Mistress of the Elgin Marbles by Susan Nagel

Mistress of the Elgin Marbles by Susan Nagel

The remarkable Mary Nisbet was the Countess of Elgin in Romantic-era Scotland and the wife of the seventh Earl of Elgin. When Mary accompanied her husband to diplomatic duty in Turkey, she changed history. She helped bring the smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, struck a seemingly impossible deal with Napoleon, and arranged the removal of famous marbles from the Parthenon. But all of her accomplishments would be overshadowed, however, by her scandalous divorce. Drawing from Mary's own letters, scholar Susan Nagel tells Mary's enthralling, inspiring, and suspenseful story in vibrant detail.

Susan Nagel is the author of a highly praised book about Jean Giraudoux's works. She's written for the theatre, screen, scholarly journals, the Gannett newspaper chain, and Town & Country, among other publications. She is a lecturer at Marymount Manhattan College's humanities department and lives in New York City.