Filled with romance, danger, and scandal, Mistress of the Elgin Marbles is the intriguing story of Mary Nisbet, the Countess of Elgin––one of the most influential women of the Romantic era whose exploits enriched world culture immeasurably. The richest heiress in Scotland and the wife of accomplished diplomat Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, she traveled to Turkey when Elgin was appointed the Ambassador Extraordinaire to the Ottoman Empire––a journey that would change history. Interweaving extensive details gleaned from primary sources and excerpts from the countess′s own letters, Susan Nagel draws a vivid portrait of this formidable woman who helped bring the smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, financed the removal and safe passage to England of classical marbles from the Parthenon, and struck a deal with Napoleon that no politician could have accomplished. Yet, as Nagel shows, those achievements were overshadowed by scandal when Mary′s passionate affair with her husband′s best friend flamed into the most lurid and salacious divorce trial in London′s history. Lively and informative, this is an engrossing story of an astonishing woman who both defined and shaped an era.
Mistress of the Elgin Marbles
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“…a refreshingly succinct account of the eventful life of Mary Nisbet.” (The Scotsman, 30 th October 2004) “...a remarkable life – one that Nagel does full justice in this captivating biography...” (Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds edition, 6 th November 2004) "A highly entertaining biography of the alluring Lady Elgin…" ( The Week , Sat 28th July 2007)
“…a refreshingly succinct account of the eventful life of Mary Nisbet...” (The Scotsman, 30 th October 2004) “...a remarkable life – one that Nagel does full justice in this captivating biography...” (Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds edition, 6 th November 2004) "A highly entertaining biography of the alluring Lady Elgin…" ( The Week , Sat 28th July 2007)
“…a refreshingly succinct account of the eventful life of Mary Nisbet...” (The Scotsman, 30 th October 2004) “...a remarkable life – one that Nagel does full justice in this captivating biography...” (Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds edition, 6 th November 2004) "A highly entertaining biography of the alluring Lady Elgin…" ( The Week , Sat 28th July 2007)
From the Back Cover
Filled with romance, danger, and scandal, Mistress of the Elgin Marbles is the intriguing story of Mary Nisbet, the Countess of Elgin—one of the most influential women of the Romantic era whose exploits enriched world culture immeasurably. The richest heiress in Scotland and the wife of accomplished diplomat Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, she traveled to Turkey when Elgin was appointed the Ambassador Extraordinaire to the Ottoman Empire—a journey that would change history. Interweaving extensive details gleaned from primary sources and excerpts from the countess’s own letters, Susan Nagel draws a vivid portrait of this formidable woman who helped bring the smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, financed the removal and safe passage to England of classical marbles from the Parthenon, and struck a deal with Napoleon that no politician could have accomplished. Yet, as Nagel shows, those achievements were overshadowed by scandal when Mary’s passionate affair with her husband’s best friend flamed into the most lurid and salacious divorce trial in London’s history. Lively and informative, this is an engrossing story of an astonishing woman who both defined and shaped an era.
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First Sentence
In 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, England and Scotland for ratified an agreement officially creating the United Kingdom. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, England and Scotland for ratified an agreement officially creating the United Kingdom. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By MsCindyBooks
Format:Hardcover
Seldom do I read Biographies and feel so intimately close to the subject as I did with this skilfully researched piece of work. I felt as if I had lived right along with Mary through her travels, adventures, exploits and tragedies. Packed with Romantic locals and historical people. It's an intimate peek into a fascinating life, who was Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Page 60 of this book (paperback) states that "...the Ottomans, suspicious of the West, would prepare documents for foreigners in Italian because Venice was, for centuries, under Ottoman control."
How could any book claiming even a passing relationship with historical accuracy say this about Venice? It is not only wrong, it is so absolutely wrong as to make one wonder whether the author's claim to be a professor in the humanities department of Marymount Manhattan College (which may be a perfectly innocent victim in this, I don't know)is true - or to wonder which specific subject she may actually teach - creative writing perhaps?
Having already been made uneasy by her representation of the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland, the Union of Scotland & England, and the general depiction of the subject of this biography as a modern girl, the shocking ignorance displayed above was too much, and the book - once the fell sentence had been read out to those around me to the general horror of them all - placed in the take back to the library pile.
Some of the US reviews compare this to the Captain Aubrey books - at least the author of those was concerned with historical accuracy, and his works were officially fiction.
How could any book claiming even a passing relationship with historical accuracy say this about Venice? It is not only wrong, it is so absolutely wrong as to make one wonder whether the author's claim to be a professor in the humanities department of Marymount Manhattan College (which may be a perfectly innocent victim in this, I don't know)is true - or to wonder which specific subject she may actually teach - creative writing perhaps?
Having already been made uneasy by her representation of the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland, the Union of Scotland & England, and the general depiction of the subject of this biography as a modern girl, the shocking ignorance displayed above was too much, and the book - once the fell sentence had been read out to those around me to the general horror of them all - placed in the take back to the library pile.
Some of the US reviews compare this to the Captain Aubrey books - at least the author of those was concerned with historical accuracy, and his works were officially fiction.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Dorothy King
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although this book is not yet published, I have been lucky enough to read an advance copy, and it is a gripping biography of Mary Elgin, a fascinating woman. The book covers Mary's short marriage to Lord Elgin, who was the British Ambassador to the Porte in Constantinople and the man who saved the Parthenon marbles from destruction by bringing them back to London, where they are now housed in the British Museum. Although the Elgin Marbles are much discussed, this is the first biography of Mary Elgin, an educated, passionate, funny woman whose letters are a delight to read.
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