Replacing Jane Austen

My copy of Jane Austen's complete novels has seen better days, the last of which happened in May when the flat was water soaked and the book was used by one of the workers to keep table legs from the wet floor. As you might imagine, I was a bit annoyed upon this discovery but since the pages were loose, the binding cracked from wear and it dated from 1980, I suppose the workers cleaning up the mess saw no harm in using it.

Venturing online to my library system two weeks ago, I was surprised to see only one two-volume set of Austen's complete novels available for borrowing, and one of the two is listed as lost or stolen. As the budget for replacement of lost items is minuscule due to budget cuts, I decided to buy an Austen compilation. This, of course, meant visiting Amazon and other booksellers. You might think that purchasing this item would take mere minutes. However, the dearth of materials available from Jane Austen are rivaled by those about her. There are books on manners and etiquette, tomes on her letters and scads of books written by various Austen scholars. I even spied an Austen-inspired cookbook containing recipes from the period in which she lived. Other books devote themselves to the particulars of Regency England and the expectations for a woman of Austen's class and beyond.

I scoured buyer's reviews of the available compilations, primarily to see which were annotated or illustrated and how each held up with light-to-average use. Not surprisingly, I quickly ruled out most large paperbacks and began looking at used books for a decent hardback copy that was under ten dollars. I also decided to buy a complete compilation and donate it to the library system.

 My Saturday morning visit to the regional library in my neighbourhood saw the usual patrons, parents with small children, teens, legions of adults with laptops, and others using the library's computers. I am usually the only wheelchair user about the place, a subject for another post. Waiting for a quiet moment at the desk, I offered the book to the two librarians, who were thrilled with the addition. I wondered silently how many people approach them with donations of this kind.

 In a state without state income tax, notorious for low property taxes and fewer taxes than are found in other regions of the U.S., we are too often told that budget cuts are the cause underlying lack of services, when in fact, strained budgets are but a symptom. With stagnant wages in an area dominated by low wage jobs, working people are reluctant to pay higher taxes while the wealthy pursue tax breaks. I read recently that while poverty is increasing, Americans of all backgrounds remain amongst the most generous and charitably minded, two sobering thoughts during this season.

Until Next Time...