Born in 1892, the young actress Cicely Fairfield changed her name to that of the heroine of Ibsen's Rosmersholm - Rebecca West. This definitive biography charts the life and work of this major writer, best remembered for her classic travelogue Black Lamb, Grey Falcon, set in pre-war Yugoslavia. It explores her commitment to feminism and socialism, her notorious affair with HG Wells, and her troubled relationship with their son Anthony, creating a subtle and sympathetic portrait of this fiercely intelligent woman.

West's World

Biographies & Memoirs

Gibb, Lorna

Arts & Literature

Pan Books

Born into the age of revolution, Lady Hester Stanhope had a radical spirit. Following the death of her uncle the Prime Minister William Pitt in 1806, she chose the excitement of travel and adventure over the life of a spinster in polite London society. And she never looked back. Surviving a terrible shipwreck and the scorn of Lord Byron ('that dangerous thing - a female wit'), Lady Hester adopted male Arabic dress, became the Queen of the Bedouin and was the first European woman ever to enter Palmyra. Recovering from the heartbreak of a passionate love affair, she became a political force in Lebanon. In defiance of despotic war lords she offered sanctuary to an oppressed minority, creating a fortress which became a focus of both gossip and awe. Based on much new source material and extensive travel in Hester's footsteps, Lady Hester traces the extraordinary life from Downing Street to an isolated monastery in the hills of Lebanon.

Lady Hester: Queen Of The East

Leaders & Notable People

Faber Faber Ltd

Rebecca West was a leading figure in the twentieth century literary scene. A passionate suffragist, socialist, fiercely intelligent, Rebecca West began her career as a writer with articles in The Freewoman and The Clarion. Her first book, a biography of Henry James, was published when she was only twenty-four, and her first novel followed just two years later. She had a notorious affair with H.G. Wells, and their illegitimate son, Anthony, was born at the beginning of the First World War. The author of several novels, she is perhaps best remembered for her classic account of pre-war Yugoslavia, Black Lamb, Grey Falcon (published by Macmillan in 1941 and as relevant today as it was sixty years ago) and for her coverage of the Nuremberg Trials. When she died in 1983 at the age of 90, William Shawn, then editor-in-chief of the New Yorker, said: Rebecca West was one of the giants and will have a lasting place in English literature. No one in this century wrote more dazzling prose, or had more wit, or looked at the intricacies of human character and the ways of the world more intelligently.” Formidably talented, West was a towering figure in the British literary landscape. Lorna Gibb's vivid and insightful biography affords a dazzling insight into her life and work.

The Extraordinary Life of Rebecca West: A Biography

Humor & Entertainment

Counterpoint

Rebecca West was a leading figure in the twentieth century literary scene. A passionate suffragist, socialist, fiercely intelligent, Rebecca West began her career as a writer with articles in The Freewoman and The Clarion. Her first book, a biography of Henry James, was published when she was only twenty-four, and her first novel followed just two years later. She had a notorious affair with H.G. Wells, and their illegitimate son, Anthony, was born at the beginning of the First World War. The author of several novels, she is perhaps best remembered for her classic account of pre-war Yugoslavia, Black Lamb, Grey Falcon (published by Macmillan in 1941 and as relevant today as it was sixty years ago) and for her coverage of the Nuremberg Trials. When she died in 1983 at the age of 90, William Shawn, then editor-in-chief of The New Yorker, said: Rebecca West was one of the giants and will have a lasting place in English literature. No one in this century wrote more dazzling prose, or had more wit, or looked at the intricacies of human character and the ways of the world more intelligently.” Formidably talented, West was a towering figure in the British literary landscape. Lorna Gibb's vivid and insightful biography affords a dazzling insight into her life and work.

A Ghost's Story: A Novel

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries séances and spiritualist meetings grew in popularity. One 'ghost' appeared more than any other: the Katie King spirit. This is her story. A Ghost's Story presents the mysterious spirit writings and biographical outpourings of Katie King, the famous and enigmatic "spirit celebrity." A profound and curious consciousness guided into this realm by the faith of true believers, or the cheap trickery of parlour cheats and exploitative swindlers? Katie King is both, and more. This is the tale of a ghost's quest to understand human faith, loss and passion. It is also the tale of a contemporary scholar desperate to understand the allure of the spirit world, journeying with Katie from the candle-lit drawing rooms of Victorian London to the Imperial Palaces of Tsars; from the shadiest of gimmicks and tricks, to the most poignant sincerity of the death-bed wish.  A Ghost's Story announces a narrator like no other, moving in and out of time and space, obstreperous, witty and profoundly honest. Above all, it is an examination of belief and a spectacular insight into what lies on the other side.

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Granta Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gibb, Lorna. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gibb, Lorna

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gibb, Lorna. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

West's World

Lady Hester: Queen Of The East

The Extraordinary Life of Rebecca West: A Biography

The Extraordinary Life of Rebecca West: A Biography

A Ghost's Story: A Novel