“Jane Austen’s stories portray universal experiences that cross every boundary of time, culture, and geography.”
Earlier this year, we launched a special commemorative campaign with the National Literacy Trust for our UK fundraisers and supporters. Today, our founder & chair Caroline Jane Knight shares Jane Austen’s popularity with young Indigenous readers in Australia and announces our commemorative campaign to support them: "250 Books for 250 Years”.
“On the other side of the world in Australia, where red earth stretches endlessly toward cloudless skies, something wonderful is happening. Young Indigenous students are logging into their tablets, browsing through digital libraries, and selecting their next book to read. And what volume do they choose most often? The same novel that has captivated readers across drawing rooms, libraries, and coffee shops for over two centuries: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Students supported by the Indigenous Reading Project
This discovery exemplifies Jane Austen's remarkable ability to unite readers across centuries, continents, and cultures, and sits at the heart of our most ambitious Australian campaign yet. As we celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday throughout 2025, the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation is launching "250 Books for 250 Years" – a commemorative fundraising campaign to purchase 250 digital books for Indigenous Reading Project students across Australia.
The Indigenous Reading Project has been transforming lives since 2012, using tablets and digital libraries to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are behind their peers in reading ability. The program’s approach is innovative and motivational. In brief, students are loaned tablets and given access to thousands of e-books. If they show significant improvement after 12 weeks, they get to keep their devices.
Here is where Jane Austen enters this modern story of educational transformation. Among the thousands of books available in the project's digital library – from contemporary young adult fiction to classic adventure tales – Pride and Prejudice has emerged as the most downloaded book in the program's history.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen written in Chawton, England, published in 1813
While other books enjoy periods of popularity, rising and falling like literary shooting stars, Jane's masterpiece has demonstrated the steady persistence of the tortoise in Aesop's fable. Year after year, students in Australia continue to discover Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, finding something in their story that transcends the vast differences between Regency England and contemporary Indigenous Australia.
This remarkable pattern speaks to something profound about Jane Austen's enduring genius. Fundamentally about human nature, personal growth, and overcoming prejudice, her stories portray universal experiences that cross every boundary of time, culture, and geography.
These young readers may connect with Elizabeth Bennet's fierce independence and refusal to accept society's limitations. They may recognise something familiar in the theme of judging others too quickly, or in the journey toward understanding and mutual respect. Or they simply enjoy a brilliantly told story of wit, romance, and personal transformation.
Drawn to the richness of Jane's world, these students are proving what devoted Austenites have long known: her novels reflect an essential part of the human experience, which speaks to readers regardless of their background or circumstances.
The Indigenous Reading Project operates with rigorous standards and impressive results. Led by a dedicated team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal volunteers and governed by an experienced board, the organisation has support from esteemed patron Professor Marcia Langton AO, one of Australia's most respected Indigenous academics and the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne.
The program's impact extends far beyond reading scores. Teachers report increased confidence in participating students, improved classroom behaviour, and a more positive attitude toward learning. Parents see children excited about reading and eager to share their discoveries. Most importantly, these young people are developing skills that will benefit them throughout their education and future careers.
The program offers more than skill development for many students – it provides hope. Seeing a child succeed with something as fundamental as reading creates ripples of possibility that extend through entire families.
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation has proudly supported the Indigenous Reading Project for many years. We've doubled the size of their digital library in some years and funded student participation in others. This special campaign represents our most profound commitment yet to this vital work.
With Indigenous Reading Project CEO Dan Billing, in 2017
250 Books for 250 Years
To honor Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, our "250 Books for 250 Years" campaign aims to purchase 250 digital books at AUD $40 each, including the full usage licenses required to provide these e-books to Indigenous students across Australia. These aren't just individual book purchases but investments in young lives and future possibilities.
