Books on the Hesse Royals

[Arleen]

David Duff is one of my favorites too.  Your info on him is priceless Marlene, thanks for telling us.

Arleen

[Marlene]

David Duff is one of my favorites too.  Your info on him is priceless Marlene, thanks for telling us.

Arleen

thanks.  It was a privilege to be able to assist David ...

[Eurohistory]

Hessian Tapestry is a phenomenal book...the fold out family tree remainsone of my top favorites until this day!

I never met David Duff.  Theo Aronson I met on several occasions and I stand by what people have said of him...he was a jewel, marvelously funny, thoroughly delightful and just an absolutely wonderful person, so very witty!

I was deeply saddened when he died.  In fact, I think I have the last royalty article he wrote for publication. It ius in the ERHJ archive. Out of respect I have not included the piece in the THE EUROPEAN ROYAL HISTORY JOURNAL - but perhaps it is time that I do!

Arturo Beéche

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Oh, my ignorance! Well I'm glad to hear that David Duff is a wonderful author and throughly nice man.  And he lives in Norfolk; I am originally from Norfolk (good Norfolk surname)!  Therefore he must be fantastic! I just hope that he is well; he must be in his nineties if my maths is correct, which it probably isn't.

Well it looks like for once, I hit the jackpot in my search for royal book treasure.  I just couldn't believe it when I saw it.  I was biding my time before getting the train home, just thought I'd pop into the charity book shop and BAM I saw 'Hessian Tapestry', the portrait of Princess Alice in the front and got all excited.  Then I saw it was a first edition and just £1, so you know, I couldn't resist...I never get lucky with stuff like this!!! I thought I'd come and ask you guys about it as soon as I got home and as usual you come up trumps.  Such lovely people.

Thanks for the info everyone, and Marlene, you're so lucky to have known all of these great people.  I am perfectly jealous!

Rachel
xx

[Marlene]

You will love the book.

David is in his 90s.  And, it's great to come across such finds.  Hope this was the hardcover.  And if you don't like the book, you can probably earn more than your original investment by flogging it on Ebay!

The book came out in about 1968 if I recall, when I was 14.  It was one of the first royal books I read after Lady Longford's bio on Victoria which got me into this mess in the first place ...  now that I think about it, HT may have been published in 1967 which would have made me 13 ...

Oh, my ignorance! Well I'm glad to hear that David Duff is a wonderful author and throughly nice man.  And he lives in Norfolk; I am originally from Norfolk (good Norfolk surname)!  Therefore he must be fantastic! I just hope that he is well; he must be in his nineties if my maths is correct, which it probably isn't.

Well it looks like for once, I hit the jackpot in my search for royal book treasure.  I just couldn't believe it when I saw it.  I was biding my time before getting the train home, just thought I'd pop into the charity book shop and BAM I saw 'Hessian Tapestry', the portrait of Princess Alice in the front and got all excited.  Then I saw it was a first edition and just £1, so you know, I couldn't resist...I never get lucky with stuff like this!!! I thought I'd come and ask you guys about it as soon as I got home and as usual you come up trumps.  Such lovely people.

Thanks for the info everyone, and Marlene, you're so lucky to have known all of these great people.  I am perfectly jealous!

Rachel
xx

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Yup, hardcover, first edition, 1967.  No dust jacket, but other than that, it's perfect.  All the photos and fold out genealogical tables are in place.  I'm so pleased I found something good for once!!!

I'm positive I will enjoy it.  I think my book for university may be abandoned for the next few days, as I am going to get stuck in now; you've all given it such a glowing review!

It's amazing how certain things can inspire an interest that stays with us for our whole lives.  For me, it was a battered copy of 'Kings and Queens of England' that had as a small note next to Princess Alice that her daughter had been the last Empress of Russia and had been murdered.  Before the internet, this was, so I headed down to the local library to find out about this Empress of Russia...and well, here I am, ten years later.  

Hessian Tapestry must be amazing if it's what has inspired you, Marlene.  Your work, I hear, (still can't afford a copy of QVD, so can't comment from personal experience) is wonderful, and you're so knowledgable.  Look at me, suck up of the century! But it's true; I'm amazed by how much you know.  And if David Duff inspired you..I'm going off to get myself inspired asap!

Rachel
xx

[Marlene]

You did do well:

http://tinyurl.com/hnsum



Actually it was Lady Longford's book that got me into this mess.  I was 12 when I read Queen Victoria Born to Succeed, and there was this family tree table in the back of the book ... oh goodness, I was mesmerized ... and look what happened.

I found some good bargains in my life ... I was in once NYC old bookstore, and browsing when a book fell on my foot - it was Alice's letters edited by Helena ... $4.00!!!!  

