Though it was much beloved around Workman’s editorial department, until recently To Marry an English Lord, originally published in 1989, was out of print, and, we feared, forgotten. Then, like like the appearance of a long-lost cousin or a wealthy American heiress on a soap opera to save the day, fate intervened. On January 19th of this year, the New York Times ran an article celebrating Edith Wharton’s 150th birthday as well as the cultural moment that, thanks in part to Downton Abbey, women like Wharton–late 19th century and early 20th century heiresses–seem to be enjoying. And right there in the article’s second paragraph was To Marry an English Lord, by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace, cited as one of Julian Fellowes’s inspirations for creating Downton Abbey.
Workman jumped at the chance to re-release the book, and now it’s available once more, with a redesigned cover and the same juicy stories of real American heiresses taking on the British peerage: women just like Lady Grantham, who left the nouveau riche-distaining Gilded Age United States for the greener pastures of England, and brought her fortune, which saved the estate of Downton Abbey, with her. The difference between an earl and a “mere sir,” a thorough explanation of entails, the roots of Anglomania–it’s all there, and more, in To Marry an English Lord, a sure-fire method of keeping yourself occupied until the third season of Downton Abbey airs next year. Find the book here, or check out an excerpt of the book here.
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