Envision Publishing

Thomas Nelson Publishers has a new line of biographies homeschoolers and writers are going to love, called Christian Encounters. Written at an adult level, they make a great resource for parents and excellent texts for older homeschool students.

Each biography includes an online reading guide with probing questions that can be printed, discussed and answered. These are ideal for a homeschool research project, or reading group.

Peter Leithart, biographer of Jane Austen, has taught Theology and Literature at New Saint Andrews College since 1998, and since 2003 has served as pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho.

He writes a delightful 153-page treatise of Austen that all “Janeites” (Jane Austen fans) will appreciate. Far from clinical, Leithart’s humor and factual insights paint a well-rounded portrait of the young author that’s both entertaining and endearing. The book bursts its seams with information I had never before learned about this beloved author.

Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817),  is one of the most beloved and widely-read English novelists. Her realism makes her an important resource of English history. Her major works include: Sense and Sensibility (1811); Pride and Prejudice (1813); Mansfield Park (1814); Emma (1815); Northanger Abbey (1817) and Persuasion (1817).

Homeschoolers will enjoy including her life and this fine book in any well-rounded study of England during the Regency Period. Writers will enjoy visiting the astonishingly ordinary but fascinating life of one of the most popular romance novelists in the history of English literature.