I have been thinking about Madam, Will You Talk? again, partly because of Jessie @ Dwell in Possibility’s lovely blogpost here. I can’t justify reading this book again when I last read it on holiday in March, so I have decided to enjoy Mary Stewart’s debut novel by posting about my Madam book covers and magazine pics instead. Yes, I do own many copies of Madam, Will You Talk? but I may one day own more.
October 1954 – publication in Woman’s Journal: New author Mary Stewart merits no mention on the front cover but gets this marvellous tagline:
Woman’s Journal’s Great Discovery – an exciting new Thriller Writer of exceptional quality!
February 1955, Hodder & Stoughton, UK, first edition: A little bit too ‘busy’ for me (and why the pink?), this first edition was illustrated by Eleanor Poore, who also illustrated the first editions of Mary Stewart’s next three books.
July 1956, Doubleday One Dollar Book Club Bulletin: I can’t even remember how I found it but I do like this promotional booklet that concentrates on Mary Stewart and a writer named Thomas B Costain, with short mentions of other books by writers such as Margery Sharp, Catherine Gaskin and Paul Gallico.
1956, M S Mill Co & William Morrow & Co, New York (Book Club Edition): Look at those heels up a mountainside. And that tiny waist. (And, oh dear, what kind of a bra… ?) I value this edition chiefly for the photograph on the back cover.
1964, Hodder paperback edition, 3rd impression: this is an excellent cover for this book. I love the blurb too:
The B.B.C. and the leading Women’s Magazines have serialized her novels and several of them have been sold as films.
It is impossible to read this in anything other than a very posh English accent!
1965, Hodder paperback edition, fourth impression: I am not a fan of frills and ruffles, plus I think this representation of Charity looks a little brooding or even possibly unkind. And Hodder’s price has increased from 2’6 to 3’6 in a year!
1969, Omnibus 1, Hodder & Stoughton This one has a fantastic four-page preface:
1979, Octopus/Heinemann omnibus. This is a book for completists only: no preface or interesting illustrations and it is far too heavy to actually, y’know, read it.
1981, A Hutchinson Bulls-Eye, adapted by Dorothy Welchman: This paperback is an attempt to simplify Mary Stewart’s book for children (I think, or possibly for adults learning English?): gone are the chapter heading quotations, instead chapters have titles such as ‘I tell a few lies’, ‘The kiss of a killer’ and ‘Keep your hands off me!’ Even the opening line is changed, to
It all began like any other holiday.
It feels very strange to read a Mary Stewart thriller where the exquisite writing has been stripped away.
1985, Chivers Audio Books: an ex-library bargain. And I’m sure we still have a tape player in the house >somewhere<.
2011, Hodder paperback. I’m not keen on the 2011 set of Mary Stewarts, I think the original Gerd Hartung fashion illustrations look much better with background and context – look here to see what I mean.
2015, Chicago Review Press Incorporated. An absolute must-have, for Katherine Hall Page’s foreword.
2017, Hodder: a simply gorgeous cover from font to beautiful, sophisticated driver to that summer sky.
Those are all my Madam book covers, at any rate until I spot another edition that I just have to have. What do you think – which one is your favourite or is there one you think is awful? Do you own a better cover? Let me know!
You will see in the comments below that Annabel emailed me her bookcover for Madam, Will You Talk? – I am not sure how to let everyone see it in the comments section so I am including it here. Annabel is not terribly fond of this cover, mainly because of the unflattering skirt. I agree that the skirt is pretty awful, Charity looks dowdy. But. But I am half-consumed with longing as I have never ever seen this Coronet cover before. My Mary Stewart book addiction continues! Annabel, thank you for sharing this cover – and I promise not to find out where you live and steal your book!
Mary Queen of Plots 
I have the 1965 Hodder. I had to go check because I swore I had a different cover. I love how she starts this off. “The whole affair started so quietly.” Talk about piquing one’s interest.
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Now I’m wondering what cover you imagined you had! Yes, Mary Stewart certainly knew how to hook us all in to her stories, and how to keep us hooked too.
