The ‘Pride and Prejudice: Collector’s Edition’ Has Even More Austen Goodies!

If you’ve read many of my posts here, you’ll know that Jane Austen’s novels are one of my special interests. No matter how many times I read them, even I find that there is always something new to discover. The language is so rich, and the contexts of the stories are genuine pieces of history. Plus, the stories are over 200 years old, so their ways of life are often quite different from our own, providing great learning material.

Because—in my opinion—there can’t be too many options for Jane Austen novels, I’m excited that there is now a brand new Collector’s Edition of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, curated by Barbara Heller. Barbara agrees with me in that there is always something new to discover in Jane’s books. From Barbara’s introduction to this book: “Each time, I discover something new—because I myself have changed.” I’ve been reading Austen for about three decades now, and I can attest to this assertion.

For the collector, the completionist, or just the self-educated, this brand new two-volume slipcase set of Pride and Prejudice is a real treasure. Similar to the edition I reviewed five years ago, this one includes a ton of bonus material and content, even more than what was included in the last edition.

The older version I reviewed had the complete novel plus pockets for 19 of the letters contained or referenced in the book. It, too, was curated by Barbara Heller, but this new Collector’s Edition is an improvement even on that one. Containing all of the same letters as the earlier version, plus several more pieces of recreated content along with some behind-the-scenes looks, this upgraded set is worth a look.

I wondered why Barbara Heller created a new set of Pride and Prejudice just five years after the last one. I had my suspicions that she just ran out of time to include all of the details and recreated items that she wanted to include. I seem to be correct, but her persistence is our gain.

The set includes the novel bound in two volumes (containing the original three volumes of text), of course, but so much more. The volumes have sturdier bindings and are housed in a quality slipcase, and the novel, letters, and ephemera are also printed on higher quality paper. There are gorgeously painted end papers, lots of fun detail, and an additional five items, immersing you even more in the story. Each letter or piece of ephemera is placed just where you’d find it in the story, interspersed between the pages.

For the letters whose text is not completely included in the text of the novel, Heller painstakingly expanded upon what was included, recreating the voice of the characters and basing the text on historical resources. In addition to hand-written letters from both mundane and vital parts of the story, it includes things like a newspaper clipping announcing that Netherfield Park has been let at last, and an invitation to the Netherfield ball. The set also contains Heller’s research notes, and guest essays by historical experts. Plus, it includes an in-depth discussion of how she went about recreating the letters, including all of the postage marks. It’s like having a deluxe DVD set with all of the bonus features!

Compared to the earlier version, this one is definitely an easier and more solid form factor to hold and read. And, it has been published just in time for Jane Austen’s 250th birthday on December 16th! (I plan to celebrate that date by making my family an afternoon tea.)

Here is a list of what each of the volumes contains.

Volume One:

• Preface by Barbara Heller
• Foreword by Juliette Wells, PhD, Professor of Literary Studies, Goucher College
• Introduction by Barbara Heller
• Volumes I and II of the novel
• Nine letters and pieces of ephemera, including Darcy’s long, important letter

Volume Two:

• Volume III of the novel
• Afterword by Philip S. Palmer, Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head, Literary and Historical Manuscripts, Morgan Library & Museum
• Excerpt from the unpublished story by Jane Austen entitled The Watsons
• Appendix, including notes on the included letters and ephemera, elements of a letter, bibliography, acknowledgments, about the author and curator, about the artists, and about the contributing writers
• Fifteen letters and pieces of ephemera, including the facsimile of The Watsons‘ first four pages

Is it worth buying this version if you already have the original Handwritten Classics version? What if you don’t?

If you don’t already have the Handwritten Classics version, then, yes, I do think it’s worth getting this fancier version over the other one, even at the higher price. If you prefer a more complete and sturdier product with some extra goodies, this one’s an easy choice.

But, if you already have that earlier version, unless you really want to have every variation of Pride and Prejudice that there is or unless you have room in your budget, as great as this version is, it may not be worth it to you to get this one as well. The other version is still pretty great. This one definitely has a higher production value and additional content, but the bulk of what you will look at and read, over and over, is mostly comparable.

My only complaint with the set is that, in reality, letter writers would generally fill every possible square inch of paper that wouldn’t be on the outside of the letter, and some of these recreated letters have a lot of blank space that would have been filled in with other news or shared thoughts.

What if you don’t already own any versions of Pride and Prejudice? Would this be a good version to get?

I suppose it depends on how you intend to read the novel. If you want to curl up in bed or sit in weird positions while you read or toss the book in your bag, then, no, I wouldn’t recommend this as your only edition. I’d recommend getting either a cheaply printed version, since the book itself is already in the public domain, or an annotated version. Dover has a huge line of Thrift Editions for books in the public domain for cheap. But, if you want more historical context for what you’re reading, I recommend this annotated version. On the other hand, if you’d prefer to sit up in bed, or sit at a desk or table and take your time reading this novel, then, yes, this Collector’s Edition is a perfect way to immerse yourself in the Regency world.

How can I get the book?

Pride and Prejudice: Collector’s Edition—written (mostly) by Jane Austen and curated by Barbara Heller—retails for $80 but can be found for considerably less (about $60 on Amazon as of this writing). I recommend it to anyone who loves learning more about their favorite books, loves immersing themselves in the story and world of the characters, and even those new to Jane Austen’s works. It would be an especially special gift this holiday season.

Note: I received a sample for review purposes.