Nancy Mitford – The Radlett Trilogy – The Pursuit of Love/Love in a Cold Climate/Don’t Tell Alfred – All First Editions – ALL Inscribed by Mitford
£17,500.00
A set of first editions of Mitford’s masterpiece, The Radlett Trilogy. All three are first edition, first printings. Comprising: ‘The Pursuit of Love’: A very good book without inscriptions – some tanning to the pages due to the cheap War Time paper used. In a very good unclipped which has a small chip to the rear panel and a faint stamp to the front flap – some wear to the spine and edges. Signed presentation inscription from the author to Alvilde Lees-Milne, to front free endpaper, ownership inscription of the recipient to last free endpaper.
Alvilde Lees-Milne (1909-94) was was a British expert in gardening and landscape design. She was married to Anthony Chaplin, hereditary peer and amateur zoologist, from 1933-1950 and then to the writer James Lees-Milne from 1951 until her death in 1994. During the 1930s James Lees-Milne had been the lover of Harold Nicolson. Both Harold and his wife Vita Sackville-West acted as witnesses at the Lees-Milnes’ wedding. In the 1950s Sackville-West and Alvilde Lees-Milne had an affair and Alvilde worked on Vita’s famous garden at Sissinghurst. Alvilde moved in literary circles and was good friends with many writers such as Nancy Mitford and Somerset Maugham. James Lees-Milne and Nancy’s brother, Tom Mitford, were lovers while at Eton College. The inscription in the present volume predates Alvilde’s marriage to James by six years and her ownership signature is under her name when she was married to her previous husband Anthony Chaplin.
‘Love In A Cold Climate’: A first edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton in 1949. A very good book without inscriptions – SIGNED and inscribed to ‘Roland Carpenter/from Nancy Mitford’ to the front endpaper with a small patch of rubbing just under the inscription – Carpenter’s bookplate to the front pastedown. With a little dulling to the gilt titles on the spine. In a very good unclipped wrapper with wear and loss to the corners. A small professional internal repair to the top of the front panel. Some chipping to the spine tips and corners. Some creasing.
‘Don’t Tell Alfred’: A first edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton. A near fine book inscribed on the half-title by Mitford ‘Mrs Phelps/with love from/Nancy’. In a very good unclipped wrapper with one or two small closed tears to the edges.
Mrs Phelps, as outlined in Deborah Devonshire’s biography, was a neighbour who lived close to the Mitfords in Mill Cottage.
The trilogy about an upper-class English family in the interwar period focusing on the romantic life of Linda Radlett, as narrated by her cousin, Fanny Logan. Although a comedy, the story has tragic overtones. Rarely offered as a set.
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- Description
Description
A set of first editions of Mitford’s masterpiece, The Radlett Trilogy. All three are first edition, first printings. Comprising: ‘The Pursuit of Love’: A very good book without inscriptions – some tanning to the pages due to the cheap War Time paper used. In a very good unclipped which has a small chip to the rear panel and a faint stamp to the front flap – some wear to the spine and edges. Signed presentation inscription from the author to Alvilde Lees-Milne, to front free endpaper, ownership inscription of the recipient to last free endpaper.
Alvilde Lees-Milne (1909-94) was was a British expert in gardening and landscape design. She was married to Anthony Chaplin, hereditary peer and amateur zoologist, from 1933-1950 and then to the writer James Lees-Milne from 1951 until her death in 1994. During the 1930s James Lees-Milne had been the lover of Harold Nicolson. Both Harold and his wife Vita Sackville-West acted as witnesses at the Lees-Milnes’ wedding. In the 1950s Sackville-West and Alvilde Lees-Milne had an affair and Alvilde worked on Vita’s famous garden at Sissinghurst. Alvilde moved in literary circles and was good friends with many writers such as Nancy Mitford and Somerset Maugham. James Lees-Milne and Nancy’s brother, Tom Mitford, were lovers while at Eton College. The inscription in the present volume predates Alvilde’s marriage to James by six years and her ownership signature is under her name when she was married to her previous husband Anthony Chaplin.
‘Love In A Cold Climate’: A first edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton in 1949. A very good book without inscriptions – SIGNED and inscribed to ‘Roland Carpenter/from Nancy Mitford’ to the front endpaper with a small patch of rubbing just under the inscription – Carpenter’s bookplate to the front pastedown. With a little dulling to the gilt titles on the spine. In a very good unclipped wrapper with wear and loss to the corners. A small professional internal repair to the top of the front panel. Some chipping to the spine tips and corners. Some creasing.
‘Don’t Tell Alfred’: A first edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton. A near fine book inscribed on the half-title by Mitford ‘Mrs Phelps/with love from/Nancy’. In a very good unclipped wrapper with one or two small closed tears to the edges.
Mrs Phelps, as outlined in Deborah Devonshire’s biography, was a neighbour who lived close to the Mitfords in Mill Cottage.
The trilogy about an upper-class English family in the interwar period focusing on the romantic life of Linda Radlett, as narrated by her cousin, Fanny Logan. Although a comedy, the story has tragic overtones. Rarely offered as a set.
