Tea with Jane Austen
ISBN-13-978-0711231894
Sit down with Jane Austen and join her in a cup of tea! Tea with Jane Austen shares the history of English tea and reveals Jane Austen as an avid tea lover. Tea figures prominently in Jane Austen's life and work. At the center of almost every social situation in her novels one finds tea. In Emma, does Miss Bates drink coffee? Of course not: 'No coffee, I thank you, for me-never take coffee.-A little tea if you please.' In Pride and Prejudice, what is one of the supreme honors Mr. Collins can envision Lady Catherine bestowing on Elizabeth Bennet and her friends? Why, drinking tea with her, naturally.
Tea with Jane Austen begins with tea drinking in the morning and ends with tea in the evening, at balls and other gatherings. Each chapter includes a description of how tea was taken at a particular place or time of day, along with history, recipes, excerpts from Austen's novels and letters and illustrations from the time.
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"Top pick. A delicious little book. . . . enlivened with anecdotes about Austen’s personal life, excerpts from her many novels, and scandalous tidbits about tea smuggling . . . the perfect accompaniment to any of Austen’s books.” — Christian Science Monitor
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"Tea, social history, and English author Jane Austen—Kim Wilson’s delicious little book will instruct and amuse fans of any or all three. . . . Highly recommended."
Tea: A Magazine
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"Maybe your mom was the first to introduce you to the wit of Jane Austen. It's your turn to be the first to introduce her to tea with Jane. This book is a fascinating look at the world of tea in Austen's time. Includes quotes from Austen novels and recipes you may wish your mother had made."
Huffington Post Books
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"In this book, readers will find not only plenty of tea-related Austen quotes, but a well-researched history of Austen-era tea drinking at different times of day and in different settings. Recipes taken from contemporary cookbooks for old-fashioned delicacies such as orange jelly and syllabub are accompanied by modern adaptations. . . . There's definitely something appealing about settling down with a nice cup of Earl Grey, a Bath cake, and a copy of Pride and Prejudice. Perfect for Austen-reading book clubs."
Booklist
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“Tea with Jane Austen is not only a good read, but a broad exploration of Austen’s era and inner life. . . . Wilson flawlessly weaves such factual information with excerpts from her subject’s novels, historical lore on the culture of tea, and for fun, plenty of recipes and even how-to’s on entertaining, Jane Austen-style.”
Tea Time magazine
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“In this delightful book Kim Wilson shares the secrets of tea drinking in Regency England, including a whole batch of recipes to help recreate some memorable occasions. . . . Kim Wilson has assembled a collection of anecdotes, quotations, verses and recipes, charmingly illustrated with largely contemporary engravings and line drawings, to provide an exhaustive and uplifting history of England’s favourite brew.”
Jane Austen's Regency World magazine
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“A perfect gift for the tea and/or Austen enthusiast.”
Catholic Digest
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“Rarely does one book have so much to offer so many. . . . Highly recommended.”
The Gilded Lily Quarterly (Ladies' Tea Guild)
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“I was . . . utterly charmed by the collection of so much information about tea in Jane Austen’s day. . . . Wilson’s personal tone throughout was delightful, and her knowledge of Austen unimpeachable.”
Jane Austen Society of North America News
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