A handsome vintage edition of Daphne du Maurier’s Mary Anne, bound in rich raspberry-red cloth with a wonderfully simple mid-century spine label.

Published in 1954, Mary Anne was inspired by the remarkable life of du Maurier’s own great-great-grandmother, Mary Anne Clarke, who rose from comparatively modest beginnings to become the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York. Du Maurier turns her story into a vivid historical novel of ambition, scandal and survival in Regency society.

This copy was published in London by The Companion Book Club and has lost its original dust jacket, leaving the beautifully coloured cloth binding exposed. We rather like it this way. The warm red cover feels particularly at home amongst old books gathered for Christmas, whether given to a du Maurier reader or slipped onto a bedside stack for the quieter days between Christmas and New Year.

Author: Daphne du Maurier

Title: Mary Anne

Publisher: The Companion Book Club, London

Date: Circa 1950s

Binding: Red cloth with printed spine label

Condition: Good vintage condition. The cloth has some fading, surface marks and light wear, particularly to the spine and extremities. Internally the pages appear generally clean with the expected gentle toning of age. Lacking the original dust jacket.