Vivien Leigh By Hugo Vickers
Vivien Leigh (First Edition Hardcover Copy)
The Definitive, Acclaimed Human Portrait of Hollywood's Ultimate Scarlett O'Hara
The Definitive, Acclaimed Human Portrait of Hollywood's Ultimate Scarlett O'Hara
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Vivien Leigh
- Author: Hugo Vickers
- Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London
- Publication Date: 1988
- ISBN-10: 0241125367
- ISBN-13: 9780241125366
- Edition Details: First UK Edition, First Printing. Standard hardcover release with original unclipped dust jacket.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium cloth boards with crisp gold gilt-stamped lettering across the spine, complete with structurally sound matching endpapers.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 411 pages. Comprehensively enhanced with archival research notes, full theatre and cinema indices, and high-quality, central gloss photographic plates tracking her private life and career.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Near Fine (NF) / Mint
- Exterior / Cloth Boards: The cloth casing remains in pristine, near-flawless condition. The structural lines sit perfectly square, the boards are completely flat, and the corners are razor-sharp. The original spine is crisp, rigid, and completely undamaged with no shelf-wear or bumping along the board edges.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and immaculate. The internal pages and photographic inserts are bright white, completely crisp, and untouched. Entirely free of standard user highlighting, ink underlining, dealer pencil marks, or dog-ears.
- Provenance: An exemplary archival-grade collectible copy showing no signs of previous owner bookplates, personal names, or library markings.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Condition Details: The original, striking portrait dust jacket retains high-gloss color contrast. It displays only very limited, microscopic signs of handling wear along the outer extremities. Completely free of fading, structural tears, or open chips, it is beautifully preserved and protected in a clear, archival Cellophane cover.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1988, Vivien Leigh by Hugo Vickers stands as a monumental achievement in theatrical biography. At the young age of twenty-six, the arrestingly beautiful and quick-witted Vivien Leigh crossed the Atlantic and walked off with the highly coveted role of Gone with the Wind's Scarlett O'Hara under the noses of Hollywood's most established stars. While she drew the attention of countless writers, the heavy veil of rumours and complex mythology that grew around her name resulted in biographies that were incomplete or focused strictly on filmography gossip. Renowned biographer Hugo Vickers treats the legendary actress as a complex human being rather than an entertainment property. Applying the same rigorous research that earned him critical praise for his biography of Cecil Beaton, Vickers strips away decades of inaccurate Hollywood lore to reveal a deeply vulnerable woman navigating immense creative heights, private triumphs, and severe psychological struggles.
Author Profile: Hugo Vickers
Hugo Vickers is a highly distinguished British biographer, lecturer, and royal historian. Educated at Eton College, he has spent decades crafting acclaimed biographies of major 20th-century figures, including his landmark works on Cecil Beaton, Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough, and Queen Mary. Widely praised by academics for his deep reliance on private archives, meticulous cross-referencing, and elegant narrative pace, Vickers is recognized as an elite chronicler who successfully balances historical precision with profound psychological empathy.
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