THE COUNTESS.

New York: Crown, 2010. 285 pp, large 8vo (9 1/2" H). "In this riveting dramatization of Erzebet Bathory's life, the countess tells her story in her own words, written to her only son - a final reckoning from his mother in an attempt to reveal the truth behind her downfall. Countess Bathory describes her upbringing in one of the most powerful noble houses in Hungary, recounting in loving detail her devotion to her parents and siblings as well as the heartbreak of losing her father at a young age. She soon discovers the price of being a woman in sixteenth-century Hungary as her mother arranges her marriage to Ferenc Nadasdy, a union made with the cold calculation of a financial transaction. Young Erzebet knows she has no choice but to accept this marriage even as she laments its loveless nature and ultimately turns to the illicit affections of another man. Seemingly resigned to a marriage of convenience and a life of surreptitious pleasure, the countess surprises even herself as she ignites a marital spark with Ferenc through the most unromantic of acts: the violent punishment of an insolent female servant. The event shows Ferenc that his wife is no trophy but a strong, determined woman more than capable of managing their vast estates during Ferenc's extensive military campaigns against the Turks. Her naked assertion of power accomplishes what her famed beauty could not: capturing the love of her husband. The countess embraces this new role of loving wife and mother, doing everything she can to expand her husband's power and secure her family's future. But a darker side surfaces as Countess Bathory's demand for virtue, obedience, and, above all, respect from her servants take a sinister turn. What emerges is not only a disturbing, unflinching portrait of the deeds that gave Bathory the moniker 'Blood Countess', but an intimate look at the woman who became a monster." Remainder dot on bottom of textblock near spine, light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, tiny bump on top edge of front board. Dust jacket has some areas of light edge wrinkling, light rubbing. . Not Signed. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good.