Pride And Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1813, is the most famous of Jane Austenís novels. It is one of the first romantic comedies in the history of the novel and its opening is one of the most famous lines in English literature ñ "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Pride and Prejudice has engendered numerous adaptations. Some of the notable film versions include that of 2005 Hollywood hit starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen and of 1940 starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. Notable television versions include two by the BBC: a 1995 version starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth and a 1980 version starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul.

The story is based on Jane Austenís novel about five sisters of marriageable age ñ Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia Bennet, in Georgian England. Their lives are turned upside down when a wealthy young man (Mr. Bingley) and his best friend (Mr. Darcy) arrive in their neighbourhood. The girlís mother is forever fretting to find suitable husbands for her daughters.

The Pride and Prejudice DVD is one of the top 200 Keepers & Sleepers, customerís favourites that consistently sell the most, month after month, over the last several years on Amazon.com. In 2003 the BBC conducted the largest ever poll for the "UKís Best-Loved Book" in which Pride and Prejudice came second, behind The Lord of the Rings.