“Jane Austen lovers worldwide will cherish these books...Prepare yourself for a major treat.”
—Christian Science Monitor

Handsome, clever, and rich—just like Emma.
Emma is one of Jane Austen’s most beloved novels, and perhaps her most technically accomplished. It’s a timeless tale of friendship, self-discovery, and love. Inspiring countless adaptations for stage and screen, Emma is the story of a smart but superficial girl who finds her ultimate happiness through humility. If we loved this extraordinary edition less, we might be able to talk about it more.

For beginners and experts alike—immerse yourself in Jane Austen’s world: For the modern reader, our annotations provide clear explanations and illuminating context for period language and references. For the enthusiast, they offer fresh, exciting analysis—a passionate friend in the margins.

A work of art—the ideal gift: Perfect for gifting, collecting, and cherishing, this grand hardcover (9” x 9.5”) brims with hundreds of full-color illustrations that vividly recreate Austen’s world—its fashions, carriages, libraries, and estates.

The story: Emma Woodhouse is in no rush to find a husband. She’s “handsome, clever, and rich,” with “very little to distress or vex her,” and more than a little spoiled. Fancying herself a matchmaker, Emma insinuates herself into others’ lives, mostly ignorant of the risks. When her headstrong nature causes hurt to others, she is corrected by the older, down-to-earth Mr. Knightley. After weaving herself unwittingly into a number of love triangles, Emma is forced to confront her feelings for her only critic.

Recovering a lost feminist story of scandal and strength for a new generation

Out of print in the United States since its original publication in 1915, Susan Glaspell’s largely forgotten novel Fidelity tells the story of Ruth Holland, a young woman who returns to her small Midwestern hometown after eleven years’ absence. Forced home by the death of her father, Ruth must face a family and community that have largely turned against her following her affair with a married man.

Glaspell, mostly known as a playwright and for her founding of the Provincetown Players, was also an accomplished novelist. Inspired by events in Glaspell’s own life, Fidelity portrays Ruth’s struggle to find fulfillment, love, and purpose in a society that imposes rigid expectations and limitations on how a woman should live. Ruth is a woman torn between love and commitment to her family—and between love and commitment to herself. Glaspell’s narrative shifts between characters, offering glimpses through the community’s eyes of the ways that Ruth’s return forces residents to confront their beliefs and the impact that they have. In the vein of Chopin’s The Awakening and Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, Glaspell’s Fidelity holds an important place in the history of early twentieth-century feminist literature and is long overdue to be back in print.

Students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, under the guidance of Kevin McMullen, project manager of the Walt Whitman Archive, have resurrected this neglected novel. The text includes contemporary photographs of Susan Glaspell, a new introduction, and annotations throughout, which provide useful commentary for students and general readers alike.

Little Women has delighted and instructed readers for generations. For many, it is a favorite book first encountered in childhood or adolescence. Championed by Gertrude Stein, Simone de Beauvoir, Theodore Roosevelt, and J. K. Rowling, it is however much more than the “girls’ book” intended by Louisa May Alcott’s first publisher. In this richly annotated, illustrated edition, Daniel Shealy illuminates the novel’s deep engagement with issues such as social equality, reform movements, the Civil War, friendship, love, loss, and of course the passage into adulthood.

The editor provides running commentary on biographical contexts (Did Alcott, like Jo, have a “mood pillow”?), social and historical contexts (When may a lady properly decline a gentleman’s invitation to dance?), literary allusions (Who is Mrs. Malaprop?), and words likely to cause difficulty to modern readers (What is a velvet snood? A pickled lime?). With Shealy as a guide, we appreciate anew the confusions and difficulties that beset the March sisters as they overcome their burdens and journey toward maturity and adulthood: beautiful, domestic-minded Meg, doomed and forever childlike Beth, selfish Amy, and irrepressible Jo. This edition examines the novel’s central question: How does one grow up well?

Little Women: An Annotated Edition offers something for everyone. It will delight both new and returning readers, young and old, male and female alike, who will want to own and treasure this beautiful edition full of color illustrations and photographs.

“Jane Austen lovers worldwide will cherish these books...Prepare yourself for a major treat.”
—Christian Science Monitor

Every moment has its pleasures, and its hope.
Mansfield Park is Jane Austen’s most complex and ambitious novel. Fanny Price—the story’s meek, determinedly moral protagonist—is almost too good to love. Is she admirable, or (as Austen’s own mother declared) “insipid”? Is her uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, a warm benefactor or a stifling tyrant? In her introduction and annotations, Deidre Shauna Lynch suggests Austen’s intentions were to highlight, not to downplay, these ambiguities; in fact, they may be central to appreciating Mansfield Park. Enjoy the multifaceted story anew with this extraordinary collector’s edition.

For beginners and experts alike—immerse yourself in Jane Austen’s world: For the modern reader, our annotations provide clear explanations and illuminating context for period language and references. For the enthusiast, they offer fresh, exciting analysis—a passionate friend in the margins.

