Born Violet Paget in Bologne, France in 1856 to British parents, writer Vernon Lee was a harpsichord-playing expert of the Italian Renaissance who also wrote short stories preoccupied with hauntings and possession. In addition to writing under a man’s name, she is known for dressing à la garçonne. She was a lesbian and had three committed relationships with women in her life. 

Lee was also known for her criticism and support of the Aesthetics Movement and for her pacifism and feminism. Lee was well-connected and successful in her lifetime, despite her alternative lifestyle, but ultimately was blacklisted after her condemnation of WWI. Long forgotten, her work was rediscovered by feminist academics in the 1990s and she has regained much of her literary reputation, but she still deserves to reclaim a broader readership.

For Maurice is her third and last collection of weird fiction, and contains an insightful introduction by Lee to her stories, and an exquisite example of a humorous fantasy, “Winthrop’s Adventure.”

London: The Bodley Head, 1927. First edition. 223, 4 pages. 19.5 x 14 x 3. Hardcover. Previous ownership signature on half title. No dust jacket. Very good condition. Scarce.