1938 Rebecca: Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was a best-selling
author of romantic and macabre stories, novels and plays. Many of her best
works, particularly those with a Gothic inspiration, have been the subject of
successful films, such as Jamaica Inn,
The Birds, Don’t Look Now and most famously Rebecca.
Rebecca was du Maurier’s most successful book, being
reprinted multiple times and selling 3 million copies by 1970. It starts with
one of the most famous first lines in literature. “Last night I dreamt I went
to Manderley again.” The line is spoken by the “second Mrs de Winter, the
narrator of the story, whose given name is never revealed. The book contains
the classic gothic character, Mrs. Danvers the housekeeper of Manderley, and
has many close parallels to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. The Alfred Hitchcock
film version (1940) went a long way to establishing the enduring fame of Rebecca.
There are thousands of copies of the many impressions
of the early English editions of Rebecca published
by Gollancz in the standard house yellow dust wrapper. The true first
impression of the first edition was 20,000 copies. It is shown below and is the
one that collectors want.
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