Jane Austen's Book List

I thought it might be fun to read the books that Jane Austen read, at least those she mentions in her letters and refers to in her books. So, let's make a list and see which books are still available to read. I will start with these and as we come up with new ones we can just add to the list.

Please remember, I have not read any of these books, so I have no idea of the content. I am not recommending them, just listing them.

1. Tom Jones. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, 6 vols. (1749), by Henry Fielding, (1707-54) This book is mentioned in the first letter, Saturday 9-Sunday 10 January 1796.

2. Camillia, or a Picture of Youth, 5 vols. (1796), by Frances (Fanny) Burney, (1752-1840). This book is mentioned in letter #4, Thursday 1 September 1796. I have checked the internet and this book is still available from several places, even Barnes and Noble.

3. These are links to the quotes Jane Austen refers to in the first chapter of Northanger Abby. They are both elegy's, not books, but you might enjoy them. They must have made an impression on her because she quoted them.

http://www.bartleby.com/101/441.html
This is a link to the quote Jane Austen made in the first chapter of Northanger Abby, "bear about the mockery of woe." - Pope

http://www.bartleby.com/101/453.html
This link is in reference to the second quote in Northanger Abby, from Gray "Many a flower is born..."

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Thomson_(poet)
This link refers to the quote in Northangry Abby, chapter 1 -"It is a delightful task, To teach the young idea how to shoot."From what I gather, this is a quote from a long poem written by James Thomson. Anyway, this is a link to a little information about him.

4. Othello, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen quotes these lines in Northanger Abby, chapter 1: Othello, Act 3, lines 322, 323, and 324.


5. Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare, Act 111, Scene 1. Jane Austen, again, quotes these lines in Northanger Abby, Chapter 1.

6. Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare, Act 2, Scene 4. Again, Chapter 1, Northanger Abby.

7. A Sicilian Romance (1790), by Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823), Northanger Abby, Chapter 5 - a similar situation.

8. John Milton (1608-1674), best known for Paradise Lost. - Northanger Abby, Chapter 5.

9. Alexander Pope (1688-1744), The Dunciad. - Northanger Abby, Chapter 5.

10. Matthew Prior (1664-1721), a lyric poet and a diplomat. - Northanger Abby, Chapter 5.

11. Laurence Sterne (1713-1768), The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy. - Northanger Abby, Chapter 5.

12. Cecilia; Or Memoirs of an Heiress (1782), Fanny Burney, aka, (Madame d'Arblay) - Northanger Abby, Chapter 5.

13. Belinda (1801), Maria Edgeworth. "which Austen is said to have admired."- Northanger Abby, Chapter 5.

14. The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), by Ann Radcliffe, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

15.The Italian: Or the Confessional of the Black Penitents (1797), by Ann Radcliffe, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

16.Castle of Wolfenbach (1793), by Eliza Parson, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

17. Clermont: A Tale (1798), by Regina Maria Roche, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

18. Mysterious Warnings (1796), by Eliza Parsons, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

19. The Necromancer; Or the Tale of the Black Forest: Founded on Facts (1794), by Lawrence Flammenberg, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

20. The Midnight Bell: A German Story Founded on Incidents in Real Life (1798), by Francis Lathom, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

21. The Orphan of the Rhine: A Romance (1798), Eleanor Sleath, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

22. Horrid Mysteries: A Story from the German of the Marquis of Grosse (1796), by Carl Grosse, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

23. Pamela; Or Virtue Rewarded, (1740), by Samuel Richardson, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

24. Sir Charles Grandison, (1753-1754), by Samuel Richardson, Northanger Abby, Chapter 6.

25. The Monk, (1796), by Matthew Gregory Lewis, Northanger Abby, Chapter 7.

26. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) was one of Jane Austen's favorite authors. He was also the complier of the 'Dictionary of the English Language. She mentions him in Northanger Abby, chapter 14.

27. Lectures on Rhetoric and also five volumes of celebrated sermons by Hugh Blair, (1718-1800). He was a Scottish clergyman. Northanger Abby, chapter 14.

28. The History of Great Britain, by David Hume (1711-1776). Northanger Abby, chapter 14.

29. The History of Scotland, During the Reigns of Queen Mary and of James VI, by William Robertson (1721-1793), Northanger Abby, chapter 14.

30. The History of the Reign of Emperor Charles V, by William Robertson, (1721-1793), Northanger Abby, chapter 14.

31. History of England: From the Reign of Henry the 4th to the Death of Charles the 1st, a holiday amusement written in 1791 by Jane Austen, herself.

32. The Adventures of Caleb Williams (1794), by William Godwin. He was the father of Mary Shelly, the author of Frankenstein; Or the Modern Prometheus (1818). Jane Austen uses the comparison of the actions of Mr. Faulkner, a tyrannical man plagued by guilt in Caleb Williams, to the actions of General Tilney in Northanger Abby, chapter 23.

33. William Cowper (1731-1800). He was a poet Jane Austen Admired. Sense and Sensibility, chapter 3.

34. Sir Walter Scott (1776-1832). Sense and Sensibility, chapter 10.

35. Alexander Pope (1688-1744). Sense and Sensibility, chapter 10.

36. James Thomson (1700-1748). A Scottish poet. He wrote the The Seasons. Sense and Sensibility, chapter 17.

37. Columella, or, The Destressed Anchoret, 1779, by Richard Graves. Sense and Sensibility, chapter 19.

38. Arthur Fitz-Albini by Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges (1762-1837). Letter number 12, Sunday 25 November 1798