Perfect for Women’s History Month, this was a strangely addictive read following the author, a rare books dealer, down the rabbit hole of the writers who inspired Jane Austen but are almost unknown today.  Can you guess what they have in common?  Bingo!

It turns into a group biography + memoir, where Romney profiles each woman, reads their most popular works, and tracks down specific editions for her personal collection—who knew book collecting could be so exciting?  She also investigates why each woman fell from the canon despite being just as popular and widely read as Austen at the time.  Hint: it’s not because they weren’t as good.  Of Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho (considered a masterpiece in the eighteenth century and name-checked in Northanger Abbey), Romney says, “Udolpho turned out to be one of the best reading experiences I have ever had.”

Here are several of Austen’s favorites that you can sample for yourself:

And finally, Romney gives a rousing shout-out to reprints, which allow neglected authors like these to find new audiences and not get lost to history.  As a huge fan of reissues myself, I was thrilled.