Laughter on the Stairs, Signed by Beverley Nichols
[Signed] Nichols, Beverley. Laughter on the Stairs. Second Printing. 1953. Book and dust jacket are both in very good condition. Book is inscribed, “For R.P. Riley, All good wishes, Beverley Nichols, Mar. 28th 1953.” Dust jacket and interior illustration by William McLaren. Laid in is an attractive promotional card for other books in the Beverley Nichols Home, Garden, and Village series.
Retired Bright Young Thing Beverley Nichols steps inside from the garden in this delightful memoir in which he recalls his restoration of Merry Hall, a Georgian manor house, to its 18th Century glory in 1950s-era England. At least one pre-eminent collector of Nichols’s work considers this his best book, and NHL is inclined to agree. It is filled with wit, charm, and the sort of memorable characters one finds in E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels.
“Merry Hall, in winter, is one of the few English homes which, in my opinion, are adequately heated. In other words, it is apt to asphyxiate everybody but Americans, who feel deliriously at home in it.”
--Beverley Nichols