Beauchamp's Career

London: Archibald Constable & Co, 1904. pocket. hardback. Very good, reprint pocket edition, no d/j, red clothbound boards (spine slightly soiled) , gilt signature, spine titling and ruling; text block firm, top edge gilt (soiled), pages unmarked. Owner's inscription ffep.. 18mo (170 x 100 / 6_"" x 4""). Beauchamp's Career (1875) is a novel by George Meredith which portrays life and love in upper-class Radical circles and satirises the Conservative establishment. Meredith himself thought it his best novel, and the character RenŽe de Croisnel was his favourite of his creations. The Penguin Companion to Literature calls it ""One of the finest political novels in English."" Nevil Beauchamp is a young naval officer with high ideals of honour and public service who, having been wounded in the Crimean War, recovers his health in Venice. He there falls in love with a brilliant and high-spirited French girl, RenŽe de Croisnel, with whom he hopes to elope. RenŽe marries an elderly French aristocrat instead, and Nevil takes up his naval career again. He falls under the influence of the republican and freethinking Dr. Shrapnel, thereby alienating his wealthy uncle Everard Romfrey, a staunchly Conservative peer. Nevil stands for Parliament as a Radical, but he is defeated. Everard horsewhips Dr. Shrapnel, and refuses when an outraged Nevil demands that he apologise. RenŽe now returns to claim Nevil, but he has meanwhile fallen in love with a beautiful Tory, Cecilia Halkett. Nevil reconciles RenŽe with her husband, but Cecilia refuses Nevil's proposal. With his love life in ruins Nevil falls ill and is thought to be at death's door. Uncle Everard repents of his quarrel with Nevil and Dr. Shrapnel, and apologises at last. On Nevil's recovery he marries Dr. Shrapnel's ward Jenny. The marriage is a happy one, in spite of Nevil's not being in love with her, but after a few months Nevil dies in an attempt to save a child from drowning.