Know your man, the Jane Austen way

Jane Austen might not be the one today's women look up to for advice on dating, but if writer Lauren Henderson is to be believed, she is better than Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City fame.

According to The Telegraph, Henderson has written America's latest dating manual to offer hope to America's single women titled, Jane Austen's Guide to Dating, that advises girls on how charm a man the Regency way.

"I think the books are coded instruction manuals - but they can be novels, too. They are about the best way to find someone who's going to be a life partner for you. What Austen is about is the continual process of observing the behaviour of people around you. And whether you're country dancing or grinding your bum into someone at a hip-hop club, it comes down to the same fundamental things," Henderson was quoted as saying.

The 10 key principles of dating include: If you like someone, make it clear that you do. Don't put your feelings on public display unless they're fully reciprocated. Don't play games or lead people on. Don't fall for superficial qualities. Don't settle—don't marry for money or convenience. Be witty if you can, but not cynical, indiscreet, or cruel. Be prepared to wait for the right person to come along.

Know which Austen hero your preferred man is:

* Darcy: A Darcy has strong principles and a good heart concealed beneath an arrogant and snobbish disposition. He thinks he's doing Elizabeth a favour by proposing.

* Mr Willoughby: A highly attractive prospect. Charming, funny, clever, and handsome. The sort of man you feel totally comfortable taking home to meet the parents. It's just at this point that he marries some other girl for her money, and repents at leisure.

* Mr Wickham: A Wickham is the original toxic bachelor. He has irresistible charm and the morals of a sewer rat. He drinks, gambles and seduces your best friend. In fact, he's more fun than the rest of them put together.

* Mr Bingley: He sees the good in everyone, even his ghastly bitch sisters and his uptight pal Darcy.

* Henry Tilney: Kind and sensible, he has a sense of the ridiculous, a sincere heart and a carefree enthusiasm for pretty girls.

* Capt Wentworth: He proposed to shy Anne ages ago, and she told him to get knotted so he chases her sisters-in-law, Louisa and Henrietta. Straightforward, military sort of stick.

The London-based auction house Christie's is all set to auction one of the world's greatest private libraries of cricket books.

The library of 400 books was assembled by Desmond Eagar, a player with Gloucestershire before the Second World War and later captain of Hampshire. A passionate collector and a leading cricket historian, Eagar possessed some volumes from the sport's early days that are so rare that even the British Library does not have copies, reports The Telegraph.

According to the paper, the Eagar Collection is expected to fetch about £ 2,00,000 on April 21.

It is being sold by Eagar's son Patrick, a well-known cricket photographer. "It is a fantastic collection. Not many people knew that it had all been kept together since Desmond's death in 1977. So, it is causing quite a lot of excitement already. There are so many rarities in it," said Rupert Neelands, of Christie's. — ANI

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