Guide to ten properties held by the The Preservation Society of Newport County.

“Delightful...Fans of Victoria Thompson or Deanna Raybourn are sure to enjoy dipping into this historical series.”—Library Journal With the dawn of the twentieth century on the horizon, the fortunes of the venerable Vanderbilt family still shine brightly in the glittering high society of Newport, Rhode Island. But when a potential scandal strikes, the Vanderbilts turn to cousin and society page reporter Emma Cross to solve a murder and a disappearance. . . Responding to a frantic call on her newfangled telephone from her eighteen-year-old cousin, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Emma Cross arrives at the Marble House mansion and learns the cause of her distress--Consuelo's mother, Alva, is forcing her into marriage with the Duke of Marlborough. Her mother has even called in a fortune teller to assure Consuelo of a happy future. But the future is short-lived for the fortune teller, who is found dead by her crystal ball, strangled with a silk scarf. Standing above her is one of the Vanderbilts' maids, who is promptly taken into police custody. After the frenzy has died down, Consuelo is nowhere to be found. At Alva's request, Emma must employ her sleuthing skills to determine if the vanishing Vanderbilt has eloped with the beau of her choice--or if her disappearance may be directly connected to the murder. . .

"Newport, Rhode Island nicknamed "the Queen of Resorts," has been celebrated in beautiful postcard portrayals for over a hundred years. Today, these vintage cards illuminate the glories of the Gilded Age, when huge mansions or "cottages" built by competing industrialists blossomed along Bellevue Avenue and the Cliff Walk, turning a once-quiet New England watering hole into the apex of nouveau riche destinations. This updated and expanded second edition features over 200 period images of the mansions, the beautiful beaches, and the shopping areas where the Newport Summer Colony gathered to do what they did best: spend money. See how Newport was forever changed by the prolific growth of cottages during the late nineteenth century. Today, many of these testaments to power and wealth are house museums, where thousands visit annually to see firsthand how the rich and famous lived. Includes a guide to postcard values and collector tips."--page [4] of cover.

Newport, Rhode Island, blessed with stunning ocean vistas and constant sea breezes, is home to some of the most exceptional private residences in America. Its deeply rooted history makes it a perennial destination, with more than 3.5 million visitors each year. Although it is one of the most high profile towns in the country, Newport is also one of the most cloistered. Private Newport: At Home and in the Garden offers an invitation to venture beyond the privet hedges and massive iron gates. It is the first book to step inside the privately owned mansions to reveal a diverse collection of architectural jewels complemented by spectacular gardens. These homes, created by distinguished architects and landscape designers, are stunning examples of Newport's 375-year "old-world" heritage. Eighteen exquisite and unique homes are prominently featured-from the resilient crescent curve of majestic Seafair, which withstood the Hurricane of '38, to the prizewinning Japanese garden at Wildacre, to the nostalgic working farm of heritage breeds at Swiss Village-each contributing its own part to the "Eden of America."

One of them was built without wood, and the other lacked doorknobs, but they flaunted all the amenities that Old World skills, Vanderbilt money, and the unbridled taste of Richard M. Hunt could provide. Here, in this essay by journalist and historian Mary Cable, is the story of Newport's Marble Cottages.

Michael Seggie was a young boy when he first watched the gothic ABC-TV soap opera, "Dark Shadows," in 1967. An unusual daytime soap, it was filled with ghosts, witches, warlocks, werewolves, and a 175-year old vampire, Barnabas Collins. In 1970, he discovered that the brooding mansion used as the exterior for "Collinwood," was located in nearby Newport, R.I. Named "Seaview Terrace," it was the home for two private boarding schools. With his first visit to Newport, and the mansion, his research on the house and the original owners, began. So much has been written about the famous Gilded Age mansions of Newport, such as "The Breakers," "Marble House," "The Elms," and "Belcourt Castle," but of "Seaview Terrace," its history was unknown. Michael Seggie is the only one to uncover its fascinating history. "In the Shadows of a Newport Mansion" is also about Michael's lifelong interest in Newport, and his time as a tour guide at "Belcourt Castle," and his humorous 12 years as a tour guide with the mansions of the Preservation Society of Newport County. Michael writes of Gloria Vanderbilt, and the movie star, Joan Crawford. And, too, there is the former First lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the most famous Newporter. He writes too, of the infamous Claus von Bulow, the socialite acquitted of trying to murder his rich wife, to marry his mistress, the star of "Dark Shadows." Old Crow Whiskey, A beloved Chaplain of the USMA, West Point, Newport's Queen of Wit, A tragic Newport Fireman, A Society beauty who lost her mind, A Mansion of Broken Dreams....All, "In the Shadows of a Newport Mansion."

An intimate love letter to summertime in Newport from photographer Nick Mele, the "modern-day Slim Aarons," and interior designer Ruthie Sommers Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the last bastions of American high society. The grand Gilded Age houses that top its oceanside cliffs and line storied Bellevue Avenue are largely untouched by contemporary renovation and taste, and family heirlooms are passed down from generation to generation with Yankee thrift. Indeed, Newport has an understated elegance that sets it apart from other resort towns. Life behind the facades of these elaborate mansions is rarely revealed, but now, photographer Nick Mele and author Ruthie Sommers, both Iifelong Newport residents, share their entrée into the parties, lawn tennis matches, beach clambakes, and family gatherings that make up the glorious days of a Newport summer. Picture the foggy mornings of June, the traditional yacht races of July, the annual meeting of old friends at Marble House in August, and the melancholy close of the season after Labor Day. Through Sommers's personal, evocative text and Mele's exquisite photographs of people, parties, beaches, and houses, the intimate charms of A Newport Summer come poignantly to life.