Research: Original Letters and Images

While researching additional material about the 19th Century Regency period for Dangerous Deceit, I went straight to the lovely book I have, My Dear Cassandra, which contains most of the surviving letters from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra. The letters are all written between 1796 and Jane's death in 1817 and contain a wealth of information about their lives at that time. Another great advantage of the book is the wonderful illustrations and paintings depicting the fashion, transport, people and places. Apart from being an absolute joy to read, it provides first-hand experience of that period.

The other lovely book I was lucky enough to pick up in a second hand bookshop is Mrs Hurst Dancing & Other Scenes from Regency Life 1812-1823. This is an even more highly visual book, full of superb illustrations by a young girl, Diana Sperling, painting scenes of her everyday life between those two dates. The delightful watercolour prints tell a wonderful story of her friends and family and the simple pleasures they enjoyed in the country.

Nothing can beat the joy of reading about historical people in their own words and seeing their surroundings from original illustrations. I'm looking forward to discovering more original material when next in an antique shop or second hand bookshop!

Romy