{"product_id":"a-sheaf-of-bluebells-baroness-orczy-1st-edition","title":"A Sheaf of Bluebells, Baroness Orczy — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"2\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003ePublication\u003c\/b\u003e: London, Hutchinson \u0026amp; Co., 1917\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eFormatting\u003c\/b\u003e: 8vo, pp. 348.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/b\u003e: Very Good. The volume remains tightly bound and squarely set, with the original blue cloth displaying excellent binding integrity and remaining remarkably bright and free from significant fading. The front board's blind-stamped borders are sharp, and the spine condition is highly presentable, exhibiting only the most negligible hints of shelf wear at the head and foot. The primary physical flaw is moderate foxing; this page edge toning and spotting is most pronounced along the untrimmed fore-edge and roughly cut bottom edge, occasionally migrating into the margins of the preliminary leaves and title page. An early, standard ink ownership inscription reading \"To Father \/ Wishing you many \/ happy returns of \/ day from Harry \u0026amp; Rene\" is present on the front free endpaper, but the text block otherwise remains clean and supple, presenting a highly attractive and robust survivor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/b\u003e: A handsome true first edition of Baroness Orczy’s historical novel, published by Hutchinson in the autumn of 1917.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003eFollowing the immense and enduring success of \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"177\"\u003eThe Scarlet Pimpernel\u003c\/i\u003e, Orczy returned to the turbulence of France, setting her narrative against the ideological fractures between returning Royalist émigrés and the fierce followers of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1918, she adapted the novel into a successful stage play titled \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"450\"\u003eThe Legion of Honour\u003c\/i\u003e, a title under which the book itself was occasionally reprinted in later decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eSurviving first printings in the publisher’s original blue cloth are notably scarce on the open market. Finding a copy in such a bright state of preservation is particularly uncommon, as the wartime production standards of 1917 often led to the rapid deterioration and dulling of the cloth and paper stock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003eSet amidst the smouldering embers of post-Revolutionary France, \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"71\"\u003eA Sheaf of Bluebells\u003c\/i\u003e weaves a thrilling tale of divided loyalties, bitter family feuds, and dramatic romance. As Napoleon Bonaparte consolidates his iron grip on the nation, returning Royalist exiles clash violently with steadfast Imperialists. Amidst this volatile political landscape, young Laurent finds himself caught in an impossible predicament: torn between a profound allegiance to his country, a furious mother who disowns him for his Imperial loyalty, and a desperate battle for his own honour and the heart of the beautiful Fernande.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55386978713939,"sku":"6171","price":24.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20261012_130315.jpg?v=1792053573","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/a-sheaf-of-bluebells-baroness-orczy-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}