Bugatti Queen: In Search of a French Racing Legend
Seymour, Miranda
ISBN 10: 1400061687 ISBN 13: 9781400061686
Published by Random House, 2004
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Hardcover
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About this Item
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323 pages, Between the Wars Helle Nice shattered records and conventional expectations for women within the exclusive club of Bugatti's make drivers. Seller Inventory # 028551
Synopsis:
“Even if you have never thrilled to the drone of powerful cars jockeying for position on a racetrack,” writes London’s Literary Review, “Miranda Seymour’s biography of the daring female driver Hellé Nice will have you riveted to your seat.” Indeed, the story of this record-shattering woman–known as “Hellish Nice” to her fans and “Hell on Ice” to her rivals–provides a fascinating and unexpected view of Europe and America in the years between the wars.
Transcending her provincial background, and taking the name “Hellé Nice,” Hélène Delangle made her way into the Parisian demimonde of the 1920s as a nude model, ballerina, and cabaret dancer. But it was on the racetrack, thrilled by the combination of machinery and speed, that Nice would realize her destiny, becoming the “fastest woman in the world.”
Catching the attention of the formidable Ettore Bugatti, designer of the world’s most desirable cars, Nice gained admission to the exclusive male club of drivers. Her readiness to pose for the camera with seductively half-closed eyes and a radiant smile, coupled with her willingness to risk her life for a record or a win, made Hellé Nice an irresistible commodity for Bugatti’s marque. Impenitently promiscuous, her many lovers ranged from engineers and mechanics to aristocrats of the racing world such as Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Count Bruno d’Harcourt.
A racer of thrilling audacity, Hellé Nice competed in numerous Grand Prix, was the only woman to drive the treacherous American dirt tracks and speedbowls in the 1930s, and set new land-speed records until a notorious accident in Brazil nearly ended her racing career. Her comeback impeded by the war, she lived out the Occupation in the South of France. In 1949, she was mysteriously denounced by a hostile fellow driver as a Gestapo agent. Eventually, Hellé Nice would die in obscurity, the shadow on her reputation causing her name to be written out of racing history.
Drawn from a remarkable cache of newly discovered papers, Miranda Seymour’s Bugatti Queen sheds new light on both the treacherous world of international racing and life in Occupied France, while revealing the story of a fearless and passionate woman who lived for challenge.
About the Author: MIRANDA SEYMOUR is the author of acclaimed biographies of Mary Shelley, Ottoline Morrell, Robert Graves, and Henry James. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Society of Arts, and a visiting professor at the Nottingham Trent University, Seymour lives next to what used to be England’s most celebrated racing circuit.
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Bibliographic Details
Title: Bugatti Queen: In Search of a French Racing ...
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 2004
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: New
Dust Jacket Condition: New
Edition: 1st Edition
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BUGATTI QUEEN in search of a frenc racing legend
Published by
RANDOM HOUSE, NY, 2004
ISBN 10: 1400061687
ISBN 13: 9781400061686
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Seller: Gian Luigi Fine Books, Albany, NY, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. SMALL CLOSED TEAR TO THE DJ. Seller Inventory # 054822
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Bugatti Queen: In Search of a French Racing Legend
Published by
Random House, 2004
ISBN 10: 1400061687
ISBN 13: 9781400061686
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: G.J. Askins Bookseller, New Lebanon, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First American Edition. 323 text pages with photo illustrations. Biography of Helle' Delangle (Bugatti Queen), the French racing driver in Europe between th world wars. Very good condition - unmarked, tight and clean. Seller Inventory # 542317
Quantity: 1 available
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Bugatti Queen : In Search of a French Racing Legend
Published by
Random House, New York, 2004
ISBN 10: 1400061687
ISBN 13: 9781400061686
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: About Books, Henderson, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine condition. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine dust jacket. New York: Random House, 2004. Fine condition in a bright and beautiful Fine dust jacket. NO chips. NO tears. NO creases. NO rubbing. NOT price clipped ($24.95). A clean, tight copy. Sharp corners. NO owner's name or bookplate. NO remainder mark. "First U.S. Edition" is so stated, with complete number row (246897531) on the copyright page. Illustrated with a few documents and many old photographs. Bound in the original cream-color boards with a green spine, lettered in shiny metallic light blue. From the Dust Jacket: "Transcending her provincial background, Hellà Nice, born Hà là ne Delangle, made her way into the Parisian demimonde of the 1920s as a nude model, ballerina, and cabaret dancer. But it was on the racetrack, thrilled by the heady mix of machinery and speed, that Nice would realize her destiny, becoming the 'fastest woman in the world.' Catching the attention of the formidable Ettore Bugatti, designer of