Today, on December 16th 2025, Jane Austen would have celebrated her 250th birthday; sadly she died at a very young age, at just 41 years old, on 18th July 1817. But during her short life she would write some of the best loved novels today, with all of her published work still in high demand. Her popularity has seen many writers create books about her as a person, and about her works, as well as recipe books, colouring books, and even lift-the-flap children’s books.
So in honour of her birthday, I have highlighted a number of books either by Jane or influenced by her, for you to peruse at your leisure. And do let me know if you have a favourite edition of her work – I’d love to add to my small (but increasing) collection.
Books by Jane Austen
Considering she published just six full-length novels, Jane is one of the most famous authors on a global scale, and quite rightly too, for those are six of the best novels that have ever been writen, in my opinion.
Her other published work includes:
Lady Susan
Love and Friendship
The History of England
Sanditon
The Three Sisters and the Mystery
A Collection of Letters
Evelyn and Amelia Webster
The Visit, Ode to Pity, and Other Short Works
The Watsons
Plan of a Novel
She also wrote three volumes entitled Juvenilia, or “Teenage Writings”, which contained short stories including Frederic & Elfrida, The Beatiful Cassandra, A Fragment, The Female Philosopher, A Letter From a Young Lady, and Catharine, or The Bower.
Jane Austen – Special Editions
- Folio Society: The Complete Novels (Limited Edition) – £925
- Folio Society: Pride and Prejudice (the entire collection is available) – £55
- Adrian Harrington: Complete Novels Collection – £3,750
- Jane Austen Book Boxset £120
- Peter Harrington: The Novels (Uncommon in a Contemporary Binding) – £7,500
Books About Jane Austen
Jane’s popularity shows no sign of waning; in fact there are hundreds of books influenced by her work, novels, colouring books, recipe books, and non-fiction pieces. I have chosen a few that are on my wishlist – please let me know if you have other recommendations.
– Patchwork: A Graphic Biography of Jane Austen by Kate Evans
– Jane Austen 200: Celebrating Her Life 200 Years After Her Death by Emma Darlington
– Jane Austen in 50 Words by Maria Frawley
– Encounters with Jane Austen by Various Authors
– Where’s Jane Austen by Ingela P Arrhenius
– Jane Austen: The Visual Encyclopedia by Claire Saim
– Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
– What Matters in Jane Austen by John Mullan
– Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen by Rory Muir
– The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen by Dominique Enright
– Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly
– Colour Your Classics Pride and Prejudice
– Jane Austen for Every Day of the Year by Tara Richardson
– The Jane Austen Insult Guide for Well-Bred Women by Emily Reed
– Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley
– The Jane Austen Recipe Book by Robert Tuesley Anderson
– Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
– The Worlds of Jane Austen by Helena Kelly
Books Inspired by Jane Austen
But that’s not all. Some authors have taken their love for her that one step further and written adaptations, or novels inspired by the characters of Jane Austen, including:
– Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (Pride & Prejudice)
– Longbourn by Jo Baker (Pride & Prejudice)
– Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (Pride & Prejudice)
– Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (Pride & Prejudice)
– Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld (Pride & Prejudice)
– Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D James (Pride & Prejudice)
– Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith (Emma)
– Love Decoded by Jennifer Yen (Emma)
– Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by Nikki Payne (Sense & Sensibility)
– Jane of Austin (Sense & Sensibility)
– This Motherless Land by Nikki May (Mansfield Park)
– Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson (Mansfield Park)
– For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (Persuasion)
– Recipe For Persuasion by Sonali Dev (Persuasion)
– Snow Shadow by Andre Norton (Northanger Abbey)
So there you have it, my small tribute to one of the greatest authors the UK – and the world – has ever seen, on her 250th birthday. Happy Birthday Jane!
Books By Your Bedside 