A LEGACY

by Bedford, Sybille

Price: $25.00
Shipping rates & speeds | 30 Day Return Guarantee Ask bookseller a question | E-mail to a friend

Simon and Schuster, New York, 1957, first edition.. 311 pp, small 8vo (7 13/16" H), hard cover in dust jacket. "In this gold-and-champagne society (in the fifty years before the First World War), two families are brought together by an unpredictable marriage. The handsome Baron von Felden, whose tas. te in bric-a-brac and mistresses is impeccable, marries the sheltered young daughter (sweet, pretty, not very clever) of a Berlin Jewish family so rich it can hardly breathe. Felden has been brought up in a household of which it is typical that wh. e n the cure was asked for dinner - the old Baron refusing to speak German except to the servants, and the cure unable to speak French - they all had to get along in Latin. Melanie was reared by Grandmama and Grandpapa Merz. While others in their . se t were dining to the sounds of Schubert, endowing research, and buying their first Monets, the Merzes were adding bellpulls, thickening the upholstery, and setting discreet mousetraps in every room. Once Felden has agreed to give up two amiable . pet chimpanzees, and once Melanie has been baptized (after a false start described in a scene which Evelyn Waugh calls 'uproariously funny and totally free of offense to either religion') the two huge families become irrevocably allied. This allia. nce begins with romance (the scenes of courtship on the French Riviera are Renoir paintings come alive). It grows on friendliness, hospitality, and comfortable annual allowances. It survies the death of Melanie. It survives the impact of a beauti. ful and articulate Englishwoman who sweeps like a meteor across these German lives. But the two families are more and more caught up in social change and political intrigue, in private loyalties and betrayals. At last, in the story's brilliant cli. max, their lives explode into history with the great Felden Scandal. " Moderate to heavy browning to edges of pages and text block, book slightly cocked. Dust jacket has been price clipped, has light edge wear/wrinkling, a few tiny edge tears, li. ght b rowning - mainly on spine and rear panel, light soiling on rear panel. Good+/Good.

Bookseller Terms of Sale

PAYMENT: ALL PRICES ARE IN $ U.S.

We accept the following forms of payment:

VISA & MASTERCARD [If contacting us directly by email please ensure you provide the 'FULL NAME' as it appears on your card, 4 digit expiry date, the full number on card, and the 3 or 4 digit CVV security on the back of the card]; Personal, Business or Cashiers Check; International Money Order or PayPal (PayPal e-mail is capricornbks@sympatico.ca) (Sorry, we are not able to process other credit cards directly at this time). Canadian residents will be charged 5% GST on converted amount.

SHIPPING: Shipping rates are based upon the weight of a standard size book (8vo) or a large format trade paperback up to 1kg (2.2lbs). Larger, heavier books will be shipped at cost. We will e-mail you a quote for your approval, before we ship. Mass market paperback books, in many cases, will cost less to ship to the U.S.A. and Internationally. We will inform you by e-mail or adjust the charge when we process your order.

CANADA: Regular Parcel Post: 2 to 9 Business Days - $8.50 U.S.

U.S.A.: Surface Mail: 7 to 14 Business Days - $10.00 U.S. Air Mail: 4 to 6 Business Days - $12.50 U.S.

INTERNATIONAL: Surface Mail: 6 to 16 Weeks - $12.50 U.S. Air Mail: 6 to 10 Business Days - $28.00 U.S

RETURNS: Books may be returned if not as described within 10 days with prior notice. Please e-mail us prior to returning book - thank you.