E M Delafield

"She could never, looking backwards, remember a time when she had not known that a woman's failure or success in life depended entirely upon whether or not she succeeded in getting a husband"When in the company of a young man a dutiful daughter should immediately assume an air of fresh, sparkling enjoyment. She should not speak of "being friends" with him-a young man is either eligible or he is not-and never, but never, should she get herself talked about, for a young girl who does so is doomed. "Men may dance with her, or flirt with her, but they don't propose." It would be quite a coup for a girl to find a husband during her first season, but if, God forbid, three seasons pass without success, she must join the ranks of those sad women who are a great embarrassment to society and, above all, to their disappointed mothers . . . With such thoughts in mind, how can Monica fail to look forward to her first ball?

"'You've never told me about your marriage, Laura?' said Duke Ayland.. . . 'Yes. It's only - I'm very fond of Alfred,' said Laura, taking the plunge and temporarily unaware that almost all wives begin conversations about almost all husbands in precisely the same way"Laura has been married for seven years. On those occasions when an after-dinner snooze behind The Times seems preferable to her riveting conversation about their two small sons, Laura dismisses the notion that Alfred does not understand her, reflecting instead that they are what is called happily married. At thirty-four, Laura wonders if she's ever been in love - a ridiculous thing to ask oneself. Then Duke Ayland enters her life and that vexing question refuses to remain unanswered . . . With Laura, beset by perplexing decisions about the supper menu, the difficulties of appeasing Nurse, and the necessity of maintaining face within the small village of Quinnerton, E. M. Delafield created her first "Provincial Lady". And in the poignancy of Laura's doubts about her marriage, she presents a dilemma which many women will recognise.

In 1910-1914, Callie Lempriere is sent home from Barbados, where she attempts to piece together the mystery surrounding her family, the death of her mother and the 'exile' of her Uncle Lucy. 'No One Now Will Know' looks at three generations of the Lempriere family from the 1890's to 1939. Delafield shows how the impact of violent emotions and dramatic events leave their mark for life on those who are then young.

'Faster! Faster!' is a novel that tells of the mid-life crisis of Claudia Winsloe, who finds herself trapped by the dual responsibilities of her career and her family. The harder she pushes herself the more she becomes out of touch and increasingly isolated.

A sequel to extremely popular, largely autobiographical "Diary of a Provincial Lady," by E. M Delafield (also known as Mrs Henry de la Pasture), about her life in England in the early 20th century.

First published in 1938, "The British Character - Studied and Revealed" contains a collection of humorous cartoons by the British cartoonist Pont, with an introduction by E. M. Delafield. The cartoons lampoon and champion in equal measure various typically British characteristics, ranging from our innate love of detective fiction and tea to various forms of social hypocrisy and amusing double standards. A highly entertaining series of thoroughly comical illustrations that will appeal to anyone with an interest in British culture and manners. Contents include: "Introduction", "Breeding", "The Arts", "The Empire Spirit", "Love of Animals", "Domestic", "Social Sense", "Rural", "Travel", and "Sport". Read & Co. Books is proudly republishing this classic collection of cartoons now in a new edition complete with the original text and artwork and a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

A 1919 novel about a girl who enters a convent because she fails to catch a husband, by the author of The Diary of a Provincial Lady.

When "Diary of a Provincial Lady" was first publlished in 1933, critics on both sides of hte Atlantic greeted it with enthusiasm..... This charming, delightful and extremely funny book was named by booksellers in England the o.p. novel most deserving of republication.

Behind this rather prim title lies the hilarious fictional diary of a disaster-prone lady of the 1930s, and her attempts to keep her somewhat ramshackle household from falling into chaos: there's her husband Robert, who, when he's not snoozing behind The Times, does everything with grumbling recluctance; her gleefully troublesome children; and a succession of tricky sevants who invariably seem to gain the upper hand. And if her domestic trials are not enough, she must keep up appearances. Particularly with the maddeningly patronising Lady Boxe, whom our Provincial Lady eternally (and unsuccessfully) tries to compete with.