Monday, May 10, 2010

The Unknown Heart



The Unknown Heart is the story of Virginia Clay, an wealthy American, who is forced into an arranged marriage with the Marquess of Camberford. After she collapses on her wedding day, she awakes to find that she's lost a ton of weight and is determined to find her husband and see if they can live together in harmony.

Francis Marshall illustrates both covers. The Pyramid (US) copy shows our coupe facing each other across a desk. Our trim heroine clutches a stack of books while the hero leans towards her, to steal a kiss?

The Arrow (UK) cover is sedate with our heroine sitting on bench in the garden and the hero behind her. They are dressed for dinner and we see a very pretty girl who is very thin. I like the setting of roses and the touch of roses on the heroine's dress.

The late 1890's and early 1900's saw many English aristocrats marrying rich Americans for their money. It was considered a fair exchange for a title and position. Probably the most famous was the marriage of Consuelo Vanderbilt to the Duke of Marlborough in 1895.

The last photo is from a hardcover dustjacket and reminiscent of the UK Arrow version.

2 comments:

  1. Here is a third marshall cover
    https://ia700803.us.archive.org/zipview.php?zip=/13/items/olcovers666/olcovers666-L.zip&file=6668028-L.jpg

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    1. The last cover may be from your link. Thank you!!

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