Due to receiving many pressing requests for me to blog about Jane Austen and her life and her world over the past few months, I have finally succumbed and created a place for us to talk in intimate detail about the social history of her times.
I am so glad to be able to join the Austen blogging community at last and hope to be able to share some insights in to the social history of Jane Austen’s world. As some of you know my interest in her has been virtually life long and I love being able to use my library of resources, collected over a 30 year period, and my knowledge of the domestic detail – the food, law and social customs- of her times to illuminate what some may think are obscure points in her text.
If you would like to contact me to suggest a topic for discussion , or indeed about anything else, please do so by contacting me at
austenonly1-at- googlemail- dot- com
replacing the dots etc with the usual punctuation.
The engraving illustrating the header to this blog is of Hampstead Heath , Middlesex circa 1818 from my collection of topographical prints and engravings.
23 comments
October 30, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Karen
Congratulations on your new blog! I look forward to your “Austen Only” posts, as your knowledge on this most absorbing of topics has always deepened my understanding and enjoyment of the six best novels ever written.
November 4, 2009 at 10:32 am
myenglishcountrygarden
That’s very kind of you, Karen. I do look forward to sharing some interesting topics in the months to come
October 30, 2009 at 11:28 pm
imogen88
Well, this is simply marvellous news, Julie. Love the name of the blog too. Will follow this with interest as you really do know the vital detail behind the times JA lived in, adding more meaning to every page. Bravo!!
November 4, 2009 at 10:31 am
myenglishcountrygarden
Thanks! I think that understadning those tiny details does help broaden our experience of Jane Austen’s work’. Im glad I m back to being able to share it all with you again
November 3, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Cathy Allen
YAY Julie!
This is marvelous news! You may depend upon my being a FREQUENT, probably DAILY visitor. Oh goodness; just when I had finally gotten my JA library relatively under control… Oh well… more books — Just the thing!
So happy to be here,
CEA
November 4, 2009 at 10:16 am
myenglishcountrygarden
I’m happy you are here too…and yes, even more books for you to buy…I do apologise
November 5, 2009 at 4:28 am
Laurel Ann
Congratulations Julie. Best news I have heard in months. I am addicted to your garden blog. You are indeed a treasure.
November 5, 2009 at 7:06 am
myenglishcountrygarden
Oh thanks, Laurel,that really is very kind and generous of you. The gardening blog will still continue-I didn’t realise just how much fun blogging could be- I’ll just spare the gardeners too much detailed Jane information overload
November 15, 2009 at 6:53 am
Lizzy
Great news, Julie. I think you should write a book too!
November 15, 2009 at 8:57 am
myenglishcountrygarden
Thanks darling! You never know what might happen in this world! Lovely to see you here
December 1, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Caitlin
Woohoo! Early Christmas!Love your garden blog, and I know austenonly will be fab-yoo-lus! Book sellers rejoice – Julie’s back in the recommendation business!
December 1, 2009 at 6:23 pm
jfwakefield
Caitlin! How lovely to “see” you here;-) I will certainly try to do my duty to booksellers world wide
And to you of course! I hope you are well?
December 4, 2009 at 12:48 am
caitlin
Quite well, thanks. Just sent you an email about lanthorns – see you there…
December 1, 2009 at 4:38 pm
TimLee
Wonderful news, Julie! Your blog will provide me with another opportunity to avoid what needs doing in favor of pursuing what is much more interesting.
Tim
P.S. I enjoyed seeing the picture of Hampstead Heath at the top of the page. It’s funny, though; I don’t remember the heath looking like that when I was there.
December 1, 2009 at 6:25 pm
jfwakefield
My lord! How lovely to see you here! And Im all in favour of procrastination..I’d form a society for the encouragement of it…but….( you know the rest).
I used to visit Hampstead regularly when I lived in Islington: its not changed al that much
December 4, 2009 at 5:50 pm
TimLee
How about including in your various pages here one of my favorites: Jane Austen and the Law. You have always been quite informative in that area and – at least from my extremely unbiased (ahem) point of view – what could be more entertaining than reading about JA’s use of legal issues in her writings?
For example, 18th-19th c. entailments have obviously been a major plot device in her works, and I am often mindful of how we now have the modern Rule Against Perpetuities (at least here in the States) to prevent endless tails on real property at present. If you hadn’t explained so clearly the law as it stood then, I’d have never gotten the significance of the issue.
Any other legal areas you think interesting would be worthy of inclusion on your blog, I would think. But again, that is merely the opinion of an unbiased observer and fan.
Thanks Julie,
Tim
December 4, 2009 at 5:52 pm
myenglishcountrygarden
I am planning to add exactly such a page,Tim..when I’ve written a post on the Law and Jane Austen. I will only add a page to the blog when there is something to put on it
So…its in the pipeline 
Watch this space……
December 4, 2009 at 6:08 pm
TimLee
Looking forward to it!
December 5, 2009 at 3:49 am
Ramya
Hope you are keeping in good health and cheer.
I was browsing through old MP group-reads recently and quite enjoyed re-reading your illuminating posts. I particularly enjoyed the Slave-trade tie-in and your posts on the subject. I will be a frequent visitor at this blog.
December 6, 2009 at 10:58 am
myenglishcountrygarden
Much better these days thank you Ramya .And how lovely to “see” you here. Im still working on the Slavery issue,but will hopefully be in a position to get something published in one form or another soon. Im flattered you remembered! Im so glad you are going to be popping back
December 7, 2009 at 3:37 am
Ramya
Great to hear you are doing well! I look forward to your posts.
December 16, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Jean B
Julie you are a treasure…first gardens, now our Jane all the time. I will never get anything done! I love the garden blog but at least here, I can “claim” I am learning something (instead of just drooling over the photos of flowers).
I look forward to all the topics, but an greatly enjoying the Christmas posts – a subject I know little to nothing about.
Sending Love and Christmas wishes from Maine
Jean
December 17, 2009 at 8:32 am
myenglishcountrygarden
Jean, I am so glad to see you here: I do hope you will be a regular visitor and commentator: your comments always made me think harder