As an internationally bestselling phenomenon and queen of the Regency Romance, Georgette Heyer is one of the most beloved historical novelists of our time. She's written more than fifty novels - romances, detective stories and contemporary works of fiction - yet her private life was practically inaccessible to any but her closest friends and relatives. With this classic biography, we catch a glimpse into Georgette Heyer's world and that of her most memorable characters. With access to private papers and archives, Jane Aiken Hodge reveals a formidable, energetic woman, with an impeccable sense of style and, beyond everything, a love for all things Regency. Lavishly illustrated from Georgette Heyer's own research files, her family archives and other Regency sources, complete with extracts from her correspondence and references to her work, "The Private World" is a delight and a must-read for every Georgette Heyer fan.

About the Author

Jane Aiken Hodge has written twenty-one historical novels, eight contemporary detective stories, a life of Jane Austen and a study of the lives of Regency women. Born in America, she grew up in England but also worked fo rthe British Government in Washington D.C. and Time Magazine in New York. Married twice, she has two daughters and two granddaughters and now lives in Lewes, Sussex.

Prizes

The classic biography, finally back in print!

Reviews

In a competent and thorough portrait of the writer at work (first published in the U.K. in 1984), Hodge covers the life of Georgette Heyer (1902-1974), a bestselling but intensely private author of historical romance novels. Through a close reading of the British writer's oeuvre and voluminous correspondence with publishers as well as interviews with friends and family, an image emerges of a shy, stylish but formidable woman who "loathed pretentiousness, hypocrisy, and self-deception," was a stickler for manners, morals, and historical accuracy, and who admired and emulated Jane Austen's unromantic, ironic style. Her career was launched when she was only 19 with the successful publication of The Black Moth, and Heyer became the breadwinner for her mother and two younger brothers after the early death of her father as well as the chief wage earner in her long, happy marriage to barrister Ronald Rougier. If her books never received critical acclaim during her lifetime, says Hodge, her elegant romantic comedy had fans among dons, lawyers, high-powered businessmen, and critics and novelists like A.S. Byatt. This book may entice readers to explore Heyer's novels (some of which have been reissued by Sourcebooks). Illus. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.