Josephine Ross (1) (1950–)

Classic British History. From a woman's place in history. Tragedy. Historical non-fiction.

With the demise of the Stuart dynasty in 1714, her grandson succeeded to the British throne as George I of Great Britain, initiating the Hanover line of succession. The reigning British monarch, Elizabeth II, is Elizabeth Stuart's direct descendant of the 10th and 11th generation through different paths. Most other European royal families, including those of Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden, as well as those formerly of Greece, Romania, Germany, and Russia, are also descendants of Elizabeth Stuart. -- Wikipedia.… (more)

This is a cute little guide for Austen fans - I suppose if you're interested in a quick-hit guide to what was considered 'good manners' in the 1800s, then you might like this. But the book is centered around Austen's subjects and has some quotes from her novels and letters, with examples of how she and her characters behaved, so it's really geared towards Austen admirers.

It was a neat look at how things were done 200+ years ago (and a reminder that I'm mostly glad for modern opinions and relieved that our manners have relaxed, though I do think they've done so perhaps too much) and I did pick up a thing or two. For instance, hearing about how those of higher rank were free to decide who of lower rank could be introduced to them. We see examples of this in P&P but I always looked at it from the perspective of Darcy being a dink - but Mr. Collins wasn't supposed to introduce himself, it was up to Darcy, per the rules of 'polite society' to indicate whether he wished Mr. Collins be introduced to him. Another thing I noticed with the help of the book is that Austen doesn't spend a great deal of time detailing the clothing, hair and features of her characters - which I appreciate!

There are cute illustrations throughout and a ribbon bookmark in my edition, so overall it's a nice book to have in my collection. But it's pretty niche and probably something saved for someone who spends a lot of time reading and loving all things Austen.… (more)