A specialist in early modern women's writing, Ross (English, Massey U., New Zealand) presents an edition of Austen's (1628-83) journal of her meditations over the two years 1664-66. She was a gentlewoman widow in her middle 30s living in London and Middlesex, the guardian of three underaged children, and was occupied with defending her own and her children's interests--especially her eldest son's inheritance. Her concerns and comments touched upon such matters as illness, accidents, and death; the temptation of a second marriage; the Great Plague of 1665-66; and the ill-will of relatives and associates. Her record of legal and financial struggles provides much evidence for historians about the life of a 17th-century London widow. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less