the world's most desirable cars, Nice gained admission to the exclusive club of male drivers. Her readiness to pose for the camera with seductively half-closed eyes and a radiant smile, coupled with her willingness to risk her life for a record or a win, made Nice an irresistible commodity for Bugatti's marque. Impenitently promiscuous, her many lovers ranged from engineers and mechanics to aristocrats of the racing world such as Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Count Bruno d'Harcourt. Hellà Nice placed in numerous grand prix, was the only woman to drive the treacherous American dirt tracks and speedbowls in the 1930s, and set new land-speed records -- until a notorious accident in Brazil nearly ended her racing career. Her comeback impeded by the war, she lived out the Occupation in the South of France. In 1949, after being mysteriously denounced by a hostile fellow driver as a Gestapo agent, she was written out of racing history. Drawn from a remarkable cache of previously unseen papers, Miranda Seymour's BUGATTI QUEEN sheds new light on both the perilous world of international racing and life in Occupied France. 'Even if you have never thrilled to the drone of powerful cars jockeying for position on a racetrack,' writes London's LITERARY REVIEW, 'Miranda Seymour's biography of the daring female driver Hellà Nice will have you riveted to your seat.'". First Printing of the First U.S. Edition. Hardcover. Fine condition/Fine dust jacket. 8vo. (xxiv), 323pp. First Printing of the First U.S. Edition. Seller Inventory # 005573
Quantity: 1 available
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Bugatti Queen In Search of a French Racing Legend
Published by
Random House, New York, NY, 2004
ISBN 10: 1400061687
ISBN 13: 9781400061686
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: S. Howlett-West Books (Member ABAA), Modesto, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition; 1st Printing. This book is in Near Fine condition and has a Near Fine dust jacket. The book and its contents are in mostly clean, bright condition. There is some light bumping to the spine ends of the book covers. The text pages are clean and bright. The dust jacket is crisp and clean. "Mariette Hélène Delangle (19001984) , better known by her stage name Hellé Nice, was a French dancer and motor racing driver. She danced in Paris at the Hôtel Ritz, Olympia Hall and Casino de Paris, before her career was ended by a skiing accident. She then became a racing driver, using roadster cars built by companies such as Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, DKW, Ford, Hispano-Suiza, Renault and Rosengart. She competed in various Grand Prix motor racing, hillclimbing and rally events at a time when it was rare for a woman to do so. She won the Grand Prix Féminin and the Actor's Championship in 1929. Already famous in Paris, she became a household name in France in the early 1930s and raced as an exhibition dirt track driver for a season in the United States. " (from Wikipedia). Seller Inventory # A49120
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Bugatti Queen: In Search of a French Racing Legend
Published by
Random House, 2004
ISBN 10: 1400061687
ISBN 13: 9781400061686
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: ALEXANDER POPE, Kent, CT, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Stated First U.S. Edition 1st printing. "Even if you have never thrilled to the drone of powerful cars jockeying for position on a racetrack, writes London s Literary Review, Miranda Seymour s biography of the daring female driver Hellé Nice will have you riveted to your seat. Indeed, the story of this record-shattering woman known as Hellish Nice to her fans and Hell on Ice to her rivals provides a fascinating and unexpected view of Europe and America in the years between the wars. Transcending her provincial background, and taking the name Hellé Nice, Hélène Delangle made her way into the Parisian demimonde of the 1920s as a nude model, ballerina, and cabaret dancer. But it was on the racetrack, thrilled by the combination of machinery and speed, that Nice would realize her destiny, becoming the fastest woman in the world. Catching the attention of the formidable Ettore Bugatti, designer of the world s most desirable cars, Nice gained admission to the exclusive male club of drivers. Her readiness to pose for the camera with seductively half-closed eyes and a radiant smile, coupled with her willingness to risk her life for a record or a win, made Hellé Nice an irresistible commodity for Bugatti s marque. Impenitently promiscuous, her many lovers ranged from engineers and mechanics to aristocrats of the racing world such as Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Count Bruno d Harcourt. A racer of thrilling audacity, Hellé Nice competed in numerous Grand Prix, was the only woman to drive the treacherous American dirt tracks and speedbowls in the 1930s, and set new land-speed records until a notorious accident in Brazil nearly ended her racing career. Her comeback impeded by the war, she lived out the Occupation in the South of France. In 1949, she was mysteriously denounced by a hostile fellow driver as a Gestapo agent. Eventually, Hellé Nice would die in obscurity, the shadow on her reputation causing her name to be written out of racing history. Drawn from a remarkable cache of newly discovered papers, Miranda Seymour s Bugatti Queen sheds new light on both the treacherous world of international racing and life in Occupied France, while revealing the story of a fearless and passionate woman who lived for challenge.". Seller Inventory # ABE-1733162695908
Quantity: 1 available