"History, real solemn history, I cannot be interested in. I read it a little as a duty; but it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars and pestilence in every page; the men so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all." - Jane Austen.
At the age of sixteen, Jane Austen set out to write "A History of England" from the reign of Henry IV to Charles I. She is a charming but "ignorant historian" who relies on Shakespeare's plays to help tell her stories. Jane's writing is entirely partial towards Mary Queen of Scots and prejudiced against Queen Elizabeth I. Jane warns the reader that "There will be very few dates in this history." Her elder sister, Cassandra Austen, created the original illustrations.
In this edition, dates have been included for England's kings and queens. As well as paintings, pictures, and impartial historical details.
