The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street - Paperback

by Helene Hanff (Author)

"A charmer. Will beguile an hour of your time and put you in touch with mankind." --New York Times

Newly reissued with an introduction by Plum Sykes, this cult favorite is a delightful diary--think Nancy Mitford-meets-Nora Ephron--chronicling author Helene Hanff's "bucket list" trip to London (at the age of fifty-five!) after the unexpected success of her memoir 84 Charing Cross Road.

When she's invited to London for the English publication of her wildly successful book, 84 Charing Cross Road--in which she shares two decades of correspondence with Frank Doel, a British bookseller who became a dear friend--New York writer Helene Hanff is thrilled to realize a lifelong dream. The trip will be bittersweet, because she can't help wishing Frank was still alive, but she's determined to capture every moment of the journey.

Helene's time in London exceeds her wildest expectations. She visits landmarks like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle; explores Shakespeare's favorite pub, Dickens's house, and the Oxford University courtyard where John Donne used to walk; and makes a host of new friends from all walks of life, who take her to the theater, introduce her to institutions like Harrod's, and share with her their favorite corners of countryside.

A love letter to England and its literary heritage, written by a Manhattanite who isn't afraid to speak her mind (or tell a British barman how to make a real American martini), The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is an endearing account of two wildly different worlds colliding; it's an outsider's witty, vibrant portrait of idiosyncratic British culture at its best, as well as a profound commentary about the written word's power to sustain us, transport us, and unite us.

Back Jacket

Nancy Mitford meets Nora Ephron in the pages of The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Helene Hanff's delightful travelogue about her "bucket list" trip to London

When devoted Anglophile Helene Hanff is invited to London for the English publication of 84, Charing Cross Road--in which she shares two decades of correspondence with Frank Doel, a British bookseller who became a dear friend--she can hardly believe her luck. Frank is no longer alive, but his widow and daughter, along with enthusiastic British fans from all walks of life, embrace Helene as an honored guest. Eager hosts, including a famous actress and a retired colonel, sweep her up in a whirlwind of plays and dinners, trips to Harrod's, and wild jaunts to their favorite corners of the countryside.

A New Yorker who isn't afraid to speak her mind, Helene Hanff delivers an outsider's funny yet fabulous portrait of idiosyncratic Britain at its best. And whether she is walking across the Oxford University courtyard where John Donne used to tread, visiting Windsor Castle, or telling a British barman how to make a real American martini, Helene always wears her heart on her sleeve. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is not only a witty account of two different worlds colliding but also a love letter to England and its literary heritage--and a celebration of the written word's power to sustain us, transport us, and unite us.