The Viper of Milan depicts 14th century Italy as a place of danger and fractious warfare, as disparate groups of nobles fought to achieve and maintain supremacy. A novel steeped in darkness and conflict, we are plunged into the rivalries which rend the province of Lombardy in the early Renaissance. That the reader be immersed, Marjorie Bowen researched the period extensively, noting the rise of the Visconti family who would dominate Milan for decades. Although this novel is not historically accurate, its general depiction of Italian society and nobility of the time - of its priorities, cruelties and caprices - is founded in factual incidents. Marjorie Bowen specialized in historical romances, publishing over a hundred fictional works set in a variety of time periods and locales, together with several biographies of famous figures of yore. Often they contain a romantic element, alongside a gothic or dark aspect; such idiosyncrasy made Bowen a favorite of authors such as Graham Greene. The Viper of Milan, which appeared in 1906, is her earliest published work, the warm reception spurring the young author to further writing.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Viper of Milan" (A Romance of Lombardy) by Marjorie Bowen. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The Viper of Milan by Marjorie Bowen, 1906.Marjorie Bowen (1885 - 1952) was a British author who wrote historicalromances, supernatural horror stories, popular history andbiography.Bowen had adifficult childhood; her alcoholic father left the family at an earlyage and was eventually found dead on a London street. She and hersister grew up in poverty with a less than affectionate mother.Her first novel, the violent historical The Viper of Milan (writtenwhen she was 16) was rejected by several publishers, who considered itinappropriate for a young woman to have written such a novel. Itwent on to become a best-seller when eventually published. Afterthis, Bowen's prolific writings were the chief financial support forher family.In 1938, Bowen was one of the signatories to a petition organised bythe National Peace Council, calling for an international peaceconference in an effort to avert war in Europe.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.