DU MAURIER, Daphne.

£3,750 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

The Loving Spirit. First edition, presentation copy inscribed by Du Maurier on the front free endpaper: "To darling Glads, from her devoted Daph. February 1931". "Glads" is likely the actress and theatrical manager Gladys Cooper, who was the dedicatee of Du Maurier's last book, Rule Britannia, and is thought to have inspired its central character. Cooper (1888-1971) was a great friend and collaborator of Du Maurier's father Gerald, another actor and theatre manager. Du Maurier and her sisters met Cooper when they were children and she was 22, and were immediately enthralled by her beauty and glamour. Later, Cooper became a close friend and mentor; when Du Maurier struggled to settle at her austere French finishing school, a timely telegram from Cooper cheered her up. Cooper also played the role of Beatrice Lacy in Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film adaptation of Rebecca.

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