Mistress of the Elgin Marbles

New York: William Morrow; HarperCollinsPublishers, 2004. xvii, 294 pages, [16] pages of plates, illustrations, maps; 24 cm. Map on lining papers. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Spine slightly rolled at the crown. Age toning, top edge lightly soiled. Stated First Edition. Dust jacket with a soft crease/front flap. Another copy available. A biography of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin. "The remarkable Mary Nisbet was the Countess of Elgin in Romantic-era Scotland and the wife of the seventh Earl of Elgin. When Mary accompanied her husband to diplomatic duty in Turkey, she changed history. She helped bring the smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, struck a seemingly impossible deal with Napoleon, and arranged the removal of famous marbles from the Parthenon. But all of her accomplishments would be overshadowed, however, by her scandalous divorce. Drawing from Mary's own letters, scholar Susan Nagel tells Mary's enthralling, inspiring, and suspenseful story in vibrant detail. / Susan Nagel is the author of a critically acclaimed book on the novels of Jean Giraudoux. She has written for the stage, the screen, scholarly journals, the Gannett newspaper chain, and Town & Country. A professor in the humanities department of Marymount Manhattan College, she lives in New York City." - Publisher.. 1st. Hardcover. Good/Very Good. 8vo.