Most Popular Books by Daphne Du Maurier

The bestselling classic and masterpiece of psychological fiction ''The greatest psychological thriller of all time'' ERIN KELLY ''The book every writer wishes they''d written'' CLARE MACKINTOSH ''Excellent entertainment . . . du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings'' STEPHEN KING On a trip to the South of France, the shy heroine of Rebecca falls in love with Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower. Although his proposal comes as a surprise, she happily agrees to marry him. But as they arrive at her husband''s home, Manderley, a change comes over Maxim, and the young bride is filled with dread. Friendless in the isolated mansion, she realises that she barely knows him. In every corner of every room is the phantom of his beautiful first wife, Rebecca, and the new Mrs de Winter walks in her shadow. Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the other woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity. ''Rebecca is a masterpiece'' GUARDIAN ''This chilling, suspenseful tale is as fresh and readable as it was when it was first written'' DAILY TELEGRAPH

When Daphne du Maurier wrote The du Mauriers she was only thirty years old and had already established herself as both a biographer and a novelist. She wrote this epic biography during a vintage period in her career, between two of her best-loved novels: Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. Her aim was to write the story of her family "so that it reads like a novel." Spanning nearly three quarters of a century, The du Mauriers is a saga of artists and speculators, courtesans and military men. From England to Paris and back again, their fortunes varied as wildly as their ambitions. An extraordinary family of writers, artists and actors they are...The du Mauriers. "Daphne du Maurier creates on the grand scale; she runs through the generations, giving her family unity and reality . . . a rich vein of humor and satire . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here."-The Observer

When people play the game: Name three or four persons whom you would choose to have with you on a desert island - they never choose the Delaneys. They don''t even choose us one by one as individuals. We have earned, not always fairly we consider, the reputation of being difficult guests . . . Maria, Niall, and Celia have grown up in the shadow of their famous parents - their father, a flamboyant singer and their mother, a talented dancer. Now pursuing their own creative dreams, all three siblings feel an undeniable bond, but it is Maria and Niall who share the secret of their parents'' pasts. Alternately comic and poignant, The Parasites is based on the artistic milieu its author knew best, and draws the reader effortlessly into that magical world.

It is a very cold winter. The birds are hungry and dangerous. There are thousands and thousands of birds and they want to kill and to eat. Then they attack.

Originally published: New York: Doubleday, 1931.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA ''An eloquent elegy on the past of a county she loved so much'' THE TIMES ''This classic evocation of du Maurier''s beloved home ranks as a work of art ... '' INDEPENDENT ''Du Maurier has no equal'' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ''There was a smell in the air of tar and rope and rusted chain, a smell of tidal water. Down harbour, around the point, was the open sea. Here was the freedom I desired, long sought-for, not yet known. Freedom to write, to walk, to wander, freedom to climb hills, to pull a boat, to be alone ... I for this, and this for me.'' Daphne du Maurier lived in Cornwall for most of her life. Its rugged coastline, wild terrain and tumultuous weather inspired her imagination and many of her works are set there, including Rebecca, Jamaica Inn and Frenchman''s Creek. In Vanishing Cornwall she celebrates the land she loved, exploring its legends, its history and its people, eloquently making a powerful plea for Cornwall''s preservation.

Daphne du Maurier''s chilling short-story collection, the title story was famously made into a film by Hitchcock - perfect for the Halloween and Christmas markets.

"Daphne du Maurier has no equal." Sunday Telegraph As civil war rages across England, the weak prove their courage and the privileged become traitors

This "highly personalized adventure, ultra-romantic" story from the author of Rebecca tells the tale of a woman looking for adventure, only to find it in the arms a rebellious criminal (New York Times). Bored and restless in London''s Restoration Court, Lady Dona escapes into the British countryside with her restlessness and thirst for adventure as her only guides. Eventually Dona lands in remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds the passion her spirit craves in the love of a daring French pirate who is being hunted by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him.

From the author of Rebecca and The Birds: a classic thriller of shipwreck and murder, "rich in suspense and surprise" (New York Times Book Review). On a bitter November evening, young Mary Yellan journeys across the rainswept moors to Jamaica Inn in honor of her mother''s dying request. When she arrives, the warning of the coachman begins to echo in her memory, for her aunt Patience cowers before hulking Uncle Joss Merlyn. Terrified of the inn''s brooding power, Mary gradually finds herself ensnared in the dark schemes being enacted behind its crumbling walls -- and tempted to love a man she dares not trust. The inspiration for the 1939 Alfred Hitchcock film.

