The Glittering Lights is #12 in the Bantam list of books. Francis Marshall did a beautiful cover for both books with many similarities. Cassandra was engaged to the Duke of Alchester as a child and ready to marry him, but he wasn't interested and spends all of his time in the London music halls with Gaiety Girls. In the 1880's, music halls were popular places for young men to congregate and the gaiety girls were the singers and dancers that they took out to dinner. Cassandra disguises herself as a gaiety girl in order to attract her fiance. This was also a time where restaurants were gaining popularity and fine dining out was a luxury!
Note the beautiful green bustle gown that the heroine is wearing in both books. In the Bantam edition, she is seen entering a restaurant, but the Corgi version has the couple outside waiting for a carriage. I have always thought this a beautiful illustration. In the lower left corner of both books, you can see Francis Marshall's signature.
I am only posting Barbara Cartland's paperback books. Every once in a while I come across a hardcover with a similar illustration. Usually it's a variation on the same theme.
Thank you very much for the pictures. It is nostalgic somehow to me... though I am not English, when I see such elegant era where manners were a norm and propriety - a value, I compare it with nowadays and feel a sad sting in my heart... and I am in my 20s! Maybe a distant memory of past life? Or maybe just a real big thank you for sharing. I am a fan of Cartland. Her books always keep a heart positive.
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