The Mitford Bedside Companion: New Essays, Family Photographs, Favorite Mitford Scenes, and Much More

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A must-have treasury with original essays, personal photos, and much more

For the millions of fans who love the Mitford Years series, this lushly illustrated keepsake will be the perfect book to curl up with. What was that Uncle Billy joke about the census taker? Where was that beautiful prayer Father Tim offered? The Mitford Bedside Companion will make it easy to find the greatest of the countless gems that grace each of Karon's novels. Fans will relish favorite scenes, casts of characters, a Mitford crossword puzzle, and a bevy of original essays by Karon on everything from the life of a writer to her grandmother's secret to good health. With a color insert of family photos and Karon's early Mitford drawings, as well as new illustrations, this is a beautifully packaged volume everyone will cherish.

Jan Karon, born Janice Meredith Wilson in the foothills of North Carolina, was named after the title of a popular novel, Janice Meredith.

Jan wrote her first novel at the age of ten. "The manuscript was written on Blue Horse notebook paper, and was, for good reason, kept hidden from my sister. When she found it, she discovered the one curse word I had, with pounding heart, included in someone's speech. For Pete's sake, hadn't Rhett Butler used that very same word and gotten away with it? After my grandmother's exceedingly focused reproof, I've written books without cussin' ever since."

Several years ago, Karon left a successful career in advertising to move to the mountain village of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and write books. "I stepped out on faith to follow my lifelong dream of being an author," she says. "I made real sacrifices and took big risks. But living, it seems to me, is largely about risk."

Enthusiastic booksellers across the country have introduced readers of all ages to Karon's heartwarming books. At Home in Mitford, Karon's first book in the Mitford series, was nominated for an ABBY by the American Booksellers Association in 1996 and again in 1997. Bookstore owner, Shirley Sprinkle, says, "The Mitford Books have been our all-time fiction bestsellers since we went in business twenty-five years ago. We've sold 10,000 of Jan's books and don't see any end to the Mitford phenomenon."

Brenda W. Furman is Jan’s younger sister and the perfect person to shape a volume that contains the very cream of nine bestselling novels.