Tea at Trianon: The "Deluxe" Edition

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, May 14, 2010

The "Deluxe" Edition

The Night's Dark Shade is now available in hardcover, complete with a lovely dust jacket. I just think that every respectable book should have a hardback version of itself. Share

7 comments:

Michelle Therese said...: I just finished reading your book. It was beyond fantastic! Do you have another one in the making??

The Cathars... how strange they were. And yet it seems that so many of the secular beliefs today are just recycled Cathar doctrine.; May 14, 2010 at 4:10:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thanks so much, Coffee! Yes, I am in the middle of a novel about my Irish ancestors and will also be writing about the Philippines during the Japanese invasion.

Yes, there is nothing new under the sun....; May 14, 2010 at 4:18:00 PM EDT
Julygirl said...: Congratulations! I will have to get the hard copy and keep it in my 'library' of favorite books, along with your others.; May 14, 2010 at 4:25:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: The Night's Dark Shade is still one of my favourite books I've read so far this year! (and I've read a lot! hehe)

I really can't wait to read Trianon.; May 14, 2010 at 5:20:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you so much, Julygirl!

Thank you so much, Martina! I have your copy of TRIANON ready and will mail it to you this weekend!; May 14, 2010 at 5:25:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Yes, I agree! Hardcovers last much longer than softcover--especially if it is lent out as all good books should be.

It seems the Cathars are all in vogue these days. The History Channel had a few programs yesterday (or was it two days ago?) that went into detail about them--I think the subject was Notradamus; or maybe the AntiChrist? Maybe both, LOL. And of course, they were painted as level headed and "right" Christians, who suffered at the hands of the Church--for telling the "truth" about things, among these being that the Catholic Pope would be the AntiChrist. Sigh. Nothing new under the sun, is right.; May 15, 2010 at 12:34:00 AM EDT
Enbrethiliel said...: +JMJ+

I'm very excited to read about the topic of your next book, Elena! I can't wait to read that one, too. =); May 16, 2010 at 1:53:00 PM EDT