Curated By....
Who is S J King esq?
S J King Esq. is the creator and curator of Pride and Prejudice Novel Magazine, a three volume publication that reimagines Austen’s novel as an immersive Novel Magazine experience. Drawing on .ai generated visuals, historical research, and the storytelling language of 21st century fashion and media, he has developed a new way to read, see, and consider the world of Elizabeth Bennet.
The project began in late 2023 with a simple experiment in digital fashion, asking .ai to create empire line dresses. From there, it became a broader creative inquiry. What if Regency imagination were explored through today’s tools? Each volume presents Austen’s original text in full, alongside fashion shoots, archival references, and speculative cultural features.
The magazine does not aim for academic precision. It is a study in tone, feeling, and visual rhythm. A Regency era mixtape shaped through a contemporary lens.
Simon has worked for over twenty years across fashion, creative direction, and design. His career spans ideas, strategy and brand, where he has led visual and narrative projects for clients and collaborators in the creative industries. This magazine brings together those strands with a longstanding interest in storytelling and culture.
The result is a thoughtful approach to a familiar story, seen through a different lens
DISCOVER
VOLUME I
When Jane Austen first published Pride and Prejudice in 1813, it appeared in three volumes. This first instalment of our novel magazine follows that tradition but takes the experience somewhere entirely new.
At its core is Austen’s original, unabridged text, faithfully preserved. But around it, we’ve built a richly visual world that brings the story into dialogue with the 21st century. Through fashion shoots, curated objects, and imagined advertisements, we reframe Pride and Prejudice not as a historical artefact, but as something strikingly contemporary.
Volume one carries the first twenty three chapters of Pride and Prejudice, mirroring volume one of the first edition published in 1813. On the cover are Georgiana and Harriet Cavendish, aristocratic sisters of their day, with Georgiana being the great great grandaunt of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The novel is presented in a clean two column magazine layout with generous margins. It echoes the dimensions of the first edition while offering a modern, luxurious reading experience.
Surrounding the text are a series of image led features and creative compositions:
Rational Creatures is a studio series inspired by Mrs Croft’s words in Persuasion: “Women are rational creatures.” Thirteen women from the Regency era are reimagined through portraiture, blending historical references with modern framing. Some were known in their time, others are recognised now for their writing, science, or quiet defiance.
The shoot includes scenes such as the Patronesses of Almack’s, arbiters of London’s social order, and a final tableau placing fashionable figures beneath portraits of thinkers and explorers including Ada Lovelace and Mary Anning. Each image is captioned and linked by QR code, inviting readers to discover more about the lives behind the looks.
Bonnets Bon Ton is a playful editorial fashion shoot inspired by Marie Antoinette's dressmaker, Rose Bertin, who famously jested about the British poke bonnet. This series reimagines Regency-era millinery with a modern twist, featuring oversized, fantastical bonnets that blend historical charm with contemporary flair. The shoot envisions Princess Catherine igniting a fashion sensation after being seen in an extravagant bonnet while promenading in Weymouth. This sparks a trend, culminating in our curator, S.J. King Esq., commissioning London's finest milliners to craft their own interpretations of 'Bonnets Bon Ton' for the Princess. Each image in the series is paired with a dressmaker or milliner of the era, celebrating the creativity and whimsy of Regency fashion.
The magazine also includes advertisements drawn from original playbills and museum ephemera. QR codes let readers go deeper into the hidden stories behind each feature.
This is not a history book. It is not a costume drama. It is a bold visual reimagining of Pride and Prejudice.
VOLUME I
At its core is Austen’s original, unabridged text, faithfully preserved. But around it, we’ve built a richly visual world that brings the story into dialogue with the 21st century. Through fashion shoots, curated objects, and imagined advertisements, we reframe Pride and Prejudice not as a historical artefact, but as something strikingly contemporary.
Volume one carries the first twenty three chapters of Pride and Prejudice, mirroring volume one of the first edition published in 1813. On the cover are Georgiana and Harriet Cavendish, aristocratic sisters of their day, with Georgiana being the great great grandaunt of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The novel is presented in a clean two column magazine layout with generous margins. It echoes the dimensions of the first edition while offering a modern, luxurious reading experience.
