Most Popular Books by Daphne Du Maurier

In this classic Gothic suspense novel by Daphne du Maurier, a young woman marries a widower and discovers that more than just the memories of his deceased wife linger in their home. Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . . The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady''s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave. "Daphne du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings." —Stephen King

The definitive biography of Daphne Du Maurier, one of history''s greatest psychological thriller novelists Rebecca, published in 1938, brought its author instant international acclaim, capturing the popular imagination with its haunting atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Du Maurier was immediately established as the queen of the psychological thriller. But the more fame this and her other books encouraged, the more reclusive Daphne du Maurier became. Margaret Forster''s award-winning biography could hardly be more worthy of its subject. Drawing on private letters and papers, and with the unflinching co-operation of Daphne du Maurier''s family, Margaret Forster explores the secret drama of her life - the stifling relationship with her father, actor-manager Gerald du Maurier; her troubled marriage to war hero and royal aide, ''Boy'' Browning; her wartime love affair; her passion for Cornwall and her deep friendships with the last of her father''s actress loves, Gertrude Lawrence, and with an aristocratic American woman. Most significant of all, Margaret Forster ingeniously strips away the relaxed and charming facade to lay bare the true workings of a complex and emotional character whose passionate and often violent stories mirrored her own fantasy life more than anyone could ever have imagined.

When Daphne du Maurier wrote The du Mauriers she was only thirty years old and had already established herself as both a biographer and a novelist. She wrote this epic biography during a vintage period in her career, between two of her best-loved novels: Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. Her aim was to write the story of her family "so that it reads like a novel." Spanning nearly three quarters of a century, The du Mauriers is a saga of artists and speculators, courtesans and military men. From England to Paris and back again, their fortunes varied as wildly as their ambitions. An extraordinary family of writers, artists and actors they are...The du Mauriers. "Daphne du Maurier creates on the grand scale; she runs through the generations, giving her family unity and reality . . . a rich vein of humor and satire . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here."-The Observer

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA. ''She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense'' GUARDIAN ''One of the last century''s most original literary talents'' DAILY TELEGRAPH ''Du Maurier employs well the assured balancing of uncanny possibilities ... and the bitterly wry sense of absurdity that were to characterise her finest fiction'' HELEN TAYLOR, INDEPENDENT ''I want to know if men realise when they are insane. Sometimes I think that my brain cannot hold together, it is filled with too much horror - too much despair . . . I cannot sleep, I cannot close my eyes without seeing his damned face. If only it had been a dream.'' This collection showcases the budding talent and fierce imagination of Daphne du Maurier, before she went on to write one of the most beloved novels of all time. In these tales of human frailty and obsession, a waterlogged notebook washes ashore, revealing a dark story of jealousy and passion; a vicar coaches a young couple divided by class issues and an older man falls perilously in love with a much younger woman. Each tale demonstrates du Maurier''s extraordinary storytelling gifts and her deep understanding of human nature.

This "highly personalized adventure, ultra-romantic" novel from the author of Rebecca tells of an Englishwoman who finds love in the arms of a criminal ( New York Times). Bored and restless in London''s Restoration Court, Lady Dona escapes into the British countryside with her restlessness and thirst for adventure as her only guides. Eventually Dona lands in remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds the passion her spirit craves in the love of a daring French pirate who is being hunted by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him. "How she can spin a yarn, can Daphne du Maurier! . . . A roistering cloak and sword romance, in the best tradition. . . . excellent escape reading." – Kirkus Reviews

As a young guide for Sunshine Tours, Armino Fabbio leads a pleasant, if humdrum life -- until he becomes circumstantially involved in the murder of an old peasant woman in Rome. The woman, he gradually comes to realise, was his family''s beloved servant many years ago, in his native town of Ruffano. He returns to his birthplace, and once there, finds it is haunted by the phantom of his brother, Aldo, shot down in flames in ''43. Over five hundred years before, the sinister Duke Claudio, known as The Falcon, lived his twisted, brutal life, preying on the people of Ruffano. But now it is the twentieth century, and the town seems to have forgotten its violent history. But have things really changed? The parallels between the past and present become ever more evident. "In du Maurier''s fiction, she unflinchingly exposed hard truths."-Times (UK)

