SKU: 41066516760

"Madame De" 1954 VILMORIN, Louise de (SOLD)

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"Madame De" 1954 VILMORIN, Louise de (SOLD)VILMORIN, Louise de [54] pp. Julian Messner, Inc. 1954 6 3 4" x 8 1 2" Drawings by Ian Ribbons VG VG A society woman in Paris sells her jewels, a gift from her husband, to pay debts. The buyer informs the husband, the husband buys them back and gives them to his mistress. The mistress sells them and they come back to the original woman via an admirer. THE story of the earrings of Madame de begins with this observation: "Elegance rather than beauty was

VILMORIN, Louise de

[54] pp.

Julian Messner, Inc.

1954

6 3/4" x 8 1/2"

Drawings by Ian Ribbons

VG/ VG

A society woman in Paris sells her jewels, a gift from her husband, to pay debts. The buyer informs the husband, the husband buys them back and gives them to his mistress. The mistress sells them and they come back to the original woman via an admirer.

THE story of the earrings of Madame de- begins with this observation: "Elegance rather than beauty was accorded the mark of merit in the circle of society to which Madame de- belonged." American readers who break into that charmed circle will no doubt agree that Madame de- was the most elegant of all women. Her manners were faultless, and her sensibilities exquisite. She deceived her husband like a lady, and he understood and forgave her like a true man of the world. Even her anonymity distinguished her: the author explains she wrote the book so quickly she had no time to give the heroine more than the dangling particle de.

Quickly written or not, Louise de Vilmorin's novelette is a perfect drawing room fable—a real jewel, as one of the characters might say in highest praise. And though the jewel is precious, it was cut with a rare economy of means. A complex story (recently made into a French movie) is told here in fifty-four pages of uncomplicated writing.

The theme of “Madame de” is deception: the web of falsehoods in which a fashionable woman can be caught, and drawn to tragedy. Madame de- cannot resist telling her rich and generous husband that her dresses cost half of what they actually did cost her. So to pay her debts she sells the heart-shaped diamond earrings which were a wedding present from Monsieur de- and pretends to lose them at a ball. The family jeweler who bought them believing Monsieur de- had some private money troubles suddenly finds himself in possession of jewels believed to have been stolen. He takes them to Monsieur de who buys them for the second time. Saddened by his wife's pretense, and the injury done his good name, he gives them to a mistress.

Before Moniseur de- is through he buys the earrings back three times, and they change hands on ten increasingly elaborate occasions Madame de- suffers at each exchange, until, abandoned by her ambassador-lover, she dies of sadness and pneumonia.

TRUE to Gallic tradition, both her husband and her lover are present for the deathbed scene, when her two hands gently open and disclose a diamond heart in each, “It was as though she had meant to give them away and she cared not to whom.

"'She is dead,' said Monsieur de-. 'Take this heart which she has given you, The other is her own. I will take charge of it.'

"Monsieur de- laid the other heart on the heart of his wife and then sent for the old nurse. Forthwith, the room was full of the rustle of skirts and the sound of wailing. The candles which had so often lit up her dinner parties now shone round her deathbed. Monsieur de- sent for his tailor, and, without telling him the reason, ordered some suits of mourning."

Madame de Vilmorin is at her best in this airy fantasy of manners. Her novel “Julietta” suggest that she is less gifted for bigger books; characterizations which seemed delightfully transparent in “Madame de” become opaque in a longer novel.

The least successful of these characters is the adolescent heroine, Julietta, who "spent her life in a world of her own invention." Escaping from her mother (a bourgeois lady) and her 54-year-old fiancé (a prince), Julietta takes refuge in the attic of Landrecourt (an intellectual). Here, she invents a world of her own so splendid that Landrecourt is dazzled and won—though his mistress-Rosie's exasperation with these goings-on deserves the reader's sympathy. In fact, the portrait of Rosie, in all her high-toned frivolity, is both the triumph and the symbol of Louise de Vilmorin's art.

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SKU: 41066516760

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4.7 ★★★★★
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Mena
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
Good size for my pug!
Color: Dentachew 3 Pk
I love how it’s a good size for my pug it is easy for her to play around with. I had stuffed animals for her to play around with but it looked so silly to watch her play with something that is 10 times as big as her 😂. I had to buy her these toys and she seemed so happy when she first got them. It was so funny and interesting that she had to chew all three toys and decide which one she liked. At first she decided to play with the rope toy and she liked the rope toy, then she got curious with the rubber toys. She has decided that the rubber toys are her favorite and I’ve tried to engage with playing with her with the rope toy. She gets more interactive with the rubber toys! She also looked so relieved while chewing them so that’s a plus!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2026
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Larkus
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 3
Dog loved, started to break down after 10 minutes.
Color: Hedgehog, Color: Hedgehog
I don’t know why it’s so difficult to find a quality teething toy that won’t begin to break down within (in this case) the first 10 minutes. I have a 17lb, 5 mos old Bernedoodle and she’d broken two pieces off the snout in 10 minutes and tried eating them. Yeah, yeah, they’d most likely pass - but this shouldn’t happen with a product specifically sold as a dog chew toy and listed for teething. On the plus side, she loves it - but I can’t obsessively monitor her every second of her teething either. Hit with the dog, frustrating for the ‘parent’.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2026
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Kris B
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Get this for your teething pup ASAP!!!
Color: Hedgehog
Immediately calmed my Bichon Frise puppy who is going through a tough teething & nipping phase ... None of the other teething toys were really engaging him, so as a result he would get restless and start biting at air, lol. This worked immediately at keeping him occupied and content. It also freezes great for him to cool his gums after a nap. Get this teether, you will not regreat it!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2026
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Lindap
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 4
Good for Teething puppies
Color: Teething Stick
After getting my fingers chewed and bitten by my new foster - 8 week old Yorkie , I was desperate to find good teething toys. Fortunately this one arrived quickly. Turned out to be very good for teething puppies! Charlie loves this cooling stick. Once it’s frozen, the cold really seems to soothe his sore gums. The icy part doesn’t stay frozen for long, but it works so well that I bought a second one to keep ready in the freezer while he’s working on the first. Even after it warmed up, he still enjoyed chewing on the soft stuffed part and the tentacles. The product card says not to use it as a chew toy, so supervision is a must, but it held up just fine so far. Overall, this has been a big help during the teething phase — short-lived when frozen, but very effective while it lasts! And worth every penny to save my fingers from being a chew toy.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2025
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Ken
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Tennis balls
Color: Squeaky-Multi Colors, Size: 2.5"(Medium)-12 Pack
Nice tennis balls, my dog loves them! Great value.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026

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