Surrounding the text are a series of image led features and creative compositions:
Rational Creatures is a studio series inspired by Mrs Croft’s words in Persuasion: “Women are rational creatures.” Thirteen women from the Regency era are reimagined through portraiture, blending historical references with modern framing. Some were known in their time, others are recognised now for their writing, science, or quiet defiance.
The shoot includes scenes such as the Patronesses of Almack’s, arbiters of London’s social order, and a final tableau placing fashionable figures beneath portraits of thinkers and explorers including Ada Lovelace and Mary Anning. Each image is captioned and linked by QR code, inviting readers to discover more about the lives behind the looks.
Bonnets Bon Ton is a playful editorial fashion shoot inspired by Marie Antoinette's dressmaker, Rose Bertin, who famously jested about the British poke bonnet. This series reimagines Regency-era millinery with a modern twist, featuring oversized, fantastical bonnets that blend historical charm with contemporary flair. The shoot envisions Princess Catherine igniting a fashion sensation after being seen in an extravagant bonnet while promenading in Weymouth. This sparks a trend, culminating in our curator, S.J. King Esq., commissioning London's finest milliners to craft their own interpretations of 'Bonnets Bon Ton' for the Princess. Each image in the series is paired with a dressmaker or milliner of the era, celebrating the creativity and whimsy of Regency fashion.
The magazine also includes advertisements drawn from original playbills and museum ephemera. QR codes let readers go deeper into the hidden stories behind each feature.
This is not a history book. It is not a costume drama. It is a bold visual reimagining of Pride and Prejudice.
When Jane Austen first published Pride and Prejudice in 1813, it appeared in three volumes. This first instalment of our novel magazine follows that tradition but takes the experience somewhere entirely new.
VOLUME II
The cover features Louisa Elizabeth Grey, imagined at the same age as Lydia Bennet when she travels to Brighton. Though Louisa’s life was free of scandal, she represents the hopes and hazards of youth that Austen captured so well.
The text appears in our signature two column layout with generous margins. Surrounding it are a new set of image led features:
The Briar Rose is a shoot that reimagines the Sleeping Beauty tale within a Regency setting. The Brothers Grimm published their version of the story in 1812, just one year before Pride and Prejudice appeared in print. The tale quickly crossed borders, captivating readers and influencing the romantic imagination of the era that Austen inhabited.
In this shoot, models from the Theatre Royal appear asleep among flowers, dressed in gowns attributed to real London dressmakers of the time. The styling draws from Edward Burne-Jones’s later paintings of the same story, while original Grimm text is woven into the compositions. It is a visual meditation on stillness, beauty, and the stories that linger just beneath the surface of consciousness.
Miss Blacklin's New Season is a fashion editorial that envisions the latest Regency styles as presented by London's esteemed dressmaker, Miss Blacklin. Set at her studio on 11 Blenheim Street, the series showcases mannequins adorned in her newest creations, drawing inspiration from the historical use of Pandora dolls—miniature figures dressed to display the latest fashions. This concept pays homage to early fashion communication methods, where such dolls served as the first fashion magazines, conveying trends across Europe. The imagery also reflects modern influences, reminiscent of Alexander McQueen's early digital presentations, where garments were displayed against dark backgrounds to emphasize their form and detail. Through this blend of historical reference and contemporary aesthetic, the series invites viewers to explore the evolution of fashion presentation.
Authentic Regency advertisements continue throughout. QR codes unlock the references and imagination behind the page.
This is not about accuracy. It is about atmosphere. Not a re-enactment, but a reawakening.
The second instalment of our novel magazine continues the full text of Pride and Prejudice, carrying readers deeper into Austen’s world while expanding the visual and cultural dialogue between the Regency period and today.
VOLUME III
The cover features Princess Charlotte, who once read Sense and Sensibility and identified with Marianne. She lived her private life in the public eye, caught between love, duty, and legacy—much like many of Austen’s heroines. She is imagined here in a pale day dress, the picture of quiet power.
Inside, the novel concludes in our signature layout, surrounded by some of the most opulent imagery in the series:
A Princess’s Wardrobe. Princess Charlotte takes centre stage, appearing on the cover and across three fashion editorials. As curator, I imagined the dressmakers of London creating three wardrobes for her. One for day. One for evening. One for state occasions. The images created through .ai were quietly spectacular, capturing grace, power, and presence in equal measure.
