The Violent Friend. The Story of Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson 1840-1914

London England: J. M. Dent and Sons, 1969. Hardback. First Edition. The Violent Friend. Wear to edges of D/J. Price clipped to D/J. This is the romantic life story of Robert Louis Stevenson and the talented and remarkable woman, Fanny , who became his wife. Stevenson met his 'violent friend' in France in 1876 and they fell in love at first sight. But from the outset there were problems. He was a consumptive Scotsman, not quite twenty-six, embarking on a literary career. She was thirty-six, an American with a husband and two children. The scandal of such a divorce can scarsely be imagined today. But it was painfully enacted and Stevenson made his 6,000-mile quest. Thus began a controversial marriage, a passionate companionship. The author narrates the extraordinary story of that marriage and the fierce devotion of the woman Stevenson called his 'tiger and tiger lily'. 'Should Stevenson have married Fanny?' asks the author. On the whole, she believes, he should have. Probably her devotion kept him alive to write. Even her enemies conceded her physical attraction for a highly sexed man younger than herself. Fanny's infinite variety fascinated Stevenson, keeping him curious, amused, and tender. It is easy to see why. The charm and witchery and the indomitable will of this remarkable woman pervade this study. 376 pp. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions, Reference books ,and all types of Academic Literature.). First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall Octavo. Hardback.