There are few writers who have as devoted a following as celebrated English novelist Jane Austen, author of classics like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility.” But is she really the “first” great English female author? Rebecca Romney has built her career searching for rare books around the world. She joins The Excerpt to detail her path down a 5-years-long rabbit hole to discover the many female writers that Jane Austen was influenced by, something scholars had outright dismissed or just overlooked. Rebecca’s new release “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf” is on bookshelves now.

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