A History of Jane Austen's Family - Softcover

First published in 1983 as "A Goodly Heritage", this book traces the history of Jane Austen's family from Elizabethan times. The author writes about the various members of her immediate family: her father, her mother, her brothers - James (the poet of the family and a major contributor to Steventon theatricals), the feeble-minded George, Edward, who became Squire of Godmersham, the impetuous Henry, her favourite, who later arranged pubication of her novels, the sailor brothers Francis and Charles - and her beloved sister, Cassandra. The book also describes the circle of Warren Hastings, and Jane's aunt Mrs Leigh Perrot, who left her estate to James's son Edward, but who was nearly convicted of stealing and transported to Botany Bay. Readers are show the contribution each made to Jane Austen's life and art, and the family inheritance which shaped her. Making considerable use of the Austen Papers, George Holbert Tucker has drawn together less well-known pieces of information as well as the more familiar biographical details in his intimate portrayal of the Austen family.