Jane Austen takes Pride of place for book sales in lockdown as sales of her famous novel soar 

Jane Austen takes Pride of place for book sales in lockdown as sales of her famous novel soar

  • Sales of the Penguin edition of Pride and Prejudice rose 22 per cent last year
  • Life in lockdown has been compared to that depicted in Jane Austen’s novels
  • Since 2001, more than a million copies of the book were sold each year in UK

Sales of the Penguin edition of Miss Austen’s Pride and Prejudice shot up by 22 per cent last year, according to analysts Nielsen BookScan

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a reader who is bored in lockdown will turn to Jane Austen.

Sales of the Penguin edition of Miss Austen’s Pride and Prejudice shot up by 22 per cent last year, according to analysts Nielsen BookScan.

Life in lockdown has been compared with Miss Austen’s novels, with people spending more time in nature and going for more walks, and courtships slowed down to a snail’s pace.

‘It’s heartening to think that in difficult times, readers turn to classic books such as Pride and Prejudice for solace and pleasure more than ever,’ said Penguin Classics editorial director Jessica Harrison.

Since 2001, more than a million copies of the 1813 novel have been sold in the UK. 

Sally Rooney’s Normal People and Robert Galbraith’s The Cuckoo’s Calling also reached the milestone last year.

Nielsen estimates that 202million print books were sold in Britain last year, valued at £1.8billion, despite the closure of bookshops.

Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote also saw a rise in sales last year.

Since 2001, more than a million copies of the 1813 novel have been sold in the UK. Sally Rooneyu00BFs Normal People and Robert Galbraithu00BFs The Cuckoou00BFs Calling also reached the milestone last year

Since 2001, more than a million copies of the 1813 novel have been sold in the UK. Sally Rooney’s Normal People and Robert Galbraith’s The Cuckoo’s Calling also reached the milestone last year