JA items for purchase at Bas Bleu

Always on the lookout for great items to celebrate our love of Jane, here are a few finds at Bas Bleu booksellers. These are great items for you, fellow Janeite, or for a true friend.

Jane Austen Jigsaw puzzle

Revel in the wit and wisdom of Jane Austen with a Regency era–worthy parlor pastime: assembling this challenging 500-piece puzzle! When complete, this 18"x14" puzzle features a pretty pastel montage of illustrations from the late 1800s peppered with quotations from the author’s best-loved novels. With its clever book-shaped box, Bas Bleu's Jane Austen Jigsaw Puzzle fits right next to the Austen collection on your bookshelf!

2010 Calendar Diary

In a handsome hardcover format (roughly 10"x8"), Bas Bleu's Jane Austen Diary features roomy weekly agenda pages alongside colorful Regency era artwork from the British Library, evocative quotations from the beloved author’s works, and silhouette drawings by her nephew. With a pretty sewn-in ribbon bookmark, this unique desk calendar will keep Austen fanatics organized throughout the coming year. How lovely and practical!

Jane Austen Notecard Collection

These hand-printed, antique-letterpress note cards—blank inside and measuring about 4½"x6"—are infused with the charm of Jane Austen herself. Featuring colorful old-fashioned images and quotes from Austen’s novels, this stationery will carry your messages with pleasantness and propriety—and a dash of sharp wit! Collection includes one each of eight designs, plus envelopes. Available at Bas Bleu.

Jane Austen and Crime by Susannah Fullerton

Jane Austen’s elegant society novels are rife with crime and transgression—if you know where to look. In Jane Austen and Crime, Susannah Fullerton reveals layers of drama that could easily be invisible to modern readers. For instance, Harriet’s mortal terror at being accosted by gypsies in Emma is understandable when you know that, in Jane Austen’s time, speaking with gypsies for any reason was a hanging offense! Fullerton teases out the finer criminal subtext as well. If half the tea in Austen’s time was smuggled into England, for example, how much of all that tea that her characters were continually taking could possibly be legally obtained? Scandal! This handy guide to Austen’s shadowy side is required reading for any “Janeite.” (BB of Bas Bleu)

Preparing for the AGM: book tote

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!”—Jane Austen

Here, here! Jane Austen’s jubilant declaration paired with a handsome silhouette of the beloved author make this 100% cotton natural-colored canvas bag the perfect vessel for toting books and reading accessories. Measuring 18"x14½" and 3" deep, our sturdy Jane Austen Book Tote is a handy and stylish accessory for bluestockings on the go! Available from Bas Bleu.