The Lost Books of Jane Austen by Janine Barchas, published by Johns Hopkins
It is true that Jane Austen became a name because published, because estimated, but most of her fame and her success is also synonime of pulp books; yes that books so cheap, so economical printed for the working class, that, in opposite case wouldn't never being in grade of buying a hardback and mostly important, reading. There is also to add as remarks the author that pulp fiction is trasversal and so that also rich and estimated authors bought these cheap books, for saving money, because attracted by their cover. There are many reasons why a person also pretty rich is motivated to buying a pulp book. In the case of Jane Austen, James Joyce for example a case of a writer perennially, till later obsessed by lack of money had a great selection of pulp fiction, including the ones of Jane Austen; same was for Henry James and Mark Twain; both of them truly hated the idea of Jane Austen and her literary genre.
These pulp books by Jane Austen and other authors started pretty soon to being spotted in railway stations and other places pretty distant from the common bookshop, and they were in particular printed for travellers. Pocket Books in the Usa and Penguin in Europe in this sense made the difference. When you buy a Penguin you know that it will be forever. What changed intellectually? It was a revolution, because books reached everyone and not just an elite of readers. They were much more democrats and they were there for their readers. A lot of more people could know, dream, living the passions and stories told by Jane Austen; something that, if pulp fiction wouldn't have existed they could not have been reached. We all know the power of literature, we all know the power of knowledge, also of these work sof fictions and the vision of Pocket Books and Penguin was soon imitated by other publishing houses and new characters, new vendors, book stalls started to born, and to represent a new idea of literature and its ability of sharing knowledge with every person, of every social condition. It meant business as well. You will find absolutely find fascinating the story of publication from various publishing houses of Jane Austen's novels.
Not only: with the time Jane Austen and many other authors became crucial for all that people interested of giving out a product in grade of educating the working class, trying to avoid deliquential acts passing through education. We all know the immense power that a good mind develops thanks to culture.
For this purpose creation of paperback editions became indispensible, but while someone was fighting for their publication fwith the purpose of educating people less acculturate because they could not go to college or also maybe had a poorest education, at the same time discrimination regarding paperback editions remained at long; also till at the beginning of the XX century, when paperback became a phaenomen of big proportion. In part thanks in Europe to Penguin; the idea of the European Publishing House, of publishing books in grade of resisting at the passage of time was of big inspiration for other American realities. Where, they thought, people need a book for reading? In bus and train station but why not? also in a drugstore and wherever a person could find them.
In particular after the big crisis and recession of the end of 1920s paperbacks became something else: an education tool for all that readers more poor but with that anger of knowledge in grade of letting them buy books.
Not only: promotion of cheapest paperbacks became a reality when put in comparison a pocket of cigarettes at just 22 cents and a hardback, more than two dollars.
It could not exist. It was indispensible to change song. Under the war restrictions as you will read were also applied to paperback books. This time it was a big success and after the war, paperbacks edition became incredibly important. But Jane Austen with many other authors didn't spread culture just through paperbacks editions, but also through...soap and cheap paerback copies presented as giveways by a company of soap. This one an interesting and wonderful idea.
A publishing house reprinted classics books, including the ones of the beloved author with beautiful paintings on the covers. We are in Philadelphia at the end of 18900s and the beginning of 1900s. Illustrations were in grade of giving a first idea of what the reader was buying, at a cheap price. Personally I love paintings and beauty on the cover of a book, a pretty common practice at the moment, but unusual for that times.
Jane Austen has never been an author just for women. Men also adore her books and tend to read them. The idea of classifying her books just for women appeared can you believe it in the 1960s when in the past suffragists brought in the squares Jane Austen because considered a feminist. It was the XX century that classified Jane Austen an author just for women. In 1896 and 1897 Pride and Predjudice was published in the series of Christmas for boys and girls.
There would be much more to writing about Jane Austen and pulp fiction. The clarity of this book, but also the captivating style and its wonderful approach will guide through the land of publishing houses, successes, and a fight always and still existing: the one of keeping culture accessible to everyone for a best future.
Highly recommended also as a Christmas Gift.
I thank Johns Hopkins University for the physical copy of this book.
Anna Maria Polidori
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