Quentin Bell Books

Edited and with a Preface by Anne Olivier Bell; Introduction by Quentin Bell; Index.

Charleston: A Bloomsbury House & Garden is a fascinating personal account by Quentin Bell and his daughter Virginia Nicholson of the extraordinary Bloomsbury Group country house, its history and the lives of those who lived in it.

Includes all five paperback books in slipcase.

Pictured here is the 1972 Book Club Edition.

The author recounts anecdotes of his parents, Vanessa and Clive Bell, his aunt, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, Maynard Keynes, Anthony Blunt, and other British writers and artists

Edited and with a Preface by Anne Olivier Bell; Introduction by Quentin Bell; Index.

In the summer of 1923, Quentin and Julian Bell, Virginia Woolf’s nephews, launched a family newspaper called The Charleston Bulletin. Quentin sought contributions from Woolf, believing it was foolish not to involve a real author nearby. Instead of occasional pieces, Woolf collaborated with Quentin, producing booklets of stories and drawings from 1923 to 1927, known as Supplements. These works, written or dictated by Woolf and illustrated by Quentin, showcase a unique partnership between the prolific novelist and the young artist. Quentin found in Woolf not just a professional author but also a close companion who shared his irreverent humor. The Supplements, published here for the first time, include forty original illustrations by Bell and detail the antics of family members, household staff, and Bloomsbury Group associates, all delivered with sharp wit. They humorously capture the eccentricities of Bloomsbury life, highlighting the quirks and mishaps of residents and visitors at Charleston. This publication marks the first appearance of the Supplements since their creation, sure to delight fans of Woolf and her literary circle.

Der legendäre Bloomsbury-Kreis von Künstlern und Literaten um die Schwestern Virginia Woolf und Vanessa Bell, geschildert von einem, der darin aufgewachsen ist: dem Sohn von Virginia Woolfs Schwester. Aus der Innensicht entwirft er in sechzehn biographischen Porträts eine ganze Welt. »Ein heiteres, charmantes Buch.« Janet Malcolm, The New York Times

What is the tantalizing secret that Lady Mary Brandon holds from the world till death? A dedicated suffragette and philanthropist, beloved by all, she expires peacefully in her bed at the age of seventy-two, yet the attending physician refuses to sign a death certificate. This circumstance inspires young Maurice Evans to take a closer look at Lady Brandon's past. Probing byways untrod by her official biographer, Evans follows the trail of Mary's early life, from a sequestered girlhood in a castle off the coast of Labrador to an education in the capitals of Europe as a proper Victorian heiress. Eventually she returns to the heart of the Brandon family in the Sussex countryside, where all too soon she is swept into the arms of a handsome cousin. Although their marriage is short-lived, their macabre wedding night is long to be remembered. Drawing on numerous documents, including Mary's autobiographical novel, the memoirs of her governess, and the eyewitness account of a French maid, Evans gradually uncovers an imbroglio of deception and debauchery in the upper ranks of English society. He dies, alas, before the fruits of his research can be made public. Quentin Bell steps in to present The Brandon Papers--a literary entertainment of ingenious design, insidious humor, and deliciously Gothic suspense.