I was saving this for the end, because the oldies already know my opinion...

LeFaye is painstakingly accurate,and very detailed, but if you are a complete newcomer to JA's life, she's incredibly complicated. More an encyclopedia than a story. As a first bio, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but for a second, or subsequent, it is invaluable.

Sh ehas a new bio out, the Life and Letters of Eliza de F, which I am dying to get my hands on.