Finding the Dragon Lady First Edition 2013 Madame Nhu Vietnam Demery

A well-researched biography of Trần Lệ Xuân (1924-2011), better known as Madame Nhu, the controversial de facto First Lady of South Vietnam during the presidency of her brother-in-law Ngô Đình Diệm. Drawing upon extensive interviews, including rare access to Madame Nhu herself in exile, Monique Brinson Demery reconstructs the life of one of the most influential and polarizing figures of the Vietnam War era. The work explores the rise and fall of the Ngô family regime, Madame Nhu's political influence, her public image in both Vietnam and the West, and the lasting consequences of the 1963 coup that reshaped Southeast Asian history. Illustrated with contemporary photographs and supported by substantial scholarly apparatus, the volume remains a significant modern study of the Diệm period. Condition: Near Fine book in Very Good+ dust jacket. White boards and red cloth spine are clean and square with sharp corners and tight binding. Interior is bright and unmarked. Dust jacket retains original price and shows only light handling wear. The toned and mottled coloration along the jacket edges is part of the publisher's printed design and not soiling or staining. A few minor creases and light edge wear are present, but no significant tears or losses. Overall an attractive collector and research copy. Stated First Edition with complete first-printing number line ending in '1' on the copyright page. Published by PublicAffairs (Perseus Books Group), New York, in 2013. Hardcover issue with original first-state dust jacket and publisher's price intact. Monique Brinson Demery is an American historian and writer specializing in modern Vietnamese history and U.S.-Vietnam relations. Educated at Harvard University in East Asian regional studies, she conducted extensive interviews with Madame Nhu beginning in 2005, producing one of the first major English-language biographies based substantially on direct access to the subject. Her work has been widely cited by scholars of Vietnam and Cold War history.…