How many of us would love to be the recipient of a letter from Jane Austen that started out with these words and went on to praise for a paragraph or two! (even if with a little teasing as well) — On today’s date in 1817 such a letter was written to her niece, Fanny Knight.  Certainly a missive to treasure some months later… 

There’s also a letter from 1807, ten years before, catching up on local news while living in Southampton. 

20 February 1807

20 February 1817