Yup, hardcover, first edition, 1967.  No dust jacket, but other than that, it's perfect.  All the photos and fold out genealogical tables are in place.  I'm so pleased I found something good for once!!!

I'm positive I will enjoy it.  I think my book for university may be abandoned for the next few days, as I am going to get stuck in now; you've all given it such a glowing review!

It's amazing how certain things can inspire an interest that stays with us for our whole lives.  For me, it was a battered copy of 'Kings and Queens of England' that had as a small note next to Princess Alice that her daughter had been the last Empress of Russia and had been murdered.  Before the internet, this was, so I headed down to the local library to find out about this Empress of Russia...and well, here I am, ten years later.  

Hessian Tapestry must be amazing if it's what has inspired you, Marlene.  Your work, I hear, (still can't afford a copy of QVD, so can't comment from personal experience) is wonderful, and you're so knowledgable.  Look at me, suck up of the century! But it's true; I'm amazed by how much you know.  And if David Duff inspired you..I'm going off to get myself inspired asap!

Rachel
xx

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Woo! I'm rich!

I've made at least a £25 profit there!!!

I hope this isn't my last lucky find!!!

Alice's letters edited by Helena for $4? I think that beats mine!!

Rachel
xx

[LisaDavidson]

I, too, love Hessian Tapestry - it's one of my favorite books period, not just one of my favorite royal books. I found it very well written. Brilliant find, Rachel!

[Marlene]

Finding bargains is more difficult these days ... I look at my library here and realize that a good number of my books will serve me well when I get older, and need to supplement medicare ..
\
The $4.00 book may be a good story ... but I also have great stories about how I got a bio of Edward VII with Daisy Warwick's bookplate .... and then there's the  biography of Henry Battenberg ... signed by Queen Victoria ... talk about bargains.

Woo! I'm rich!

I've made at least a £25 profit there!!!

I hope this isn't my last lucky find!!!

Alice's letters edited by Helena for $4? I think that beats mine!!

Rachel
xx

[Eddie_uk]

The $4.00 book may be a good story ... but I also have great stories about how I got a bio of Edward VII with Daisy Warwick's bookplate .... and then there's the  biography of Henry Battenberg ... signed by Queen Victoria ... talk about bargains.

I am so envious!!!

Hessian Tapestry is certainly in my top 5 favourite books, it covers so much!

I really want to get the Alexandra bio by David Duff but i've never seen it.  :-/

Actually, tell a lie,  I did see it once. I was on a home visit with a patient and she had it!! I was so envious!!!  

Did he write one on Queen Mary?

[Alicky1872]

Did he write one on Queen Mary?

Yes he did Eddie! That's the book I can't seem to get my hands on. I thought I got lucky once when I found it as a 'buy it now' item on Ebay. I paid straight away and pitched a tent by my letter box! Then one day a parcel came through and hit me on the head. (And I've been this way ever since!) After the bleeding subsided, I opened the package to find a book called Queen Mary alright--but it was about the ocean liner! Turned out the seller had got the two books mixed up and had of course already sold the Duff book.  

[Eddie_uk]

Yes he did Eddie! That's the book I can't seem to get my hands on. I thought I got lucky once when I found it as a 'buy it now' item on Ebay. I paid straight away and pitched a tent by my letter box! Then one day a parcel came through and hit me on the head. (And I've been this way ever since!) After the bleeding subsided, I opened the package to find a book called Queen Mary alright--but it was about the ocean liner! Turned out the seller had got the two books mixed up and had of course already sold the Duff book.  

Thank you for the information Mrs Eddy!!   I will have to keep my eyes peeled for it!!

At least you know lots about the liner now!! Who knows when that might be useful  

[Marlene]

there are quite a lot of copies on addall through different dealers ... but note there are some on the ship as well, which were not written by our David.

Yes he did Eddie! That's the book I can't seem to get my hands on. I thought I got lucky once when I found it as a 'buy it now' item on Ebay. I paid straight away and pitched a tent by my letter box! Then one day a parcel came through and hit me on the head. (And I've been this way ever since!) After the bleeding subsided, I opened the package to find a book called Queen Mary alright--but it was about the ocean liner! Turned out the seller had got the two books mixed up and had of course already sold the Duff book.  

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Ok, I should be getting paid for my book detective services.

David Duff's Queen Mary bio is for sale used on amazon.co.uk for just £2.22.  That's right, people, just £2.22.  And that's a hardback first edition too.

Get yourselves over there and buy it via this link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0002172402/qid=1142462946/sr=1-18/ref=sr_1_0_18/202-2418519-9421415

Rachel
xx