Most biographies of Jane Austen will reveal the quiet life of maiden Aunt Jane, who scribbled in secret, loved to dance, and lived her entire life in the country removed from the chaos of the world. Did you also know that she was also romantic, tragic and mysterious?

Barnes & Noble has just released a reprint of Patrice Hannon’s 101 Things You Didn’t Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About The World’s Most Intriguing Literary Heroine, in an attractive hardcover edition with a very handsome new cover design quite suitable for gift giving.

Despite having one of the longest and most misleading titles of any book about Jane Austen of recent memory, the contents are as appealing as the newly designed format. In Jane Austen’s 18th-century world, acquired knowledge was considered one of the most powerful and important skills of a polished society. Today we recognize the same benefits, but want our education to be forthright and expeditious. For anyone interested in the knowledge of Jane Austen’s life and works in a compact and fact driven format, this book can serve as a great resource and quick reference.

Categorized into seven parts; Birth of a Heroine, Brilliant Beginnings, Silence and Disappointed Love, The Glorious Years, Heroes and Heroines, Untimely Death, and Austen and Popular Culture: From Eighteenth Century to the Twenty-First, this illuminating guide takes you through all aspects of Jane Austen’s life journey and writing experience, revealing common facts, new insights, and minutia.

If you are interested, as I was, to know which heroine most resembles the author herself, who were the real Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy and why Jane never married, you will not be disappointed in this bright little book that is well researched, engaging, and incredibly practical. You also might be happy to know that it is offered at the amazingly reasonable price of only $7.98. ( )