cover image Relations and Revelations: Advice to Jemima

Relations and Revelations: Advice to Jemima

David Herbert. Learning Links, $35 (103pp) ISBN 978-0-7206-0874-8

At age 83, Herbert addresses this book to Jemina, age two, daughter of his nephew, the earl of Pembroke. Purportedly meant to advise the grown-up Jemina on living well and behaving properly, the book mainly reprises the author's Second Son and Engaging Eccentrics , adding few ``revelations.'' He repeats stories about his life after leaving the ancestral residence in his youth, traveling abroad and making a home near exotic Tangier over 40 years ago. Larky and touching, the memoir amounts to a mix of affectionate anecdotes about Herbert's titled kin and glamorous friends: Noel Coward, Elsie de Wolf, Barbara Hutton, Lord and Lady Mountbatten, among many others. Although the author's style is inviting, the faded subjects of his gossip are unlikely to attract many American readers, while inexpertly reproduced snapshots do little to enhance his pricey offering. (Jan.)