Hermes in Paris

First edition. 8vo. Pp. 234, [4, ads]. Publisher's navy-blue cloth, lettered in silver to spine. Jacket design by Andrew Corbett (priced at £16.50 to front flap).

An immaculate copy.

Fantasy romp set in Paris during the reign of Napoleon III by an author best known for his densely written historical novels. "Sweeping, elegant and majestically cool, Hermes in Paris paints a glittering picture of Second Empire Paris under Napoleon III. Told from the perspective of Hermes, the Greek trickster-god here appearing as a dapper, detached gentleman in a crimson satin cravat, the tale skims almost plotless over the teeming, glamorous city. History is the true protagonist of British writer Peter Vansittart's jewel of a novel, and his sophisticated revisionist take on the era is intriguing." –Publishers Weekly