My Royal Past (First Edition) by Cecil Beaton
Beaton, Cecil. My Royal Past, The Memoirs of Baroness von Bülop (as Told to Cecil Beaton). First Edition. 1939. Book is in very good minus condition; dust jacket is in good condition—endpapers show foxing, and jacket shows foxing, repaired tears, and fraying.
Cecil Beaton had a talent to amuse, but in producing this delightful satire of Victorian era royalty, he had ample opportunity to be amused as well. In addition to the black & white illustrations, which he drew, he assembled friends such as Christian Bérard and Sir Francis Rose to pose for outlandish staged photographs. In most, they appear in drag, portraying royal dowagers. There was a second edition published, much pared down. This original, pre-World War II edition contains high-quality photogravure plates not found in the reprint.
“Like many another honeymoon, mine was not a happy experience. Not that I expected to be happy. I was prepared probably to be made uncomfortable.”
--Baroness von Bülop