Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
by Amanda Foreman
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0375502947
- ISBN 13
- 9780375502941
- Seller
-
Arlington, Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Random House, December 1999. Hardcover. First Edition, third printing. Fine book in a Fine jacket. Interior pristine. Spine straight and tight, ends lightly bumped. Jacket clean and bright with slight edgewear at spine. Not from a library. No remainder mark. Not clipped. xx+454 pages. Winner of the Whitbread Prize.
This wonderfully readable biography offers a rich, rollicking picture of late-eighteenth-century British aristocracy and the intimate story of a woman who for a time was its undisputed leader. Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774, at the age of seventeen, Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying one of England's richest and most influential aristocrats, the Duke of Devonshire. Launched into a world of wealth and power, she quickly became the queen of fashionable society, adored by the Prince of Wales, a dear friend of Marie-Antoinette, and leader of the most important salon of her time. Not content with the role of society hostess, she used her connections to enter politics, eventually becoming more influential than most of the men who held office. Her good works and social exploits made her loved by the multitudes, but Georgiana's public success, like Diana's, concealed a personal life that was fraught with suffering. The Duke of Devonshire was unimpressed by his wife's legendary charms, preferring instead those of her closest friend, a woman with whom Georgiana herself was rumored to be on intimate terms. For over twenty years, the three lived together in a jealous and uneasy ménage à trois, during which time both women bore the Duke's children--as well as those of other men. Foreman's descriptions of Georgiana's uncontrollable gambling, all-night drinking, drug taking, and love affairs with the leading politicians of the day give us fascinating insight into the lives of the British aristocracy in the era of the madness of King George III, the American and French revolutions, and the defeat of Napoleon.
This wonderfully readable biography offers a rich, rollicking picture of late-eighteenth-century British aristocracy and the intimate story of a woman who for a time was its undisputed leader. Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774, at the age of seventeen, Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying one of England's richest and most influential aristocrats, the Duke of Devonshire. Launched into a world of wealth and power, she quickly became the queen of fashionable society, adored by the Prince of Wales, a dear friend of Marie-Antoinette, and leader of the most important salon of her time. Not content with the role of society hostess, she used her connections to enter politics, eventually becoming more influential than most of the men who held office. Her good works and social exploits made her loved by the multitudes, but Georgiana's public success, like Diana's, concealed a personal life that was fraught with suffering. The Duke of Devonshire was unimpressed by his wife's legendary charms, preferring instead those of her closest friend, a woman with whom Georgiana herself was rumored to be on intimate terms. For over twenty years, the three lived together in a jealous and uneasy ménage à trois, during which time both women bore the Duke's children--as well as those of other men. Foreman's descriptions of Georgiana's uncontrollable gambling, all-night drinking, drug taking, and love affairs with the leading politicians of the day give us fascinating insight into the lives of the British aristocracy in the era of the madness of King George III, the American and French revolutions, and the defeat of Napoleon.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Books of the World (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- RWARE0000003197
- Title
- Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
- Author
- Amanda Foreman
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition, Third Printing
- ISBN 10
- 0375502947
- ISBN 13
- 9780375502941
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- December 1999
- Keywords
- biography, history, Cavendish, Georgiana Spencer, Duchess, Devonshire, William Cavendish, George III, aristocracy, marriage, nobility, politicians, women, British, English, England, Britain, Great Britain, United Kingdom, Whitbread Prize
- Bookseller catalogs
- Politics & Government; History; Biographies; Britain; Feminism, Women's Studies, and Gender Issues;
- Size
- 8vo
Terms of Sale
Books of the World
30 day return guarantee, with full refund if an item arrives mis-described or damaged.
About the Seller
Books of the World
Biblio member since 2017
Arlington, Virginia
About Books of the World
Finding new homes for the library I collected over five decades of travel around the world.
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- Spine
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- Jacket
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- Fine
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- Remainder Mark
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- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.