Sign-In
Cart
These Old Shades
Hardcover
RomanceClassic FictionHistorical Fiction
Publisher: Bibliotech Pr
Published: May 13 2023
Pages: 270
Weight: 1.10
Height: 0.81 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
These Old Shades (1926) is a Georgian (set around 1755-56) romance novel written by British novelist Georgette Heyer (1902-1974). It was an instant success, and established her as a writer. It falls into the category of historical romance.
The novel's title is taken from Austin Dobson's epilogue poem to his collection of essays Eighteenth Century Vignettes.
Georgette Heyer (16 August 1902 - 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story conceived for her ailing younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. The couple spent several years living in Tanganyika Territory and Macedonia before returning to England in 1929. After her novel These Old Shades became popular despite its release during the General Strike, Heyer determined that publicity was not necessary for good sales. For the rest of her life she refused to grant interviews, telling a friend: My private life concerns no one but myself and my family.
Heyer essentially established the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance. Her Regencies were inspired by Jane Austen. To ensure accuracy, Heyer collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life. Whilst 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.
Beginning in 1932 Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year. (See List of works by Georgette Heyer.) Her husband often provided basic outlines for the plots of her thrillers, leaving Heyer to develop character relationships and dialogue so as to bring the story to life. Although many critics describe Heyer's detective novels as unoriginal, others such as Nancy Wingate praise them for their wit and comedy as well as for their well-woven plots.
Her success was sometimes clouded by problems with tax inspectors and alleged plagiarists. Heyer chose not to file lawsuits against the suspected literary thieves but tried multiple ways of minimizing her tax liability. Forced to put aside the works she called her magnum opus (a trilogy covering the House of Lancaster) to write more commercially successful works, Heyer eventually created a limited liability company to administer the rights to her novels. She was accused several times of providing an overly large salary for herself, and in 1966 she sold the company and the rights to seventeen of her novels to Booker-McConnell. Heyer continued writing until her death in July 1974. At that time 48 of her novels were still in print; her last book, My Lord John, was published posthumously. (wikipedia.org)
11 different editions
Also available
Also from
Heyer, Georgette
Acting on Impulse - Contemporary Short Stories by Georgette Heyer
Heyer, Georgette
Kloester, Jennifer
Hyland, Rachel
Paperback
The Masqueraders - A Regency Adventure of Secrets, Deception, and Unexpected Love
Heyer, Georgette
Hardcover
Instead of the Thorn by Georgette Heyer
St Teresa of Avila
Heyer, Georgette
Allison Peers, E.
Paperback
The Transformation of Philip Jettan (Cram Edition)
Heyer, Georgette
Leyendecker, J. C. (Joseph Christian)
Paperback
Also in
Historical Fiction
James Fenimore Cooper: The Leatherstocking Tales Vol. 1 (Loa #26): The Pioneers / The Last of the Mohicans / The Prairie
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Anniversaries, Volume 2: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl, April 1968-August 1968
Johnson, Uwe
Paperback
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River
Lawhon, Ariel
Hardcover
The Moonlight Runner: A Gripping Historical Novel of Survival, Bravery, and Romance
Robards, Karen
Hardcover
The Amalfi Curse: A Bewitching Tale of Sunken Treasure, Forbidden Love, and Ancient Magic on the Amalfi Coast
Penner, Sarah
Paperback
A Pair of Aces: Reese's Book Club (Large Print Edition)
Murray, Victoria Christopher
Benedict, Marie
Paperback
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River (Large Print Edition)
Lawhon, Ariel
Paperback
Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
Christie, Agatha
Paperback