Reginald Hill's latest Dalziel and Pascoe book

Reginald Hill's latest Dalziel and Pascoe book, The Price of Butcher's Meat (quote from Sanditon), has the following dedication:
"To Janeites everywhere and in particular to those who ten years ago in San Francisco made me so very welcome at the Jane Austen Society of North America's AGM, of which the theme was "Sanditon-A New Direction?" and during which the seeds of this present novel were sown. I hope that my fellow Janeites will approve the direction in which I have moved her unfinished story; or, if they hesitate approval, that they will perhaps recall the advice printed on a sweatshirt presented to me (with what pertinence I never quite grasped) after my address to the AGM
-Run mad as often as you chuse, but do not faint-and at least agree that, though from time to time I may have run a little mad, so far I have not fainted!"

Thanks to the Austenblog for this post.

Jane Austen's Lace Note Cards

My cloak is come home, and here follows the pattern of its' lace.

Janeites will love this clever stationery from our sister chapter JASNA East PA. The quote and the lace pattern (and the stray apostrophe) are from Jane Austen's letter to her sister Cassandra of Sunday, 2 June 1799. The font used is Pia Frauss' Jane Austen font, based on Jane's handwriting, and the color of the ink is English Manor, the color for December 16--Jane's birthday--according to Colorstrology. The card stock is light gray speckled with blue and the cards are 5.5 inches wide by 4.25 inches high.
Eight cards with matching envelopes are priced at $10.00 (U.S. dollars) per shrink-wrapped pack.
Download the order form or visit the East PA JASNA site listed in our links.

Yummy Teapot Cookies of JA image

Mischief Mari is a delightful cookie chef who has made a gourmet tribute to our favorite author. She has consented to give an online lesson on decorating the cookies at http://mischiefmaricookies.com/jane_austen_teapot_cookie_howto.html

When asked why she wanted to make JA cookies, her response was, "With Jane Austen on for a good part of this year (on PBS) I thought viewers might be having parties, want something fun to hand out to guests. I’m happy to answer any questions on technique, etc. ...best, Mari" Enjoy!

Pride & Prejudice play at Bright Lights in NYC

JASNA-NY members Lindsay Baker's and Amanda Jacobs' Pride and Prejudice will be featured at "Bright Lights" on January 26, 2009 at 8pm. Below is an except from the press release for that program.

"Dreamlight Theatre Company will present the next installment of its "Bright Lights" concert series on Monday January 26th. The concert, dubbed "A Night with The Ladies", will feature the work of five incredible women: Deborah Abramson & Amanda Yesnowitz, Katie Thompson, and Lindsay Baker & Amanda Jacobs.

Deborah Abramson & Amanda Yesnowitz will present songs from their piece, The History of War, for which Chip Zien provided the book. Katie Thompson's work as a songwriter has been featured in Monday Night's New Voices, and can be heard on either of her two albums, What I've Done Right and KT Live. Lindsay Baker & Amanda Jacobs are the writing team behind the Broadway bound musical, Pride & Prejudice.

Hosted by the incomparable Billy Bustamante, the concert series moves to its new home at Dillon's Lounge (245 West 54th Street). The show is on Monday, January 26th at 8pm. Tickets are $15 with a two-drink minimum. For more information or to purchase tickets."
To visit Dreamlight's website click here

Welcome President Obama and Family!

Tea Time Magazine in honor of Presidents Day in February is doing a special spread to Salute First Ladies past and present with an elegant Afternoon Tea. The feature includes recipes and a short history of some of our most influential First Ladies.

Please visit http://www.teatime.com/ for more information.

Jane Austen Weekends still on in VT

The Governor's House, a circa-1800 B&B in Hyde Park VT, hosts Jane Austen weekends. The next weekend is a Pride and Prejudice weekend in late January. To check out their website click here.

Col. Brandon's Nature Diary-a wonderful blog

One might remember Col. Brandon, he is described by Austen as, “the kind of man whom everybody speaks well of & nobody cares about; whom all are delighted to see & nobody remembers.” One would have to concede that they do remember Brandon as an enthusiast of nature and quite comfortable in the out-of-doors, which is why the blog http://nature-diary.blogspot.com/ is a very delightful resource on the natural world of Jane Austen.

The author writes, as Col. Brandon no less, “that the addition of a number of bushes would go a long way toward creating a natural habitat. Species such as Hawthorn, Cotoneaster & Holly first come to mind, having been observ'd in the local counties resplendent with the colours of various birds in times past. The next task, then, must be to decide the optimum time of year to plant such bushes in my garden.”