Charlotte’s story felt like the natural evolution of the magazine. It rises through the layers of society and arrives at the royal household. News about the royal family was widely reported in the Regency press, and Charlotte's romantic life became a subject of public fascination. She had read Sense and Sensibility and identified with Marianne. Like many of Austen’s heroines, she pushed back against expectation and chose her own match. She died just four months after Austen, leaving behind both a legacy and a question of what might have been.
The story nears its moment of truth. Darcy and Elizabeth draw close. The result is a quiet crescendo, built not on spectacle, but on transformation.
This is not a historical record. It is a love letter.
The final volume in our three part novel magazine brings Pride and Prejudice to its unforgettable conclusion, where wit and will, love and longing, at last find their resolution.
VOLUME III
The cover features the only direct portrayal of the Bennet sisters in the series. Created using .ai, Lizzy and Jane appear with minimal styling and a near washed out palette, beneath a reinterpretation of the original bookplate.
On the spine, golden peacock feathers nod gently to the late nineteenth century Peacock Edition.
Three silk bookmarks in sand, sky blue, and mint green mark each of the original volumes. The layout, shoots, features, and advertisements are all drawn from the magazine trilogy and preserved here in full.
This is not a collector’s edition made to impress. It is an edition made to last. To sit with. To return to.
What would a book need to look like for Elizabeth Bennet to want it on her table? The Pemberley Edition is our answer. It brings together all three volumes in one hardback coffee table book—elegant, restrained, and quietly beautiful.
Curated By....Who is S J King Esq?
The project began in late 2023 with a simple experiment in digital fashion, asking .ai to create empire line dresses. From there, it became a broader creative inquiry. What if Regency imagination were explored through today’s tools? Each volume presents Austen’s original text in full, alongside fashion shoots, archival references, and speculative cultural features.
The magazine does not aim for academic precision. It is a study in tone, feeling, and visual rhythm. A Regency era mixtape shaped through a contemporary lens.
Simon has worked for over twenty years across fashion, creative direction, and design. His career spans ideas, strategy and brand, where he has led visual and narrative projects for clients and collaborators in the creative industries. This magazine brings together those strands with a longstanding interest in storytelling and culture.
The result is a thoughtful approach to a familiar story, seen through a different lens
S J King Esq. is the creator and curator of Pride and Prejudice Novel Magazine, a three volume publication that reimagines Austen’s novel as an immersive Novel Magazine experience. Drawing on .ai generated visuals, historical research, and the storytelling language of 21st century fashion and media, he has developed a new way to read, see, and consider the world of Elizabeth Bennet.
VOLUME II
The second instalment of our novel magazine continues the full text of Pride and Prejudice, carrying readers deeper into Austen’s world while expanding the visual and cultural dialogue between the Regency period and today.
The cover features Louisa Elizabeth Grey, imagined at the same age as Lydia Bennet when she travels to Brighton. Though Louisa’s life was free of scandal, she represents the hopes and hazards of youth that Austen captured so well.
The text appears in our signature two column layout with generous margins. Surrounding it are a new set of image led features:
The Briar Rose is a shoot that reimagines the Sleeping Beauty tale within a Regency setting. The Brothers Grimm published their version of the story in 1812, just one year before Pride and Prejudice appeared in print. The tale quickly crossed borders, captivating readers and influencing the romantic imagination of the era that Austen inhabited.
In this shoot, models from the Theatre Royal appear asleep among flowers, dressed in gowns attributed to real London dressmakers of the time. The styling draws from Edward Burne-Jones’s later paintings of the same story, while original Grimm text is woven into the compositions. It is a visual meditation on stillness, beauty, and the stories that linger just beneath the surface of consciousness.
Miss Blacklin's New Season is a fashion editorial that envisions the latest Regency styles as presented by London's esteemed dressmaker, Miss Blacklin. Set at her studio on 11 Blenheim Street, the series showcases mannequins adorned in her newest creations, drawing inspiration from the historical use of Pandora dolls—miniature figures dressed to display the latest fashions. This concept pays homage to early fashion communication methods, where such dolls served as the first fashion magazines, conveying trends across Europe. The imagery also reflects modern influences, reminiscent of Alexander McQueen's early digital presentations, where garments were displayed against dark backgrounds to emphasize their form and detail. Through this blend of historical reference and contemporary aesthetic, the series invites viewers to explore the evolution of fashion presentation.