This is Daphne du Maurier''s personal memoir, the story of how enchanted Cornwall formed her as a writer -- how the spirit of Cornwall awakened in her a response so imaginative that it transformed ordinary perception into the inspired perception of a master story-teller. Enchanted, mysterious, unexplored, this is Cornwall as seen through the eyes of the best-selling author of Rebecca, Frenchman''s Creek and Jamaica Inn -- tales which have passed into Cornish folk-lore. In Frenchman''s Creek, it is the Helford river and the primaeval enchantment of the creek itself which inspires her; in Jamaica Inn, the hard, diabolic "beauty" of Bodmin Moor. In Castle Dor, landscape speaks to her of ancient Cornish myths and legends -- an extraordinary perception, source of that sinister otherworldliness that held spellbound millions who read The Birds and Don''t Look Now. Completed shortly before Dame du Maurier''s death in 1989, Enchanted Cornwall is the story of a magical relationship between a person and the spirit of a place. It will have special significance for millions who have enjoyed her books and want to know more about this very private writer. But it is a book for everyone to enjoy: her readers, those who have enjoyed her films, and travellers to Cornwall -- whether making their journey in person or just in mind. - Jacket flap.

Daphne du Maurier confirms her eminence as the unchallenged master of psychological suspense in this unforgettable collection of six of her most popular stories. Illustrated by Michael Foreman, it includes "The Birds", "The Alibi" an d four more spine-chilling thrillers. Illustrated.

THE STORY: The setting is a great house in Cornwall, which has been inherited by young Philip Ashley on the death of his uncle and surrogate father. Although deeply attached to his ancestral home, the uncle had gone to Rome, married a young Itali

A COMING-OF-AGE TALE OF ADVENTURE AND LOVE, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA ''She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality'' GUARDIAN ''One of the last century''s most original literary talents'' DAILY TELEGRAPH ''Amazingly vivid'' SATURDAY REVIEW ''The iron of the bridge felt hot under my hand. The sun had been upon it all day. Gripping hard with my hands I lifted myself on to the bar and gazed down steadily on the water passing under . . . I thought of places I would never see, and women I should never love.'' As far as Richard''s father, a famous poet is concerned, his son has no talent as a writer and will never amount to anything. In a moment of crisis, Richard decides to end his life, but is saved by Jake, a passing stranger. The two men, both at turning points in their lives, set out for adventure, jumping aboard a ship to Norway. Their travels take them through Europe and they form a passionate friendship. But in bohemian Paris, Richard meets Hesta, a music student who inspires him to follow his artistic dreams.

Now a Netflix film starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas "Last Night I Dreamt I went to Manderley Again..." With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten--a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house''s current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim''s first wife--the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca. This special edition of Rebecca includes excerpts from Daphne du Maurier''s The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, an essay on the real Manderley, du Maurier''s original epilogue to the book, and more. A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

By chance, John and Jean -- one English, the other French -- meet in a provincial railway station. Their resemblance to each other is uncanny, and they spend the next few hours talking and drinking - until at last John falls into a drunken stupor. It''s to be his last carefree moment, for when he wakes, Jean has stolen his identity and disappeared. So the Englishman steps into the Frenchman''s shoes, and faces a variety of perplexing roles - as owner of a chateau, director of a failing business, head of a fractious family, and master of nothing. Gripping and complex, The Scapegoat is a masterful exploration of doubling and identity, and of the dark side of the self. "A dazzlingly clever and immensely entertaining novel."-New York Times

