In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Rebecca Romney's Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend, Which profiles the largely forgotten women writers who influenced Jane Austen. In its review, PW said, "This is a must for Janeites."
Here's how the book came together:
Rebecca Romney
“The seed of this book was planted in my work as a rare book dealer, when I bought an old book solely for its cover. I didn’t know much about Evelina by Frances Burney, but I learned she was one of Jane Austen’s favorite writers. It made me wonder about all the authors Austen loved that we don’t regularly read anymore. That was the beginning of a five-year rabbit hole of reading books by and about these authors.”
Michelle Brower
“Rebecca wrote a wonderful proposal, which we sent out to editors, and we had an auction, with Emily Graff at S&S prevailing. While Rebecca was working on the manuscript, Emily took a job elsewhere. But in a twist of fate, she returned to the company as Rebecca finished writing.”
Emily Graff
“Rebecca was smart about how she researched and wrote this book. She had a plan but was open to surprises as she enacted it. I admire a lot about Rebecca—her incredible expertise in her field, her curiosity about the past, her love of books, her unparalleled work ethic. Reading drafts of this book was like taking a master class in the world of rare books.”
Chris Allen
“Since the book profiles eight different writers, I started by creating collages featuring paintings of the women. The initial comps felt a bit flat since each portrait had similar coloring. Rebecca shared photographs of her personal collection featuring spines and covers, which provided a good opportunity to introduce more color and texture.”
