Packed with melodramatic action, rich with historical background. The New York Times

{HISTORY}

No one had any idea that an international sensation was brewing in 1944 when Kathleen Winsor, at thee young age of 24, published Forever Amber. An instant runaway hit, Kathleen's first and best-known novel would come to sell millions of copies and race its way into the pop culture zeitgeist as the best-selling novel of the decade.

Set in England beginning in the mid-1600s, Forever Amber is the story of Amber St. Clare and her willful determination to make a life for herself in London. Romance, adventure, and lots of scheming and speculating eventually lead her to the Court of Charles II where she becomes his mistress, the most powerful and influential position for a woman of that time period. 

A sweeping historical romance similar in size and scope to Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind, Forever Amber was considered "racy" for its time due to Winsor's unapologetic viewpoints on sexuality. It became a banned book in several US states but that disparaging classification didn't sully the magnanimous reception that this story had upon the literary scene of the 1940s. Readers were in love with Amber and her story's ability to distract from the anxiety, uncertainty and monotony of life lived on the homefront during World War II. Eventually, it sold over three million copies and was translated into 16 languages, with a modern reprint published in 2002.

In 1947, Forever Amber was made into a movie starring Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde. This book edition, published in that same year features the rare Kodachrome reproduction photograph of Linda Darnell as Amber. 

Like her complicated multi-layered character, the real-life of Kathleen Winsor (1919-2003) was also dramatic and interesting. Achieving the peak of her literary career with her first novel, she wrote seven other books following Forever Amber, none of which matched the success of her debut. She was married four times, including to the famous bandleader Artie Shaw, was prolific readers and in her later years became a Washington DC hostess of noted regard. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Contains original 1947 Kodachrome dust jacket 

- 652 pages with two-column typeset

- Features a reprint of a New York Times obituary of Kathleen Winsor taped on the inside cover

{CONDITION}

In gorgeous vintage condition. Some very minor wear on the dust jacket with just small choppy spots along the bottom edge on the front and a wrinkle on the back. The interior is clean, bright, and unmarked, The spine is tight and all pages are intact. 

{SIZE}

Measures 5.5" inches (width) x 8.25" inches (length) x 1.5" inches (thickness)