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA ''A writer of fearless originality'' GUARDIAN ''Du Maurier is in a class by herself'' NEW YORK TIMES ''A landmark book on a much-neglected figure, containing ground-breaking research'' LISA JARDINE A fascinating historical figure, Anthony Bacon was a contemporary of the brilliant band of gallants who clustered round the court of Elizabeth I and he was closely connected with the Queen''s favourite, the Earl of Essex. He also worked as an agent for Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen''s spymaster, living in France where he became acquainted with Henri IV and the famous essayist Michel de Montaigne. It was in France that du Maurier discovered a secret that, if disclosed during Bacon''s lifetime, could have put an end to his political career . . . Du Maurier did much to shed light on matters that had long puzzled historians. This biography is also a strange and fascinating tale.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA ''A remarkable book . . . brilliant comic writing'' THE TIMES ''An enthralling picture of family life . . . devotion to Gerald, the man'' KIRKUS REVIEWS ''Du Maurier has no equal'' DAILY TELEGRAPH Sir Gerald du Maurier was the most celebrated actor-manager of his day, knighted for his services to the theatre in 1922. He was also a father to one of the most enduring writers of the twentieth century. Published within six months of her father''s death, this frank biography was considered shocking by many of his admirers, but it was a huge success, winning Daphne du Maurier critical acclaim and launching her career. In Gerald: A Portrait, Daphne du Maurier captures the spirit and charm of the charismatic actor who played the original Captain Hook. It amusingly recalls his eccentricities, sense of humour and sensitively portrays the darker side of his nature and bouts of depression.

In this collection of suspenseful tales in which fantasies, murderous dreams and half-forgotten worlds are exposed, Daphne du Maurier explores the boundaries of reality and imagination. Her characters are caught at those moments when the delicate link between reason and emotion has been stretched to the breaking point. Often chilling, sometimes poignant, these stories display the full range of Daphne du Maurier''s considerable talent. "The appeal of romance and the clash of highly-charged emotions."-New York Herald-Tribune

Many accounts of the life of Francis Bacon have been written for scholars. But du Maurier''s aim in this biography was to illuminate the many facets of Bacon''s remarkable personality for the common reader. To her book she brought the same gifts of imagination and perception that made her earlier biography, Golden Lads, so immensely readable, skillfully threading into her narrative extracts from contemporary documents and from Bacon''s own writings, and setting her account of his life within a vivid contemporary framework. "Unlike many authors of popular historical biographies, du Maurier resembled Antonia Fraser in being an indefatigable researcher."-Francis King

"Prime du Maurier. . . . She holds her characters close to reality; the past she creates is valid, and her skill in finessing the time shifts is enough to make one want to try a little of the brew."—New York Times

A "consistently entertaining" saga of beauty, war, and family set during the French Revolution, from the author of Rebecca and The Birds (New York Times). The world of the glass-blowers has its own traditions, its own language — and its own rules. "If you marry into glass," Pierre Labbe warns his daughter, "you will say goodbye to everything familiar, and enter a closed world." But crashing into this world comes the violence and terror of the French Revolution, against which the family struggles to survive. Years later, Sophie Duval reveals to her long-lost nephew the tragic story of a family of master craftsmen in eighteenth-century France. Drawing on her own family''s tale of tradition and sorrow, Daphne du Maurier weaves an unforgettable saga of beauty, war, and family.

Both in her novels and her memoirs, Daphne du Maurier revealed an ardent desire to explore her family''s history. In Myself When Young, based on diaries she kept between 1920 and 1932, du Maurier probes her own past, beginning with her earliest memories and encompassing the publication of her first book and her marriage. Often painfully honest, she recounts her difficult relationship with her father, her education in Paris, her early love affairs, her antipathy towards London life, and her desperate ambition to succeed as a writer. The resulting self-portrait is of a complex, utterly captivating young woman. "An intimate view of a creative personality...as richly evocative as any of her novels."-Los Angeles Times

The story of a deadly curse that afflicted an Irish family for a hundred years. "I tell you your mine will be in ruins and your home destroyed and your children forgotten . . . but this hill will be standing still to confound you." So curses Morty Donovan when Copper John Brodrick builds his mine at Hungry Hill. The Brodricks of Clonmere gain great wealth by harnessing the power of Hungry Hill and extracting the treasure it holds. The Donovans, the original owners of Clonmere Castle, resent the Brodricks'' success, and consider the great house and its surrounding land theirs by rights. For generations the feud between the families has simmered, always threatening to break into violence . . .

Letters written to her friend, Malet, describe Du Maurier''s family, life in Cornwall, and views on writing

Eight spellbinding tales of suspense, mystery and romance from the renowned author of Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. Focusing upon eerie and inexplicable phenomena, the stories include "The Birds" which Alfred Hitchcock adapted to film and the terrifying "Split Second" in which a woman suddenly finds herself plunged into a world of strangers.