Archie and Amelie: Love and Madness in the Gilded Age

New York: Harmony Books, 2006. vii, 339 pages, [8] pages of plates, illustrations, portrait; 25 cm. Tight, clean text. Top edge lightly soiled. Stated First Edition. Fine DJ. :John Armstrong Chanler--known as Archie to his family--was an heir to the Astor fortune, an eccentric, dashing, and handsome millionaire. Amelie Rives, from a Southern family and the goddaughter of Robert E. Lee, was a daring author, a stunning temptress, and a woman ahead of her time. Filled with glamour, mystery, and madness, their love affair and marriage made them the talk of society in the Gilded Age. Archie and Ame;lie seemed made for each other--both were passionate, intense, and driven by emotion--but the very things that brought them together would soon draw them apart. Their marriage began with a 'secret' wedding that found its way onto the front page of the New York Times, to the dismay of Archie's relatives and Amelie's many gentleman friends. To the world, the couple appeared charmed, rich, and famous; they moved in social circles that included Oscar Wilde, Teddy Roosevelt, and Stanford White. But although their love was undeniable, they tormented each other, and their private life was troubled from the start. They were the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald of their day--a celebrated couple too dramatic and unconventional to last--but their tumultuous story has largely been forgotten. Now, Donna M. Lucey vividly brings to life these extraordinary lovers and their sweeping, tragic romance. / Donna M. Lucey is an award-winning writer and photo editor whose previous books include Photographing Montana 1894-1928: The Life and Work of Evelyn Cameron and I Dwell in Possibility: Women Build a Nation 1600-1920. She lives with her husband and son in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the story of Archie and Amelie is part of local lore." - Publisher.. 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/Fine. 8vo.