My goodness, is it that time again? Well, yes, it is: the 3rd Anniversary of this site appearing on the web. I truly cannot believe it.

This year has gone by very quickly, and I have to say that I have really enjoyed it. It seems you have too as there has been twice as many visitors to this site this year than during last year.  Mansfield Park has featured heavily again- is someone trying to tell me something about this teasing novel? – and from the evidence of the statistics, you have all enjoyed posts about George III’s Jubilee,  The Contents of a Ladies Pocket Book, and, quite inexplicably  two older posts have proved very popular:  The Interesting History of White Soup and An Infamous Fraud: the Supper at the Crown in “Emma”.

I am really looking forward to next year’s bumper Year of Pride and Prejudice, when I plan to concentrate on celebrating the 200th anniversary of its first publication by journeying through all the places mentioned in it and delving into some arcane (but interesting, I promise!) social history points which arise from incidents in the text.  We will tackle two chapters per week ( or so) and I  do hope you will join me  for it, in a sort of informal but communal read. But, that is all to come..So, in order to celebrate with me I’ve assembled an intriguing grip of objects for this year’s giveawawy.

A Spineless Classics poster of Pride and Prejudice:

and yes, you really can read the text:

A Penguin procelain mug, decorated with the original Penguin cover of their paperback edition of Pride and Prejudice:

A Penguin Pride and Prejudice note book:

A copy of John Mullan’s excellent book, What Matters in Jane Austen:

and finally, a copy of Maggie Lane’s latest book on Jane Austen’s use of language Understanding Austen

The giveaway is open to everyone who comes to read the site, wherever you are in the world. If you take the trouble to comment on this post,wherever you are, then I think you ought to have a chance to receive these items. It is only fair. So please, do comment and then  you will be automatically entered into the draw, which will take place in two weeks time on the 14th November and will then be announced. (Note, I will not be replying to the comments yet in order to make the draw that much simpler!)

So, please do join in the giveaway, and allow me to share my continued luck in having such interesting and supportive readers. Thank you.