This is the book we were waiting for. New research and new or previously forgotten sources show how Jane Austen and Lord Byron were not only related distantly by marriage, but more closely "through their interactions with and responses to the Regency world." They lived seemingly opposite lives but knew many of the same people and read each other's works. They read many of the same novels, and shared the publisher John Murray after he published his first female author's work, Emma. They both dealt with entails and suffered from the roiling economy surrounding the Napoleonic Wars. They could have crossed paths numerous times, but even if they didn't, they both drew from the same world to create reputations for creativity that remain with us today. A delight to read that opens a new window into the lives of both authors.  Bloomsbury Academic. 2024, Paper. NEW. $26.00