Emma (Wordsworth Classics) Paperback - 1997

About this book

From the rear cover

Austen wrote about the world she inhabited, the English countryside, but was never constrained by her relatively narrow canvas. She endures for modern readers because of her wonderful comic irony and her acute observations of the nuances of social interaction, beautifully rendered in pellucid prose. As Emma Woodhouse attempts to orchestrate the romatic lives of those around her, Austen expertly reveals that she may not be as much in control as she would like to believe. Emma was first published in 1816, the year before Jane Austen died. Austen herself thought that Emma was someone "no one but myself will much like". In spite of Austen's fears, the indomitable Emma Woodhouse continues to win the loyal hearts of each new heneration of readers.

First Edition Identification

Emma was first published in 1816 in three volumes. It was Austen’s fourth published novel, and the last to be published during her lifetime. Emma's first edition was published by John Murray. The cover consists of leather spines and a marbled paper pattern front. The title page stated that the work was ‘By the Author of “Pride & Prejudice” &c. &c.’, and it also included a dedication to the Prince Regent.