A work of art—the ideal gift: Perfect for gifting, collecting, and cherishing, this grand hardcover (9” x 9.5”) brims with hundreds of full-color illustrations that vividly recreate Austen’s world—its fashions, carriages, libraries, and estates.

The story: “I was quiet, but I was not blind.” The eldest daughter of an impoverished couple, Fanny Price is taken in by her much wealthier aunt and uncle—and their children, Edmund, Tom, Maria, and Julia—at Mansfield Park. This generosity comes as a cost: with the exception of Edmund, Fanny’s relations treat her with scorn. Content to suffer in silence, she may frustrate readers, or even be mistaken for a satirical figure. But Austen rewards Fanny’s steadfast heart with a happy ending. When the wealthy bachelor Henry (who is having an affair with the married Maria) schemes to win Fanny’s affections, she rejects him time and again. Edmund, realizing his love for Fanny, recognizes that she is a canny reader of character—judging others for their actions, not their words.

Tracing the troubled roots of American capitalism and imperialism
 
Coedited by noted Masters scholar, Jason Stacy, and his class, “Editing History,” this annotated edition of Edgar Lee Masters’s The New Star Chamber and Other Essays reappears at a perilous time in US history, when large corporations and overseas conflicts once again threaten the integrity of American rights and liberties, and the United States still finds itself beholden to corporate power and the legacy of imperial hubris. In speaking to his times, Masters also speaks to ours.
 
These thirteen essays lay bare the political ideology that informed Spoon River Anthology. Masters argues that the dangerous imperialism championed by then-President Theodore Roosevelt was rooted in the Constitution itself. By debating the ethics of the Philippine-American War, criticizing Hamiltonian centralization of government, and extolling the virtues of Jeffersonian individualism, Masters elucidates the ways in which America had strayed from its constitutional morals and from democracy itself. The result is a compelling critique of corporate capitalism and burgeoning American imperialism, as well as an exemplary source for understanding its complicated author in the midst of his transformation from urban lawyer to poet of rural America.
 
In print again for the first time since 1904, this edition includes an introduction and historical annotations throughout. Edited and annotated by students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and designed and illustrated by students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, this volume traces economic and political pathologies to the origins of the American republic. The New Star Chamber and Other Essays is as vital now as it was over 100 years ago.

“Jane Austen lovers worldwide will cherish these books...Prepare yourself for a major treat.”
—Christian Science Monitor

If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad (or in a good book).
Despite being the first novel she completed in full, Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey was published posthumously in 1817—a fitting fate for a story about late discoveries. Catherine Morland is Austen’s youngest, most impressionable heroine, a connoisseur of Gothic novels with a tendency to confuse fact with fiction. This extraordinary, annotated edition will appeal to casual readers, “Friends of Jane,” and everyone eager to fall under a great book’s spell.

For beginners and experts alike—immerse yourself in Jane Austen’s world: For the modern reader, our annotations provide clear explanations and illuminating context for period language and references. For the enthusiast, they offer fresh, exciting analysis—a passionate friend in the margins.

A work of art—the ideal gift: Perfect for gifting, collecting, and cherishing, this grand hardcover (9” x 9.5”) brims with hundreds of full-color illustrations that vividly recreate Austen’s Bath—its fashions, carriages, libraries, and estates.

The story: Seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is dreamy, naïve, and fond of Gothic novels. Though a tomboy in her youth, she is “in training for a heroine” when we meet her. When she’s invited to stay with the wealthy Allen family in Bath, her overactive imagination leads her to badly misinterpret events and places. As she learns to live outside the pages of her favorite books, Catherine matures and realizes her place in the world—finding true love in the process.

“Jane Austen lovers worldwide will cherish these books...Prepare yourself for a major treat.”
—Christian Science Monitor

Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written book.
Persuasion, Jane Austen’s final novel, was published posthumously in 1817. The story of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth’s once-abandoned, never-forgotten romance has enchanted readers ever since. How long can two people in love withstand their feelings? Experience their enduring love anew with this extraordinary, annotated edition.

For beginners and experts alike—immerse yourself in Jane Austen’s world: For the modern reader, our insightful and illuminating annotations provide clear explanations and context for period language and references. For the enthusiast, they offer fresh, exciting analysis—a passionate friend in the margins.

A work of art—the ideal gift: Perfect for gifting, collecting, and cherishing, this grand hardcover (9” x 9.5”) brims with hundreds of full-color illustrations that vividly recreate Austen’s world—its fashions, carriages, libraries, and estates.

The story: “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you.” When Anne Elliot was nineteen, she fell in love with the ambitious naval officer Frederick Wentworth; the pair were quickly engaged. As the daughter of a baronet, however, Anne was persuaded by her family to end the imprudent relationship. Now, seven years later, Sir Walter Elliot’s lavish spending has jeopardized the family fortune, while Wentworth has risen through the ranks to become a wealthy and distinguished captain. When fate brings them together again, their feelings are unchanged—but will they reconcile?

“Jane Austen lovers worldwide will cherish these books...Prepare yourself for a major treat.”
—Christian Science Monitor

Handsome enough to tempt.
Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s most beloved novel—a witty, insightful portrait of love, family, and society that has captivated readers for over two centuries. The most successful book of Austen’s career, Pride and Prejudice, has inspired countless adaptations for stage and screen. Experience the romance of the original text as never before with this extraordinary, annotated edition.