In "a dazzlingly clever and immensely entertaining novel," an Englishman switches lives with his doppelganger, a French count with a dysfunctional family ( New York Times). By chance, John and Jean—one English, the other French—meet in a provincial railway station. Their resemblance to each other is uncanny, and they spend the next few hours talking and drinking —until at last John falls into a drunken stupor. It''s to be his last carefree moment, for when he wakes, Jean has stolen his identity and disappeared. So the Englishman steps into the Frenchman''s shoes, and faces a variety of perplexing roles - as owner of a chateau, director of a failing business, head of a fractious family, and master of nothing. Gripping and complex, The Scapegoat is a masterful exploration of doubling and identity, and of the dark side of the self. "What a magnificent thriller this is." — The New York Times Book Review Praise for Daphne Du Maurier: "No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification . . . She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction, and yet satisfied the exacting requirements of "real literature," something very few novelists ever do." ―Margaret Forster, author of Daphne Du Maurier: The Secret Life of the Renowned Storyteller "She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality" — The Guardian

A COMING-OF-AGE TALE OF ADVENTURE AND LOVE, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA ''She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality'' GUARDIAN ''One of the last century''s most original literary talents'' DAILY TELEGRAPH ''Amazingly vivid'' SATURDAY REVIEW The tumult of living, the glory and the pain. The precious intimacy of little things. I wanted so much and so much. Moments away from jumping into the swirling Thames, Dick is saved by a passing stranger with a grin, a quip and a cigarette. With his self-assurance and easy charm - and his honesty about having killed a man - Jake has a strange magnetism, and the two men plunge into an intense friendship. Escaping the oppressive shadow of his poet father, Dick embarks on an adventure of self-discovery through Europe - until he washes up in bohemian Paris, where he resolves to pursue his artistic dreams. But as Jake always warned, no one can stay young forever . . .

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin "From the first page...the reader is back in the moody, brooding atmosphere of Rebecca." -The New York Times From the bestselling author of Rebecca, another classic set in beautiful and mysterious Cornwall. Philip Ashley''s older cousin Ambrose, who raised the orphaned Philip as his own son, has died in Rome. Philip, the heir to Ambrose''s beautiful English estate, is crushed that the man he loved died far from home. He is also suspicious. While in Italy, Ambrose fell in love with Rachel, a beautiful English and Italian woman. But the final, brief letters Ambrose wrote hint that his love had turned to paranoia and fear. Now Rachel has arrived at Philip''s newly inherited estate. Could this exquisite woman, who seems to genuinely share Philip''s grief at Ambrose''s death, really be as cruel as Philip imagined? Or is she the kind, passionate woman with whom Ambrose fell in love? Philip struggles to answer this question, knowing Ambrose''s estate, and his own future, will be destroyed if his answer is wrong. Bonus Reading Group Guide Included Praise for Daphne du Maurier "Miss du Maurier is... a storyteller whose sole aim is to bewitch and beguile. And in My Cousin Rachel she does both, with Rebecca looking fondly over her shoulder." -- New York Times "Double-distilled readers'' delight." -- Manchester Guardian

Sir Gerald du Maurier was the preeminent actor-manager of his day, knighted in 1922 for his services to the theater. Published within six months of her father''s death, Daphne du Maurier''s frank portrait was considered shocking by many of his admirers-but it was a huge success, winning her critical acclaim and launching her career. Here, Daphne captures the spirit and charm of the charismatic actor who played the original Captain Hook, amusingly recounting his eccentricities, his humor, as well as his darker side. "A remarkable book...brilliant comic writing."-The Times (UK)

A classic work of historical fiction from the author of Rebecca and The Birds. Honor Harris is only eighteen when she first meets Richard Grenvile, proud, reckless — and utterly captivating. But following a riding accident, Honor must reconcile herself to a life alone. As the English Civil war is waged across the country, Richard rises through the ranks of the army, marries and makes enemies, and Honor remains true to him. Decades later, an undaunted Sir Richard, now a general serving King Charles I, finds her. Finally they can share their passion in the ruins of her family''s great estate on the storm-tossed Cornish coast — one last time before being torn apart, never to embrace again. "Daphne du Maurier is a magician, a virtuoso. She can conjure up tragedy, tension, suspense, the ridiculous, the vain, the romantic." —Good Housekeeping

The story of a deadly curse that afflicted an Irish family for a hundred years from the renowned author of the classic gothic romance, Rebecca . "I tell you your mine will be in ruins and your home destroyed and your children forgotten . . . but this hill will be standing still to confound you." So curses Morty Donovan when Copper John Brodrick builds his mine at Hungry Hill. The Brodricks of Clonmere gain great wealth by harnessing the power of Hungry Hill and extracting the treasure it holds. The Donovans, the original owners of Clonmere Castle, resent the Brodricks'' success, and consider the great house and its surrounding land theirs by rights. For generations the feud between the families has simmered, always threatening to break into violence . . . "As poignant and powerful as du Maurier''s better-known romantic fiction." — Daily Mail "A storyteller of cunning and genius." —Sally Beauman, #1 New York Times -bestselling author "Daphne du Maurier has no rival." — The Sunday Telegraph "Du Maurier is a magician, a virtuoso. She can conjure up tragedy, horror, tension, suspense the ridiculous, the vain, the romantic." — Good Housekeeping

