From a range of primary sources - letters, trial reports, popular prints, and love tokens. A history of the women who stayed at home while their men were at sea, from all walks of life. Focus is primarily on the latter half of the 18th century when Britain was always at war. Mansfield Park and Persuasion figure in the book, as well as Jane's brother Charles, and Jane's own letter-writing. This is an interesting example of how Austen's fiction is used to support historical research. National Maritime Museum, London, 2007. 218 pgs. Hb, dj. NEW. $30.00