Books

Octavo ( 7 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches; 200 x 140 mm.). [vi], [1]-457, [1, blank] pp. A Very good copy that shows very well and with the signature of Daphne Du Maurier. Pages 387/388 with large repaired tear (no loss) and several other pages with short tears. Two ink signatures of former owners on front flyleaf. Rear flyleaf and paste down with pencil notes, etc. Publisher's maroon cloth with silver foil band at center printed in black. Du Maurier s sensationally popular gothic novel is about the marriage between a young American woman and a rich, British widower, as they are haunted by the memory of his late-wife Rebecca. The book quickly became a best seller after its publication, selling close to three million copies in the thirty or so years after its release. The novel won a National Book Award in 1938 when the award was voted on by booksellers, interesting enough and came in 14th on the BBC's 2003 survey The Big Read. Rebecca has been adapted into radio, television, and film productions, and even an Opera. The most famous of these is, of course, Alfred Hitchcock s 1940 film, produced by David O. Selznick, and starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. It would be nominated for 11 Academy Awards and win two including Best Picture and Best Cinematography. Daphne du Maurier, DBE (1907-1989) was an English author, known for her novels, biographies, and plays, born into an entertainment and literary family. Much of her work is haunting and hard to classify, bridging the romantic with the mysterious and sinister. Very Good.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. The novel 'Rebecca', by Daphne du Maurier, begins with this evocative sentence, setting the tone for a story of romance, jealousy, and intrigue. The unnamed protagonist, a young and naive woman, marries the charismatic Maxim de Winter after a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo. Upon moving to his ancestral estate, Manderley, she confronts the pervasive influence of his late wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives on long after her death.