A man becomes addicted to a drug that allows him to time travel into the past in this gothic thriller that is "prime du Maurier" ( New York Times). Dick Young is lent a house in Cornwall by his friend Professor Magnus Lane. During his stay he agrees to serve as a guinea pig for a new drug that Magnus has discovered in his scientific research. When Dick samples Magnus''s potion, he finds himself doing the impossible: traveling through time while staying in place, thrown all the way back into Medieval Cornwall. The concoction wears off after several hours, but its effects are intoxicating and Dick cannot resist his newfound powers. As his journeys increase, Dick begins to resent the days he must spend in the modern world, longing ever more fervently to get back into his world of centuries before, and the home of the beautiful Lady Isolda . . . Praise for Daphne Du Maurier: "No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification . . . She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction, and yet satisfied the exacting requirements of "real literature," something very few novelists ever do." ―Margaret Forster, author of Daphne Du Maurier: The Secret Life of the Renowned Storyteller "She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality" — The Guardian

From Daphne du Maurier, “a writer of fearless originality” (The Guardian), comes a collection of her thirteen most mesmerizing tales—including iconic stories such as “The Birds” and “Don’t Look Now”—with an introduction by Stephen King. Daphne du Maurier is best known for Rebecca, “one of the most influential novels of the 20th century” (Sarah Waters) and basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film adaptation. More than thirty-five years after her death, du Maurier is celebrated for her gothic genius and stunning psychological insight by authors such as Ottessa Moshfegh, Maggie O’Farrell, Lucy Foley, Gillian Flynn, Jennifer Egan, and countless others, including Stephen King and Joe Hill. After Midnight brings together some of du Maurier’s darkest, most haunting stories, ranging from sophisticated literary thriller to twisted love story. Alongside classics such as “The Birds” and “Don’t Look Now,”—both of which inspired unforgettable films—are gems such as “Monte Verità,” a masterpiece about obsession, mysticism, and tragic love, and “The Alibi,” a chilling tale of an ordinary man’s descent into lies, manipulation, and sinister fantasies that edge dangerously close to reality. In “The Blue Lenses,” a woman recovering from eye surgery finds she now perceives those around her as having animal heads corresponding to their true natures. “Not After Midnight” follows a schoolteacher on holiday in Crete who finds a foreboding message from the chalet’s previous occupant who drowned while swimming at night. In “The Breakthrough,” a scientist conducts experiments to harness the power of death, blurring the line between genius and madness. Each story in this collection exemplifies du Maurier’s exquisite writing and singular insight into human frailty, jealousy, and the macabre. She “makes worlds in which people and even houses are mysterious and mutable; haunted rooms in which disembodied spirits dance at absolute liberty” (Olivia Laing, author of Crudo). Daphne du Maurier is mistress of the sleight of hand and slow-burning menace, often imitated and rarely surpassed. Stories include: -“The Blue Lenses” -“Don’t Look Now” -“The Alibi” -“The Apple Tree” -“The Birds” -“Monte Verita” -“The Pool” -“The Doll” -“Ganymede” -“Leading Lady” -“Not After Midnight” -“Split Second” -“The Breakthrough”

Daphne du Maurier confirms her eminence as the unchallenged master of psychological suspense in this unforgettable collection of six of her most popular stories. Illustrated by Michael Foreman, it includes "The Birds", "The Alibi" an d four more spine-chilling thrillers. Illustrated.

Now a Netflix film starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas "Last Night I Dreamt I went to Manderley Again..." With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten--a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house''s current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim''s first wife--the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca. This special edition of Rebecca includes excerpts from Daphne du Maurier''s The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, an essay on the real Manderley, du Maurier''s original epilogue to the book, and more. A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

Six stories of pathos and terror, in which the weak, the dispossessed and the exploited wreak vengeance on a complacent world. The stories are The Birds (which became a Hitchcock film), The Apple Tree, Kiss Me Again, Stranger, The Little Photographer, The Old Man and Monte Verita.

Eight spellbinding tales of suspense, mystery and romance from the renowned author of Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. Focusing upon eerie and inexplicable phenomena, the stories include "The Birds" which Alfred Hitchcock adapted to film and the terrifying "Split Second" in which a woman suddenly finds herself plunged into a world of strangers.