George Du Maurier Books In Order

Novels

  1. Peter Ibbetson (1891)
  2. Trilby (1894)
  3. The Martian (1897)

Omnibus

Collections

  1. A Legend of Camelot (1898)

Novels Book Covers

Omnibus Book Covers

Collections Book Covers

George Du Maurier Books Overview

Peter Ibbetson

George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier 1834 1896 was a French born British author and cartoonist. He studied art in Paris, and moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where he lost vision in his left eye. He became a member of the staff of the satirical magazine Punch in 1865, drawing two cartoons a week. Owing to his deteriorating eyesight, du Maurier reduced his involvement with Punch in 1891 and settled in Hampstead, where he wrote three novels the last was published posthumously. His second novel Trilby, published in 1894 fits into the gothic horror genre which was undergoing a revival during the fin de siecle. The story of the poor artist’s model Trilby O’Ferrall, transformed into a diva under the spell of the evil musical genius Svengali, created a sensation. A notable cartoon he made was a cartoon of a television/ videophone conversation in 1879, the telephonoscope. His other works include: Peter Ibbetson 1891, The Martian 1896 and Social Pictorial Satire 1898.

Trilby

First published in 1894, the story of the diva Trilby O’Ferrall and her mentor, Svengali, has entered the mythology of that period alongside Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. Immensely popular for years, the novel led to a hit play, a series of popular films, Trilby products from hats to ice cream, and streets in Florida named after characters in the book. The setting reflects Du Maurier’s bohemian years as an art student in Paris before he went to London to make a career in journalism. A celebrated caricaturist for Punch magazine, Du Maurier’s drawings for the novel of which his most significant are included here form a large part of its appeal. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World’s Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford’s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up to date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The Martian

The unique, delightful illustrator and author George du Maurier was the grandson of a French citizen, Robert Matherin Busson, who upon moving to England from France, adopted the surname ‘du Maurier’ for its aristocratic sound. George du Maurier possessed English citizenship, but was bilingual in French and English, born in Paris in 1834. He is also known as the grandfather of novelist Daphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca and the short story that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘The Birds.’ Du Maurier’s second novel, Trilby, published in 1894, was a sensation introducing the vaguely sinister character Svengali, and inspiring the plots of numerous later works, including The Phantom of the Opera. Despite having lost the sight in one eye as a younger man, du Maurier enjoyed a lifelong career as a popular illustrator, most notably for Punch. His final novel, published posthumously in 1897, was The Martian. At first, The Martian takes the form of a biography of fictional novelist Barty Josselin, as told by his friend, politician Robert Maurice. In a parallel to du Maurier’s own life, Barty Josselin is blind in one eye. Barty’s life story reaches a low ebb when he attempts suicide, which introduces Martia, The Martian, into his and the reader’s consciousness. Martia has been reincarnated many times on Mars, and she informs Barty that she has selected him and a future wife that she has selected for him to be her earth based parents. Barty does not wish to marry the aristocratic young woman that Martia has selected, instead choosing the worthy, but less aristocratic Leah. Their family life comprises the rest of the story, and the meditations upon life after death and the future that du Maurier envisioned for both Martians and earthbound souls.

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