The Great Roxhythe by Georgette Heyer

The Great Roxhythe by Georgette Heyer

2017 Reprint of 1926 First Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Heyer essentially established the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romances. Her Regencies were inspired by Jane Austen, but unlike Austen, who wrote about and for the times in which she lived, Heyer was forced to include copious information about the period so that her readers would understand the setting. To ensure accuracy, Heyer collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life. While some critics thought the novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset. Her meticulous nature was also evident in her historical novels; Heyer even recreated William the Conqueror's crossing into England for her novel The Conqueror. In The Great Roxhythe Charles I is in need of some ready cash, and since Parliament refuses to bankroll his excesses, he turns to assorted foreign powers for financial aid. Acting as intermediary in these delicate, secret negotiations is the seemingly indolent Lord Roxhythe, a Royal favorite who will need every ounce of cunning at his disposal to get the job done. This is her second novel and exceedingly hard to find in original printings.

Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) was an English writer of historical romance and detective fiction. Born in London, Heyer was raised as the eldest of three children by a distinguished British Army officer and a mother who excelled as a cellist and pianist at the Royal College of Music. Encouraged to read from a young age, she began writing stories at 17 to entertain her brother Boris, who suffered from hemophilia. Impressed by her natural talent, Heyer's father sought publication for her work, eventually helping her to release The Black Moth (1921), a detective novel. Heyer then began publishing her stories in various magazines, establishing herself as a promising young voice in English literature. Following her father's death, Heyer became responsible for the care of her brothers and shortly thereafter married mining engineer George Ronald Rougier. In 1926, Heyer publisher her second novel, These Old Shades, a work of historical romance. Over the next several decades, she published consistently and frequently, excelling with romance and detective stories and establishing herself as a bestselling author.