The Edwardians

London: Penquin, 2000. First Penquin Edition . Paperback. In quite good condition.. Royal octavo [25cm/9.75inches], paperbound with pictorial covers, pp. 302, indexed. Fully illustrated withb-w half-tone plates. Please feel free to inquire as to particulars and/or additional snapshots. First published in 1970 by Wm. Heinemann. Among Priestley's serious novels was LOST EMPIRES, to be followed later by one of his favourites THE IMAGE MEN. In his later writing life he did write several lighter novels, comedies like LOW NOTES ON A HIGH LEVEL and detective stories like SALT IS LEAVING, written for his own enjoyment as well as the readers'. His two last significant plays were THE GLASS CAGE, written for a company in Canada, which was long forgotten till successfully revived in Northampton England and the Mint Theatre, NY, and his adaptation of Iris Murdoch's novel A SEVERED HEAD, which had a good run in London. He returned to non-fiction with his brief memoirs MARGIN RELEASED, and his masterly conclusion to a lifetime's reading, LITERATURE & WESTERN MAN; he then wrote three social histories THE PRINCE OF PLEASURE, VICTORIA'S HEYDAY and THE EDWARDIANS, as well as a summing up of his interest in Time, MAN AND TIME. His last works were a final chapter of autobiography, INSTEAD OF THE TREES, and a nice collection of short pieces, OUTCRIES AND ASIDES. He rejected the offer of both a knighthood and a peerage, but gladly accepted the Order of Merit, the Queen's own gift with no political connections.