Cecil Beaton, The Years Between, Diaries: 1939-44
Beaton, Cecil. The Years Between, Diaries: 1939-44. English Edition. 1965. Book is in very good condition; dust jacket is in good condition—jacket shows repaired tears, creasing, and shallow chip to the back cover.
Cecil Beaton’s second volume of diaries begins as World War II looms and finds him worrying that warfare “is specifically designed to show up [his] inadequacy in every possible capacity.” Such a concern is typical of a perfectionist like Beaton. However, subsequent entries prove his doubts were unfounded, as he travels the world as official photographer for the British Ministry of Information, and closer to home, photographing Winston Churchill and various members of the British royal family. More personally, he speculates on the chances of a German invasion and writes about how the war has affected the lives of society friends like Diana Cooper, Emerald Cunard, and Stephen Tennant.
“In the absence of telephone and telegram the art of letter writing is again practised. The war has made correspondents of us all.”
--Cecil Beaton