Ancient Wisdom: Black Light

August 1978 was the publication date for #4 in the Ancient Wisdom series: Black Light by Talbot Mundy. It is an exotic story about a lost woman and the love she finds as she develops spiritual awareness.

Francis Marshall illustrates this cover with a couple standing in a typical Cartland pose with the heroine holding a flower. What's different is the men and statues in the background, showing us that this is an esoteric story. There is one more book in this series that was published in the UK, and then we'll move on to Francis Marshall's covers illustrating biographies that Cartland wrote about famous Europeans!

Ancient Wisdom: The Romance of Two Worlds

The Romance of Two Worlds is #3 in the Ancient Wisdom series by Barbara Cartland. This book, published by Bantam in August 1978, is an esoteric knowledge about spiritual wisdom believed from the people of the lost island of Atlantis.

OK, then....

Francis Marshall illustrates this cover with a female holding her hands near her head like the painting, the Scream! There are two moons or planets in the background and an angel with another female. I haven't read this book, so do not know what this illustration means. I'm always glad to see another FM cover, though!

Ancient Wisdom: The House of Fulfillment

The House of Fulfillment is #2 in the Ancient Wisdom series. Published by Bantam in August 1978, it's a story of finding the "world behind the world" of knowledge and enlightenment of the soul. Oh well...

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple in the far East on their enlightenment search! Our heroine is pretty in a fur coat, while this Cartland hero is very handsome, indeed! We see their foreign guide and some kind of statue or building behind them. Another indistinct cover, but interesting.

Ancient Wisdom: The Forgotten City

The Forgotten City is #1 in Barbara Cartland's Ancient Wisdom series that was published by Bantam in August 1978. It's the story of a woman who travels to Asia in search of enlightenment.

Francis Marshall illustrates the cover of this book, but it's somewhat indistinct because of the nature of the picture, which almost looks like a pencil drawing. We see our couple embracing high above a city. There looks like a guide in furs standing down the hill beyond them. It's an interesting picture and probably does the book justice. I've never read any of the AW series, so don't know for sure!

I Search for Rainbows

I Search For Rainbows is another autobiography by Barbara Cartland that covers the years after World War 2. It's a interesting time in London with the country still recovering from the war and the debut of her daughter, Raine. She is witty about changes in culture and how that time shaped her into becoming a volunteer for causes close to her heart.

Francis Marshall again illustrates Barbara at her most beautiful! She wears a fur throw and the beautiful aquamarine jewelry that she loved. I like her signature pink gown and how Marshall shows that one can be older, but still be beautiful and elegant!

We Danced All Night

Barbara Cartland's autobiography, We Danced All Night, is her recollection of her life after she turned 18 and lived in the 1920's post war London. It's an interesting record of a different time and how the rich and poor in London lived after the horrors of WW1.

Francis Marshall illustrates the title of the cover with a heroine that looked a lot like Cartland! We see her wearing a typical dress from the era and the hero, handsome in evening wear, while they dance in a nightclub, which was new and all the rage in London. Note the black jazz band performing in the background. Tomorrow I will feature another autobiography illustrated by Marshall.

Barbara Cartland's Book of Beauty and Health

Barbara Cartland's Book of Beauty and Health was published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1972. This is an interesting book with pen and ink drawings scattered throughout by Francis Marshall!

Cartland interviews the society beauties of her day and other famous women.There is a section about famous beauty remedies and how to make them yourself!

Barbara Cartland was a big advocate of local honey and some of her eating tips have good advice.

Francis Marshall illustrated the cover of this book and it's Barbara herself, sitting on a throne like chair with winged cupids offering her flowers! I love her light pink gown and jewels, which I've seen in another photo, so suspect that they're real! Marshall's ink drawings scattered throughout this book make it another reason to hunt down a copy! Wonderful illustrations of people like Queen Alexandra, Lily Langtry, Cleopatra, and Aphrodite!!

Barbara Cartland's Book of Etiquette

Barbara Cartland's Book of Etiquette, published by Arrow in 1972, is a fascinating book of manners. It's a picture of a distant, graceful age and time, which I feel is no more.

Francis Marshall's cover of a wedding is fantastic! We see the bride and groom, 3 bridesmaids in pink, and the parents. What's even better is that Marshall has ink drawings throughout this book. I don't think I can do them justice from a photo, but it's worth seeing them to purchase this book. He does a drawing for each chapter and some of them are titled: "the family," "a kiss is a two-way activity," "the setting of the dinner table," "people who stay for hours," etc.

A lot of Cartland's advice is appropriate for nowadays, but some has changed due to the current culture. I doubt most people dress for dinner, but it's still polite to write "thank you"notes.

It's also great to see more of Francis Marshall's work, especially with the ink drawings. He's such a gifted artist and I'm so glad to be able to memorialize some of his work!

LOL: Leave It To Love

Leave It to Love is the last of the Barbara Cartland Library of Love condensed books that were illustrated by Francis Marshall. A few others were published with inferior illustrations.

Pamela Wynne is the author and this book was published in February 1979. It's a tender story about a girl named Gay who is hired to read to Sir Peter, since he's blind, and ends up falling in love with him.

Francis Marshall illustrates a scene from the book where our heroine reads the newspaper to the hero. It's an attractive cover and we see our heroine, sitting on the floor next to the hero's chair, while the background shows other books and a table with flowers. We get the impression of a comfortable and favorite room.

I will be posting some of the last Francis Marshall covers that I have for Barbara Cartland next. These are some from her Ancient Wisdom series and various biographies of famous people that she wrote. Once those are listed, I will take up where I left off with the Bantam romances and list the rest of Cartland's books, even though these were not illustrated by Francis Marshall.