Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen

To celebrate 250 years of Jane Austen, we have a travelling exhibition that will be visiting some of our libraries throughout 2025 from Jane Austen’s House. The display charts the extraordinary history and impact of Jane Austen’s novels over the last 250 years – from Jane’s birth in 1775 right up to the present day. It is part of the worldwide celebrations of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday this year.

The vibrant and enjoyable display was created by Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire – the most treasured Austen site in the world. It was written by Sophie Reynolds and designed by Lena Gibert. 

It covers themes from Jane Austen’s own inspirations to important illustrations and adaptations of her works, authors that have been inspired by her, film and TV adaptations, and Jane Austen’s Hampshire. It showcases key objects from the Jane Austen’s House collection, including first editions of Jane Austen’s novels and illustrations from later editions. 

Touring schedule
- April: Winchester Library, The Arc
- May: Fareham Library
- June: Basingstoke Discovery Centre
- July: Alton Library
- September: Andover Library
- October: Lymington Library

 Alongside the exhibition, there is a travelling book collection of Jane Austen and Austen inspired titles including:

Emma by Jane Austen

 
Although described by Jane Austen as a character 'whom no one but myself will much like', the irrepressible Emma Woodhouse is one of her most beloved heroines. Clever, rich and beautiful, she sees no need for marriage, but loves interfering in the romantic lives of others, until her matchmaking plans unravel, with consequences that she never expected. Jane Austen's novel of youthful exuberance and gradual self-knowledge is a brilliant, sparkling comic masterpiece.

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

 
Six people - five women and a man - meet once a month in California's Central Valley to discuss Jane Austen's novels. They are ordinary people, neither happy nor unhappy, but each of them is wounded in different ways, they are all mixed up about their lives and relationships. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable - under the guiding eye of Jane Austen a couple of them even fall in love...

Persuasion by Jane Austen

 
Jane Austen's moving late novel of missed opportunities and second chances centres on Anne Elliot, no longer young and with few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she was persuaded by others to break off her engagement to poor, handsome naval captain Frederick Wentworth. What happens when they meet again is movingly told in Austen's last completed novel. Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, and a mature, tender love story tinged with heartache.

You can also discover our book collection on BorrowBox.