The Lacquer Lady by F. Tennyson Jesse first edition 1929

London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1929
 
8vo., orange publisher’s cloth, lettered in gilt to spine; with publisher’s device in blind to the lower corner of upper board; red endpapers showing the Golden Palace, Mandalay; complete both in the original dust jacket (7/6 net), and the seldom-found Book Society wraparound band; pp. [vi], vii-xxvi, [ii], 392; a couple of inoffensive pencil markings to text; outer edges and prelims lightly spotted, with a couple of small scratches to the outer edge; one small dent to upper board; the very fresh jacket and band bright and near-fine, save for a couple of very minor nicks and creases. A lovely copy. 
 
First edition. 
 
F. Tennyson Jesse was an English criminologist, journalist, and author. She was the great-niece of the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, and was one of the first women to report on the German attacks on Belgium during WWI. The Lacquer Lady is a work of historical fiction, which tells the true story of Fanny Moroni, a young girl from Brighton, who leaves her familiar world behind for the kingdoms of Mandalay and Burma. There, she finds love, and becomes a favourite of the Burmese Queen. 
 
A fascinating insight into Burmese history and its connections with Europe. No. 12 on the Virago Modern Classics list.