Every book purchased through this campaign will carry Jane Austen's legacy forward in the most meaningful way possible: opening doors for young readers who might otherwise find them closed. When a student in a remote Australian community downloads Pride and Prejudice alongside The Hunger Games or Harry Potter, they join a conversation that has been continuing for centuries about what it means to grow, to change, and see beyond first impressions.
The campaign will run through the end of 2025, supported by events and fundraising initiatives across Australia and the generous contributions of our donor community. Events include an exhibition launching next week at Beleura House in Mornington, Victoria, featuring 27 watercolours of fashion painted between 1790 and 1830 and antique Regency fashion from my collection, and 19th century publications of Pride & Prejudice from the Maureen Bathgate collection donated to the Foundation in 2023. The exhibition is open until 30th August, and I will be speaking at Beleura in July and August. For info and tickets:
Inspired by Jane Austen @ Beleura - the first exhibition of Regency watercolours and fashion from my collection, and 19th century Jane Austen novels from the Foundation’s collection.
Jane Austen wrote her novels in an age when few women had access to education, let alone publishing opportunities. She created strong, intelligent female characters who thought for themselves and refused to accept society's limitations. Today, I proudly carry forward that legacy of using literature to create opportunity and change lives.
That a young Indigenous student in remote Australia might find inspiration in Elizabeth Bennet's journey, just as readers have for over 200 years, proves that the power of great literature knows no boundaries. These students demonstrate that Jane's genius transcends time, place, and culture.
As we celebrate Jane's 250th birthday, we invite you to be part of this remarkable story. Help us ensure that more young Australians can discover the transformative power of reading.
You can support this campaign by making a donation - select Indigenous Reading Project when prompted which project you would like to support:
Caroline
Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen’s fifth great niece and the last of Jane’s nieces to grow up at Chawton House on the family’s ancestral estate where Jane herself lived and wrote. Founder & chair of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, CEO of The Austen Pathway, Patron of Jane Austen Regency Week, author of Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage.
Writing Competition Voting Now Open!
Help choose our winner for 2025.
All you need to do is read three short stories selected by our judges and vote for your favourite.
Our Short Story Writer for 2025 will be announced at Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday Celebration at Chawton House on Sunday 22nd June.
The winner will also be announced on social media when we also reveal the authors of our three winning stories, all of which will be recorded as an audiobook by the world’s best selling Austen narrator, Alison Larkin, and published worldwide later this year.
OUT NOW! Raising money for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation!
Jane and the Blue Willow Princess tells a story of a young Jane Austen, playing in the garden of the Steventon Rectory, making up stories to entertain her family.
This beautifully produced book includes a quote from our founder and chair, Caroline Jane Knight, the last of Jane's nieces from Chawton House. A proportion of the profits from every sale will be donated to the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.
Written by Catherine Little, illustrated by Sae Kimura, and published by Plumleaf Press, we are proud to be part of this lovely book. Thank you Plumleaf Press!
Purchase using the code JA250 and we get 25% of the profit!
Our Community in June
Join our Community as a Friend of the Foundation ($10 USD per month) to access all that the community has to offer – including our lively discussions, exclusive content, and the chance to connect with fellow Austen enthusiasts!
Double the Austenland Fun This June!
Join us for twice the fun in June as our book club reads Austenland by Shannon Hale, followed by a watch party of Austenland starring Keri Russell.
It's the perfect opportunity to dive into this delightful story about a woman's obsession with Mr. Darcy and her adventure at a Jane Austen-themed resort, then see how it translates to the screen.
Whether you're team book or team movie (or both!), you'll love comparing the romantic comedy moments and discussing which version you prefer.
Join Marigold, Melissa, and Mindy for Bookish Chat as they dive deep into each episode of Miss Austen on our YouTube channel. These three bring fresh perspectives, thoughtful analysis, and plenty of Austen enthusiasm to every discussion. Whether you're catching plot details you missed or exploring the historical context, their episode breakdowns are the perfect companion to your viewing experience. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode!