AGM's Cassandra now online

“The Beautifull Cassandra: The Pictures, The Music, The Dance” was presented at the 2008 AGM in Chicago. This special session consisted of slides of Juliet McMaster’s pictures and a live performance of Joanne Forman’s music. Also included were photographs of the cast of The Beautifull Cassandra ballet, choreographed by Amber Vasquez and first performed in Taos in November, 2007. From www.jasna.org

Goucher College Accepts Applications for Prestigious Biennial JA Scholar Grant

Goucher College is now accepting applications for its competitive Jane Austen Scholar-in-Residence program, which offers the selected scholar a week to research Goucher’s extraordinary Austen collection, work with related undergraduate classes, and present a public lecture on an Austen-related topic. The grant also provides a $1,000 stipend, travel expenses, and accommodations.

Interested scholars should send a vita, research and lecture proposal, and two confidential letters of recommendation to Nancy Magnuson, college librarian, either electronically to nmagnuso at goucher dot edu or in hard copy to Julia Rogers Library, Goucher College , 1021 Dulaney Valley Road , Baltimore , MD 21204 .

Application materials are due by March 16, 2009. The selected scholar will complete the residency during the 2009-2010 academic year.

For an overview of the Burke Austen collection, see http://www.goucher.edu/x10707.xml. For additional information or to request an electronic copy of the finding aid to the collection, please contact Special Collections Librarian and College Archivist Tara Olivero at tara.olivero at goucher dot edu.

Sense & Sensibility on Masterpiece

Masterpiece Classic on PBS will present a season of Austen, Dickens, Bronte, and Hardy adaptations in 2009. Sense and Sensibility (which premiered in 2008) will be rebroadcast in two parts, on February 1 and 8, 2009. Check the local listings for your PBS station to see the times in your area.

The most recent issue of Persuasions On-Line includes an essay discussing the portrayal of Elinor Dashwood. The essay is entitled A Thoroughly Elinor Sort of Way: Elinor’s Sensibility in Masterpiece’s Sense and Sensibility, by Daniel R. Mangiavellano.

The portrayal of Colonel Brandon is the subject of a first place essay in JASNA’s 2008 essay contest: Colonel Brandon: Hero in a Flannel Waistcoat, by Mary E. Chiapetta.
From www.jasna.org

Mr. Darcy on the block!?!

The portrait of Mr. Darcy (a.k.a. Colin Firth) that was used in the pivotal scene (Elizabeth gazing at Darcy’s portrait hanging in the portrait hall at Pemberley) in the 1995 A&E production of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice will be sold at auction on January 21, 2009 at Bonham’s Gentlemans Library Sale; the sale also includes a letter from Firth. The painting is expected to fetch £7,000 and the proceeds will go to charity ~ Oxfam and the Southampton and Winchester Vistors Group [see the Telegraph.co.uk and BBC News online for more information, including a downloadable copy of Firth's letter at the BBC site ( and note the misspelling of "Pemberly" in the BBC article!)] Thanks to JASNA Vermont for the tidbit.

Map of Somerset County-England

The location of the inspiration for the novel Sanditon is located on the coastline of Somerset County.

Sanditon Background Information

Sanditon exists as a draft begun in January 1817 and abandoned on 18 March 1817. On 18 July Austen died. Except for Brian Southam's discussion in his Jane Austen's Literary Manuscripts and Chapman's work, there has been little scholarship upon Sanditon until recently. There are occasional very good essays in larger books or collections: Alistair Duckworth's closing chapter in his The Improvement of the Estate and Tony Tanner's final essay in his volume Jane Austen are worth looking at. Last year's meeting JASNA focused on Sanditon, and there are 20 very good essays on Sandition; see Persuasions, 9 (1997), pp. 60-243.

For a view of the calendar and letters-please visit: www.jimandellen.org/austen/sanditon.calendar.html

Book Suggestion: The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen

Leading scholars present a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Jane Austen's works in the contexts of her contemporary world, and of present-day critical discourse. Besides discussions of Austen's novels and letters, there are essays on religion, politics, class consciousness, publishing practices, domestic economy, style in the novels and the significance of her juvenile works. A chronology provides biographical information, and assessments of the history of Austen criticism highlight the most interesting recent studies in a vast field of critical diversity.

http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521498678

Inspiration for Sanditon

From William Gilpin's Observations on the coast of Hampshire, Sussex, and Kent