Authentic Regency advertisements continue throughout. QR codes unlock the references and imagination behind the page.
This is not about accuracy. It is about atmosphere. Not a re-enactment, but a reawakening.
Why Pride and Prejudice?
We began with Pride and Prejudice because when you invent a new format like the Novel Magazine, you get to choose your first author. We love Jane Austen.
Austen is one of the most widely read and deeply loved writers in the English language. But we are not here to illustrate her story. We are here to support the reader’s imagination and encourage their curiosity by building the world around it, drawing from the fashion, objects, interiors and social rituals of Regency England. By enriching that imaginative space, we aim to deepen the experience of reading rather than replace it. This is why, unlike others trying to reinvent the way we read, we are a print first publisher.
What is a Novel Magazine?
A Novel Magazine is a new kind of storytelling format that sits somewhere between traditional books and the more immersive visual forms of media like film and television.
For decades, the hierarchy has been clear: the written word at the top, then television and film, with audiobooks recently carving out their own space. A Novel Magazine adds a new layer to this structure. It retains the integrity of the original text but surrounds it with curated imagery, fashion, objects and editorial features that bring the story’s world to life. In doing so, it introduces a form of world building that bridges the gap between reading and visual experience, offering an alternative entry point into classic stories without replacing them. The inaugural Novel Magazine is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
VOLUME III
The final volume in our three part novel magazine brings Pride and Prejudice to its unforgettable conclusion, where wit and will, love and longing, at last find their resolution.
The cover features Princess Charlotte, who once read Sense and Sensibility and identified with Marianne. She lived her private life in the public eye, caught between love, duty, and legacy—much like many of Austen’s heroines. She is imagined here in a pale day dress, the picture of quiet power.
Inside, the novel concludes in our signature layout, surrounded by some of the most opulent imagery in the series:
A Princess’s Wardrobe. Princess Charlotte takes centre stage, appearing on the cover and across three fashion editorials. As curator, I imagined the dressmakers of London creating three wardrobes for her. One for day. One for evening. One for state occasions. The images created through .ai were quietly spectacular, capturing grace, power, and presence in equal measure.
Charlotte’s story felt like the natural evolution of the magazine. It rises through the layers of society and arrives at the royal household. News about the royal family was widely reported in the Regency press, and Charlotte's romantic life became a subject of public fascination. She had read Sense and Sensibility and identified with Marianne. Like many of Austen’s heroines, she pushed back against expectation and chose her own match. She died just four months after Austen, leaving behind both a legacy and a question of what might have been.
The story nears its moment of truth. Darcy and Elizabeth draw close. The result is a quiet crescendo, built not on spectacle, but on transformation.
This is not a historical record. It is a love letter.
The Longbourn Edition
This is the edition Lydia Bennet would have chosen. Glossy, and full of largesse. The Longbourn Edition collects all three volumes into one softcover edition.
Every feature, every shoot, every page of Austen’s text is included—wrapped in a bold, fantastical cover that stands entirely on its own. The image is the most stylised of the series, deliberately artificial, designed to dazzle. There is a hint of the American September issue in its presence and weight. This is a Novel Magazine that looks as good on your arm as it does on your table.
Designed to be portable yet impactful, Longbourn offers both utility and drama. A different energy. A different gaze.
This is not a modest volume. It is designed to be see
The Pemberley Edition
What would a book need to look like for Elizabeth Bennet to want it on her table? The Pemberley Edition is our answer. It brings together all three volumes in one hardback coffee table book—elegant, restrained, and quietly beautiful.
The cover features the only direct portrayal of the Bennet sisters in the series. Created using .ai, Lizzy and Jane appear with minimal styling and a near washed out palette, beneath a reinterpretation of the original bookplate.
On the spine, golden peacock feathers nod gently to the late nineteenth century Peacock Edition.
Three silk bookmarks in sand, sky blue, and mint green mark each of the original volumes. The layout, shoots, features, and advertisements are all drawn from the magazine trilogy and preserved here in full.
This is not a collector’s edition made to impress. It is an edition made to last. To sit with. To return to.
