Exquisite Folly
Exquisite Folly

Author: Jonathan Carriel

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2015-05-14

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 1491764821

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In the fall of 1765, New York City is roiling with fury at the impending enforcement of the Stamp Tax, which portends ruin to virtually all classes. There could not be a worse moment for the young, fetching-but none too bright-third wife of a wealthy merchant to be brutally stabbed to death in her own backyard. With some factions in the city calling for peaceful protest while others howl for armed defiance, her foolish jests against the radicals had aroused bitter indignation, widespread contempt, and the family's mortification. When the slogan of the Sons of Liberty is discovered near her corpse, supporters of the imperial prerogative are quick to assign blame. Unexpectedly commissioned to seek out the truth, aspiring shipper Thomas Dordrecht's first duty is to his desperate employers, frantically working to put their ships to sea before the November first deadline. But when the tax goes into effect on that date, Dordrecht is hot in pursuit of the culprit ... as the town erupts in a full-scale riot that nearly touched off the American Revolution ten years early. "Exquisite Folly is terrific: a marvelous combination of suspense with a superb portrait of New York society." -Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty! The American Revolution

The Sun King
The Sun King

Author: Nancy Mitford

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2012-05-08

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1590175069

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A “devastatingly witty” biography of Louis XIV and the Court of Versailles—at once a historical record of late 17th- and early 18th-century France and a gossip-filled narrative of lovers and rivals, artists and warriors (New York Times) The Sun King is a dazzling double portrait of Louis XIV and Versailles, the opulent court from which he ruled. With characteristic élan, Nancy Mitford reconstructs the daily life of king and courtiers during France’s golden age, offering vivid sketches of the architects, artists, and gardeners responsible for the creation of the most magnificent palace Europe had yet seen. Mitford lays bare the complex and deadly intrigues in the stateroom and the no less high-stakes power struggles in the bedroom. At the center of it all is Louis XIV himself, the demanding, mercurial, but remarkably resilient sovereign who guided France through nearly three quarters of the Grand Siècle. Brimming with sumptuous detail and delicious bons mots, and written in a witty, conversational style, The Sun King restores a distant glittering century to vibrant life.

One Man's Folly
One Man's Folly

Author:

Publisher: Rizzoli Publications

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0847842525

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When it comes to interiors style, antiques, and Southern vernacular architecture, Furlow Gatewood is a one-of-a-kind classic-this book presents his magical private enclave for the first time. Antiques expert Furlow Gatewood's highly personal property in bucolic Americus, Georgia, where he has meticulously restored his family's carriage house and added intimate dwellings and outbuildings-several rescued from demolition-has evolved over decades to become a sublime expression of stylish living. The structures exemplify various architectural traditions-from mid-nineteenth-century Gothic to Palladian. He has collaborated with local craftsmen to create these follies and takes delight in designing the picturesque grounds and plantings and in devising comfortable areas for his beloved dogs and peacocks. A gifted designer and longtime associate of antiques dealer John Rosselli, Gatewood has a talent for discovering singular pieces with a poetic patina, composing custom paint finishes and subtle palettes, and knowing how to incorporate distinctive architectural elements. To accompany the book's atmospheric images, close friend Bunny Williams writes about the lessons she has learned from this master of discernment. Gatewood's seductive and hospitable Arcadian oasis, with its exquisite and timeless design, will have an enduring impact on the design community.