For Jane Austen fans

You’ve Read the Novels (Now Read the Footnotes)
New York Times
By William Grimes
Published: March 16, 2007

"Mr. Shapard explains absolutely everything. He restores the proper contemporary meanings to word like “condescending” (polite to inferiors) and “vicious” (inclined to vice). “Fun,” it turns out, was a vogue word, the “awesome” of its day, which is why the flighty Lydia Bennet — the foolish sister who runs away with the despicable George Wickham — uses it a lot. Mr. Shapard sorts out the differences among a phaeton, a gig, a chaise and a curricle, distinctions as clear to Austen’s readers as the difference between a Volvo and a Porsche is to us."

About this book:


The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and David Shapard