The Truth About Corra Pearl.
Binder, Polly.
Place Published: London,:
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicholson,
Date Published: 1986.
Description: The dust jacket reads: Cora Pearl was Queen of the Paris courtesans during France's hectic, ill-fated Second Empire. The biographies and articles about her (almoist entirely written by men) are lecherous and trivial. On her death "The Times" accorded her a short, spiteful and inaccurate biography. The "Dictionary of National Biography " is hardly less inaccurate. In this well-informed and fascinating biography Polly Binder sets out to reveal the truth about this daring and independent Englishwoman who captured the imagination of Paris Society-a society which created her and then tried its best to destroy her. Born in Victorian poverty to a family of musicians,Cora was drugged and brutally raped at the age of thirteen by a middle-aged paedophile. Her indomitable spirit carried her to Paris where she soon became a lleading courtesan, captivating a series of wealthy noblemen (her 'chain of gold') beginning with the Duc de Rivoli and finally becoming the mistress of Prince Napoleon ((Plon-Plon). Cora stayed on during the Franco-Prussian War andthe loong Siege of Paris, turning her mansion into a hospital for wounded soldiers having first sent her beloved horses to safety). In her heyday she made and spent millions. She was the toast of the Jockey Club, a renowned hostess, friend of Worth, Offenbach and Gustave Dore', a lover of practical jokes, and bery Rnglish. Harlot and heroine. It is surely time to appraise the career of this remarkable woman, born a century before her time. This book has 156 pages including the index with 8 pages of black and white photographs. The conditon of this book is NEAR FINE with page edges slightly browning and a small crease on fly page. The jacket is in NEAR FINE condition. JMVINTAGE specializes in books, magazines, and treasures related to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor...FAMOUS COURTESANS and other curious people.
Edition: First editionBinding: Hard Cover
Condition: Near Fine in Near Fine dj
ISBN: 02977850907
Book Id: 835
Price: $25.00
