Andrew Davies

It₂s 1919, WWI has just ended, and Harry Selfridge is struggling with loss. After the death of his beloved Rose, he is making costly business mistakes. His empire is weakened, and he is vulnerable to his old enemy Lord Loxley.

Jane Austen's story of Georgian England, where affairs of the heart are an exquisite game, and marriage the ultimate prize. But Elizabeth Bennet spirited, independent, and one of five unmarried sisters, is determined to wed for love, not money or privilege.

Eschewing the "great man" theory of history, Tolstoy shows how events are determined by large numbers of people whose actions coalesce at any moment in history to determine the course of events. Arguing that the closer people are to a situation the more they believe they have exercised free will, and the farther away people are from that situation the more they realize that their actions were already determined by past events, Tolstoy demonstrates...

After nearly 20 years of setting trends and pushing traditions, Selfridge's is still going strong as the triumph of London₂s Oxford Street. But Harry's potentially dangerous appetite for entertainment and women, while always a problem, has reached its peak. Now, he struggles to keep the reins of the store he loves, in the face of old troubles, new opportunities, and unsettled scores.

Tom Parker is obsessed with turning the sleepy seaside village of Sanditon into a fashionable health resort. He enlists the backing of local bigwig Lady Denham. Through a mishap, Tom makes the acquaintance of the Heywoods and invites their eldest daughter, Charlotte, for an extended stay at Sanditon. Meanwhile, Lady Denham, a widow, is playing matchmaker for her destitute nephew, Sir Edward, who is determined to seduce Lady Denham's ward, Clara.

Emmy Award-winning actor Jeremy Piven stars as American entrepreneur and colorful retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge. Pioneering and reckless, with an almost manic energy, Harry Selfridge created a theater of retail for early 1900s Londoners where any topic or trend that was new, exciting, entertaining-or sometimes just eccentric-was showcased.

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve when she falls in love with the charming but unsuitable John Willoughby, ignoring her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Elinor, sensitive to social convention, struggles to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Will the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness...

"In Jane Austen's gentle parody of gothic fiction, romance novel addict Catherine Morland is invited to a medieval country house that appeals to her most lurid fantasies. She forms a close friendship with the younger son on the estate, Henry Tilney, but their budding romance is mysteriously cut short"--Container.

"High-spirited heroine Charlotte Heywood ... returns to the picturesque coastal resort of Sanditon and the companionship of her friend Georgiana Lambe ... . What adventures, scandals, intrigue and above all else--romance--await Miss Heywood this season?"--Container.

"The official companion to PBS/Masterpiece's ... drama, The world of Sanditon delves behind the scenes of Sanditon, giving you the inside scoop on Jane Austen's unfinished masterpiece, adapted for television by Andrew Davies"--Dust jacket.