The Literary Book Club Review: Winter 2022

“Why do they call little things ‘little things’ when little things are everything?”

I saw that quote on Instagram recently and the The Literary Book Club immediately came to mind. The Winter box is my first and the attention to detail is everything! It’s a quarterly literary book box featuring collectible editions of classic novels, gifts to unwrap while you read, and other thoughtful surprises. Let’s look at it together.*

*They kindly sent this box for review.

The box itself is beautifully designed. I wish it was shipped in a protective wrapping to protect it from scuffs but at least the shipping label is on the back. (Something that can be beyond the co’s control.)

If you’re reading this on your phone, zoom in to the back of the envelope. Can you make out the cameo in the wax seal? Impeccable!

“I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

— Jane Austen

This edition is curated around the classic novel Persuasion by Jane Austen. I love how that’s presented on its own card. Opening the envelope to see that inside feels like an invitation to a special event and really sets the tone for the overall experience.

Most of the gifts are wrapped and labelled with page numbers; each gift is to be opened when you reach that page in the novel.

“Jane Austen’s moving late novel of missed opportunities and second chances centers on Anne Elliot, no longer young and with few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she was persuaded by others to break off her engagement to poor, handsome naval captain Frederick Wentworth. What happens when they meet again is movingly told in Austen’s last completed novel.

Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, and a mature, tender love story tinged with heartache.”

Are you familiar with Persuasion? I haven’t read it (or much Jane Austen) but now I’m wondering how I haven’t. It sounds fantastic!

Each box includes an art print with a quote from the novel. This one is beautiful!

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”

— Jane Austen

There’s also a guide to the contents but we’re encouraged to leave that for last so each gift can be a surprise.

A delicious peppermint tea to drink while we read.

“Hand-screened for perfect leaf size, it has a full, creamy flavor with distinct chocolate notes and an intense finish. A great after dinner treat, mid-day breath freshener or car rear-view mirror dangler.”

Stickers, a bookmark (“We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days” — Jane Austen) and a bookplate too.

And the most adorable envelope-shaped paper clips. All before we’ve even started reading!

Page 46: I love trying new recipes so this first gift thrilled me! It’s a cookbook, Jane Austen’s Table: Recipes Inspired by the Works of Jane Austen by Robert Tuesley Anderson. Here’s the description from the publisher:

“This beautiful collection of more than 50 recipes inspired by the novels of Jane Austen brings readers a sumptuous array of dishes that capture all the spirit and verve of Austen’s world and the Regency era, adapted and reimagined for the modern day. With recipes such as Charles Bingley’s White Soup, Box Hill Picnic Pies, General Tilney’s Hot Chocolate, and Donwell Abbey Strawberry and Rose Delice, you’ll be able to serve breakfast, prepare tea, go on a picnic, or sit down for a posh dinner in the same style as your favorite characters from Austen’s stories.”

A beautiful hardcover edition even! Everything sounds marvellous.

Page 94: A hazelnut dark chocolate bar. Dark chocolate’s not my favourite so I gave this one to my fella.

Page 175: A porcelain stamp box. (It holds a roll of stamps that you feed through the back.) I’ve never seen one of these before and now I’ll have to buy a roll of stamps rather than my usual packs of 10. So fancy!

Page 254: An absolutely gorgeous set of embossed floral notecards.

And when the last page has been read, a padded book sleeve large enough to protect the novel and the cookbook. What a great idea!

Are you swooning over this edition like I am? 😍😍 What a thoughtful, beautiful box! I’m excited to read Persuasion over the winter, the gifts are just delightful and the attention to detail is unlike any box I’ve seen.

Literary Book Club Box subscribers get exclusive access to a private Facebook group where you can discuss your experience of the classics with other literary fans and enter subscriber-only giveaways.

The Literary Book Club currently ships across the US. It’s $74.95 quarterly + $9.95 shipping.

Have you tried this one?

Try Small Things – https://trysmallthings.com