Happy 250th Birthday, Jane Austen!

Jane Austen was born on Dec. 16, 1775. She wrote her first novels by the age of 22, but didn’t publish until she was 35. Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816) were published anonymously, as was a common practice for women novelists at the time. It wasn’t until after her death in 1817 that her brother wrote a “Biographical Notice” about his sister’s life and work, alerting the world that these novels — soon to become timeless classics — were hers. Her brother Henry posthumously published Northanger Abbey (1817) and Persuasion (1817). She had begun another novel, Sandition, but left it unfinished. She also left three volumes of juvenile writings, a short novel titled Lady Susan, an unfinished novel called The Watsons, and generations of modern Intro to British Lit students who are routinely stunned to find books about country dances and empire waists to be so funny and relatable.

The Toledo Library celebrates the life and legacy of Jane Austen and her works. Check out these books written by the famous novelist and look for more blog posts and booklists highlighting the author’s most famous titles.