Wells has done something quite unique in her newest contribution to Austen scholarship: written an incredibly engaging and unpretentious academic text. Despite an abundance of endnotes that speak to Wells' depth of research, the tone is casual and welcoming.

Jane Austen Society of North America News

Wells's recovery and championship of these American enthusiasts is descriptive, laudatory and accessible in style ... She gives space and a second hearing to voices and approaches whose love for all things Austen, she believes, has much to teach us.

Times Literary Supplement

If you thought you knew how Jane Austen came to be viewed as the world's greatest novelist, think again. Wells's meticulously researched and beautifully written book introduces a fascinating group of individuals whose contributions to Austen studies have long been obscure. After reading this book, I came to care as much about Alberta Burke and Oscar Fay Adams as I do about many of Austen's characters.

Professor Jennie Batchelor, University of Kent, UK

An insightful, illuminating and meticulously researched book. Wells animates her subjects with skill, energy and affection in a study that significantly deepens our understanding of early Austen experts and enthusiasts and their contribution to the field.

Lizzie Dunford, Director, Jane Austen's House, UK

Wells's monograph will appeal to scholars interested in the lesser-studied facets of Austen's reception, particularly the contributions of private scholars and collectors in the United States. However, the book will also be of great interest to a wider readership of Austen enthusiasts, as the inviting pink cover with romantic handwritten calligraphy and the appealing subtitle demonstrate.

Forum for Modern Language Studies