaster’s commentary will guide the reader through this wonderful book. Ros is a Professor at Oxford University and an expert on Jane Austen.

Jane Austen was born in 1775 in rural Hampshire, the daughter of an affluent village rector who encouraged her in her artistic pursuits. In novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma she developed her subtle analysis of contemporary life through depictions of the middle classes in small towns. Her sharp wit and incisive portraits of ordinary people have given her novels enduring popularity. She died in 1817.

Ros Ballaster is a writer and professor at Oxford University who specializes in eighteenth-century literature and is an expert on Jane Austen.