Simon Schama

"An impressively chosen list."

Book Description

This inspired novella, with its outrageous cast of superficial characters, brilliantly showcases Jane Austen's comic genius. Presented here with A History of England and Catharine. As Miss Margaret Lesley and Miss Charlotte Lutterell divulge their innermost secrets through a series of letters, each reveals where her true priorities lie—if a bridegroom is fatally wounded the night before his wedding, the first concern must inexorably be for the luxurious food that will be laid to waste. As one plot gives way to the next, and as the heroines exchange wisdom on adultery, elopement, divorce, and remarriage, they increasingly fall prey to the merciless and lambasting sword of Jane Austen’s wit. Author of the masterpieces Pride and Prejudice and Emma, Jane Austen is one of the world’s best-loved novelists.

From the Publisher

Since its U.S. launch in 2003, Hesperus Press has enjoyed a growing reputation for its inspired selection of short classic works. Written by illustrious authors, and often unjustly neglected or simply little known in the English-speaking world, these works have been made accessible via a completely fresh editorial approach and new translations. Now, in addition to the Hesperus Classics, Hesperus Press is introducing a new series: Modern Voices. Drawing from the very best of 20th-century literature, Modern Voices will retain the exceptional quality of the Hesperus Classics, with a new series look that reflects the more modern nature of the list. Among the first authors will be Carlo Levi, Katherine Mansfield, and Graham Greene, and Hesperus has already secured prominent contemporary writers like Anita Desai, William Boyd, and Colum McCann to introduce the books—again retaining one of the key successes of the Hesperus Classics. Finally,! 2005 heralds the launch of the Hesperus Contemporary series, opening with The Nightingale Papers, the fiction debut of prize-winning biographer David Nokes.