For beginners and experts alike—immerse yourself in Jane Austen’s world: For the modern reader, our annotations provide clear explanations and illuminating context for period language and references (from archaic phrases to the mysteries of Georgian dinner parties). For the enthusiast, they offer fresh, exciting analysis—a passionate friend in the margins.

A work of art—the ideal gift: Perfect for gifting, collecting, and cherishing, this grand hardcover (9” x 9.5”) brims with hundreds of full-color illustrations that vividly recreate Austen’s world—its fashions, carriages, libraries, and estates.

The story: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Unable to inherit their family’s estate, the five Bennet sisters must secure their future through marriage. Their mother, the anxious Mrs. Bennet, is determined to see at least one daughter marry well to support the others. As Jane, the eldest daughter, falls for Mr. Bingley—a rich bachelor who owns a neighboring estate—her savvy sister Elizabeth bristles at his less amiable (though considerably wealthier) friend, Mr. Darcy. Through a series of scandals, misunderstandings, and rejected proposals, Elizabeth discovers the truth of Darcy’s character (and earnest love for her).

“Jane Austen lovers worldwide will cherish these books...Prepare yourself for a major treat.”
—Christian Science Monitor

When you fall in love with this book, it will be forever.
Sense and Sensibility, published anonymously in 1811: “By A Lady,” marked Jane Austen’s début as a novelist. Austen’s real name has since become as familiar as Shakespeare’s, and this tale of sisterly devotion and romantic trials has lost none of its power to enchant. As the Dashwood sisters’ struggles give way to grounded, perhaps richer happiness, the novel offers shrewd commentary on the conditions of women in early nineteenth-century England. Experience their lives and love anew with this extraordinary, annotated edition.

For beginners and experts alike—immerse yourself in Jane Austen’s world: For the modern reader, our annotations provide clear explanations and illuminating context for period language and references (who are nabobs, anyway?). For the enthusiast, they offer fresh, exciting analysis—a passionate friend in the margins.

A work of art—the ideal gift: Perfect for gifting, collecting, and cherishing, this grand hardcover (9” x 9.5”) brims with hundreds of full-color illustrations that vividly recreate Austen’s world—its fashions, carriages, libraries, and estates.

The story: When their father dies, the Dashwood sisters' inheritance passes to their stepbrother, leaving them with greatly reduced means and uncertain futures. Passionate Marianne falls for the dashing but mysterious Willoughby despite the warnings of her ever-practical sister Elinor. Meanwhile, Elinor struggles to conceal her own attachment to Edward Ferrars—even as a shocking secret threatens her hopes. Through their experiences of love and loss, both sisters discover that neither sense nor sensibility can guarantee happiness—only the wisdom to know when each has its place.

What lies beneath the surface of Masters' timeless classic

One of the most striking and original achievements in American poetry is now available in a remarkable edition that comprehends the poet and his book in an entirely new way.

This edition of Spoon River Anthology probes the social background of the small-town world that Edgar Lee Masters loved and hated--and finally transmuted into powerful literary art. Extensive annotations identify the people whose lives inspired the 243 poetic accounts of frustration, violence, struggle, and triumph that shocked American readers.

The most extraordinary feature of this edition is the extensive introduction that provides the key to this misunderstood American classic. The book's relationship to Whitman is clearly established, and the important influences of Browning, Goethe, Spinoza, and others are revealed for the first time. John Hallwas' approach combines cultural, biographical, philosophical, psychoanalytic, mythic, and symbolic insights--and concludes with a stunning reassessment of "Our New Poet."

The annotated Spoon River Anthology supersedes seventy-five years of largely misdirected critical commentary. It will send a new generation of readers back to this surprisingly complex book that probes so deeply into the American consciousness.

Begun as a series of stories told by Kenneth Grahame to his six-year-old son, The Wind in the Willows has become one of the most beloved works of children’s literature ever written. It has been illustrated, famously, by E.H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham, and parts of it were dramatized by A.A. Milne as Toad of Toad Hall. A century after its initial publication it still enchants. Much in Grahame’s novel—the sensitivity of Mole, the mania of Toad, the domesticity of Rat—permeates our imaginative lives (as children and adults). And Grahame’s burnished prose still dazzles. Now comes an annotated edition of The Wind in the Willows by a leading literary scholar that instructs the reader in a larger appreciation of the novel’s charms and serene narrative magic.

In an introduction aimed at a general audience, Seth Lerer tells us everything that we, as adults, need to know about the author and his work. He vividly captures Grahame’s world and the circumstances under which The Wind in the Willows came into being. In his running commentary on the novel, Lerer offers complete annotations to the language, contexts, allusions, and larger texture of Grahame’s prose. Anyone who has read and loved The Wind in the Willows will want to own and cherish this beautiful gift edition. Those coming to the novel for the first time, or returning to it with their own children, will not find a better, more sensitive guide than Seth Lerer.