The King's Secret Matter

New York, NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Very Good+ in Near Fine dust jacket. 1995. 1st American Edition; 1st Printing. Hardcover. 0399141111 . Cover Art; This book is in Very Good+ condition and has a Near Fine dust jacket. The book and its contents are in mostly clean, bright condition. There is one small bump to the bottom spine end of the book cover. The text pages are clean and bright. The dust jacket is crisp and clean. "The twelve-year marriage of Henry and Katharine has declined from an idyllic union into an uneasy stalemate. The king's love for his aging queen has grown cold, and he is angry with her failure to give him the heir to the throne he desperately wants." "In 1945, she chose the pseudonym Jean Plaidy for her new novel Together They Ride at the request of her agent. The name was inspired by Plaidy Beach near the Hibberts' home in Looe, Cornwall during World War II. Her agent suggested the first name, saying "Jean doesn't take much room at the back of the book". The book was published by Gerald G. Swan, a London publisher. The next book written under the Jean Plaidy pseudonym was Beyond the Blue Mountains in 1948. The publisher Robert Hale accepted the 500-page manuscript after it had been rejected by several others. The firm wrote to Hibbert's literary agency, A. M. Heath, "Will you tell this author that there are glittering prizes ahead for those who can write as she does?". In 1949, Hibbert hit her stride with the first Jean Plaidy novel that fictionalized stories of royalty: The King's Pleasure, featuring Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn." (from Wikipedia) .