'My Dear Duchess': Social And Political Letters To The Duchess Of Manchester, 1858-1869
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Tanning and foxing
At the glittering heart of Victorian high society, where political intrigue and aristocratic ambition intertwined, the Duchess of Manchester occupied a singular position — a confidante to statesmen, a fixture of Whig drawing rooms, and a woman whose correspondence reveals the private machinery of a public age. 'My Dear Duchess' presents a carefully curated collection of social and political letters addressed to Louise, Duchess of Manchester, spanning the pivotal years of 1858 to 1869, a decade that witnessed the reshaping of British political life under figures such as Palmerston, Disraeli, and Gladstone. Editor A. L. Kennedy has assembled these missives into a compelling portrait of an era, allowing readers to witness the candid, unguarded voices of Victorian politicians writing to a woman they trusted implicitly. Beyond its value as a primary source, this anthology illuminates the profound, often underestimated influence wielded by aristocratic women within the informal networks of nineteenth-century British politics. Kennedy's editorial hand is both scholarly and accessible, providing context that situates each letter within the broader sweep of Victorian political history without diminishing the intimacy and wit of the correspondence itself. The collection stands as a testament to the Duchess's remarkable capacity to inspire frankness in powerful men — and leaves the reader wondering just how much of history was shaped not in Parliament, but in the elegant rooms she presided over.
Author: A. L. Kennedy
Format: Hardback
Genre: British & Irish history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Tanning and foxing
At the glittering heart of Victorian high society, where political intrigue and aristocratic ambition intertwined, the Duchess of Manchester occupied a singular position — a confidante to statesmen, a fixture of Whig drawing rooms, and a woman whose correspondence reveals the private machinery of a public age. 'My Dear Duchess' presents a carefully curated collection of social and political letters addressed to Louise, Duchess of Manchester, spanning the pivotal years of 1858 to 1869, a decade that witnessed the reshaping of British political life under figures such as Palmerston, Disraeli, and Gladstone. Editor A. L. Kennedy has assembled these missives into a compelling portrait of an era, allowing readers to witness the candid, unguarded voices of Victorian politicians writing to a woman they trusted implicitly. Beyond its value as a primary source, this anthology illuminates the profound, often underestimated influence wielded by aristocratic women within the informal networks of nineteenth-century British politics. Kennedy's editorial hand is both scholarly and accessible, providing context that situates each letter within the broader sweep of Victorian political history without diminishing the intimacy and wit of the correspondence itself. The collection stands as a testament to the Duchess's remarkable capacity to inspire frankness in powerful men — and leaves the reader wondering just how much of history was shaped not in Parliament, but in the elegant rooms she presided over.