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I had this image of a woman and a boat and the water but not any of the images you posted. I even went through my bookshelf to see if I had linked it to another to another title but no. It’s a bit odd and mysterious
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I am intrigued!
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I should have added (got distracted by the text) that my favourite cover is the 1964 Hodder.
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It is gorgeous, isn’t it? And it even matches the book in terms of cat, tree, Charity etc!
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What a wonderful collection! Sadly, my copy is a rather dirty, bright yellow former library book. I will just have to replace it with a prettier version in the future!
The Chicago Review Press edition has grown on me, but the 2011 and 2017 Hodders are my favorites.
I finished my first read of Madam, Will You Talk? yesterday and will be reviewing it soon. Spoiler: I loved it!
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Thanks, I’m glad you like this collection, and I’m trying to picture which cover you have. The 2017 book covers are all stunning, aren’t they, Hodder has chosen so well!
Great to hear you love Madam, Will You Talk?, I look forward to your review.
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I posted an image of the cover here: https://dwellinpossibilityblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/15/abebooks-haul/#more-2375
I assume there was originally a dustcover? Inside it says it was first published in the US in 1956 by M. S. Mill Co. and William Morrow & Co.
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Ah, I see now – the dust-jacket for your book is the 1956 one on my list with the fab photo of Mary Stewart on the back cover but the heels-and-awful-bra-shaping front cover!
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My copy is different again – I’ve sent you a pic of it, Allison, (email) so you can hopefully add it to my comment. It’s a bit garish and yellow and black but the main problem with it for me is that Charity’s hips look about a metre wide. Never wear a loose-fitting skirt with wide horizontal stripes!
I must admit I love (most of) the 2011 Mary Stewart editions, as well as the 2017 ones. I’m also a fan of the 1960s ones which always have the girl hovering against a mountaintop on the cover (regardless of whether any mountains feature in the plot), but you’re right that in this one Charity looks very unfriendly. I think my favourite is the one with the cat on the window-sill – the illustrator really took the trouble to recreate a scene from the book. But I also must confess to liking the look of Charity (and her lovely red dress) in the odd bowdlerised version.
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Hi Annabel, I will pick up the email later and figure out how to show the cover you have emailed me so that everyone can see it.
I agree with you about the 60s covers and the 2017 ones, and I am pleased that you have mentioned the cover with the cat – it is one of my newest copies and I adore it. The children’s book cover is very sweet too, although I am not too keen on Charity’s sandals…
Thanks for your comments!
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Hi everyone, Annabel’s book cover is now included at the bottom of the post. Has anyone seen this cover before? I never have.
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I see what you mean about the horizontal stripes! The shadow of the man with the gun is very suspenseful.
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Hi Cryssa,
Yes, I think the rest of the image works well, it’s just that dreadful skirt!
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I have another Coronet cover. I’ve been trying to get a full set on this style (I just have Nine Coaches Waiting to go). I’m not sure how to get it to you though. Let me consider and return.
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Hi, thank you, I have found the image in spam, I’ll try to post it!
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Here’s mine: https://rocalisa.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/my-cover-for-madam-will-you-talk/
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These creamy covers are lovely, I like this one a lot although the man in the image looks a tad Bond-villain for my tastes! Charity looks stunning, I love how this set has the heroines’ hair really stand out against their backgrounds.
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I am a huge fan of both Mary Stewart AND Francis Marshall. I have almost all Mary Stewart’s books in various editions – my favourite being The Ivy Tree.
I would dearly love to see the illustrations to the editions of Madam, Will You Talk? in the Woman’s Journal – first seen by me long ago when they first were published. What a combination of talents!
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Hello Sally, I would agree that The Ivy Tree is a wonderful book. I don’t know Francis Marshall’s work outside of his illustration for Madam, was he mainly or solely a book illustrator? Unfortunately I have the first part only (ie the October 1954 issue of Woman’s Journal) of the Madam serialisation so I don’t have more of his illustrations, but it sounds as though it is worth looking for more of his work. Thank you for your comments
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