The Diaries of Evelyn Waugh, Ex Libris John Julius Norwich
[Ex Libris John Julius Norwich] Davie, Michael (ed.). The Diaries of Evelyn Waugh. First English Edition. 1976. Book and dust jacket are both in very good condition. John Julius Norwich’s bookplate is attached to the front endpaper.
Evelyn Waugh kept a diary nearly his entire life, which explains this volume’s eight hundred pages. It is easy to understand why it was in the library of John Julius. His mother, Lady Diana Cooper, was one of Evelyn Waugh’s closest friends. They met when Waugh was in his early twenties at a dinner party hosted by Lady Emerald Cunard. Her recognized her as delightfully eccentric. She became a muse and was the basis for the Mrs. Stich character in his 1938 novel, Scoop. Diana makes frequent appearances in his diaries. Less frequently, so does her son John Julius, to whom this copy belonged.
“Visited Diana in the morning. Found her in John Julius’s dressing-room. Susan Mary (‘I am wearing this red hat because Diana has a thing about mourning. I have a black one downstairs.)’”
--Evelyn Waugh, 6 January 1954 (Day of Duff Cooper’s Memorial Service)