Movies

Below are links to the IMDb entries for the best movie/TV versions of Jane Austen stories (in my humble opinion, and in no particular order):

A&E's Pride and Prejudice - The best-regarded version of this book, for good reason. The production values are excellent. Good casting, too, with the exception of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who was too old. Special mention: Colin Firth, wet from the lake, really enlivened my favorite scene from the book.

The BBC's Pride and Prejudice - A sprightlier and more literary version than A&E's, without the lush production, but with an excellent actress for Elizabeth Bennett, and an even better Lady Catherine. Special mention: Elizabeth Garvie as Elizabeth, in any scene.

BBC Films' Persuasion - Considered an excellent film by any standards. Casting and production are both terrific (although Sir Walter Elliott isn't as handsome as he should be). Special mention: You suffer with poor Anne through the entire film, and get a wonderful pay-off in the last few scenes.

Columbia Pictures' Sense and Sensibility - An Oscar for the screenplay says much, and this is a terrific film. The cast is a bit over-age, but I can find no other fault in them - all were superb. Special mention: Elinor's breakdown when she realizes Edward is not married. Awww.

Masterpiece Theater's Northanger Abbey - The screenplay changes the book quite a bit, and the characters of the Thorpes are thrown away, but this is still a very good version of this story. Special mention: Finally, my favorite Austen hero has an actor I liked in the role!

Hall of Infamy ~

I wish to mention one show that I wish to warn you away from. This is the Biography channel's bio of Jane Austen. It is atrocious. It consists primarily of visits to Austen lovers (not so bad) and a lonnnng ad for a Bollywood film, and almost no details of Austen's life.

Books

First and foremost, I recoomend any romance by Georgette Heyer. My personal favorites are The Reluctant Widow, which is deliciously funny, and Cotillion, which has a delightful, unlikely hero. But I love most of them. The most famed is actually a Georgian story, These Old Shades, and the sequel to that one, Devil's Cub, has my favorite Heyer scene ever.

Of course I will also recommend Jane Austen's novels. They are classics for a good reason. My personal favorites are Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, the lightest of the novels. Her secondary and comic characters are particularly well drawn.

The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge is an excellent biography, seamlessly mingling accounts of Heyer's life, character, and books. For a biography, it is a quick and entertaining read, yet full of facts.

Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels by Deirdre Le Faye is a small treasure chest for the Regency writer, the first half being a succinct guide to most aspects of the period. The second half is devoted to an exposition of the novels.

The Regency Reference Book by author Emily Hendrickson (sold on her website, here), although not comprehensive, is a useful gathering and organizing of many facts.

Other Regency romance writers that I enjoy are Fiona Hill and Clare Darcy, and also Marion Devon.