Hope
Hope
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Summary
This is the story of how the Hope diamond - taken from the mines and temples of India - found its way to the royal courts of 17th-century Europe, passing through numerous hands, from Louis XIV, to a music hall singer, a gold miner's daughter, a famous jeweller and finally The Smithsonian Institute.
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Hope by Marian Fowler
The epic story of a legendary gem and its colourful succession of extraordinary owners. Allegedly a curse to those that own it, the Hope Diamond - a flawless blue diamond of over forty-five carats - has inspired centuries of legends and lies, fabulous superstition and fierce passion. In rich, shimmering prose, Marian Fowler explains how the Hope Diamond was formed in nature - and how it was taken from the mines and temples of India to the royal courts of seventeenth-century Europe. Acquired and cherished by Louis XIV, the stone was stolen in an almost farcical French Revolution robbery. It resurfaced twenty years later in London and passed through numerous hands, including those of a notorious music hall singer, a socially ambitious gold miner's daughter and the famous jeweller Harry Winston - until it finally arrived at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. At once erudite and extravagantly entertaining, HOPE is an irresistible and alluring work of social history, bringing to vivid life the diverse parade of men and women who were linked by their obsession with the world's rarest jewel.
Marion Fowler holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Toronto and is the author of a number of books including BLENHEIM: BIOGRAPHY OF A PALACE and IN A GILDED CAGE: AMERICAN HEIRESSES WHO MARRIED BRITISH ARISTOCRATS.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780743231855 |
| ISBN 10 | 0743231856 |
| Title | Hope |
| Author | Marian Fowler |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Other book format |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster Ltd |
| Year published | 2003-02-17 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |