The Explorer

by Frances Parkinson Keyes

Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1965, [First Edition], paperback

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, minor rubbing and bumping to edges and covers, no inscriptions, dustjacket shows a little edge and shelf wear with little rubbing, bumping, chipping, and small tears, minor discolouration to jacket (see photographs)

“Margaret Porterfield, a beautiful and aristocratic young Virginian, lives alone on her ancestral estate of Hills’ End.  Since her mother’s death she has no longer participated in the social and official circles of Washington and restricted her life to her house, her books, her garden and her church work.  Visiting New York for the Schaeffer-Steinmetz wedding, however, had been a mistake; Nicolas Hale had disturbed her – she knew that she had not measured up to the estimate she would have like him to have of her.
Nicolas Hale is a famous explorer, who, inspired by Hirma Bingham’s discovery of the lost city of Machu Picchu, has devoted his life to the exploration of Peru.  He may not be a great scientist, but he knows ‘the meaning of clouds and mist, rain and streams and waterfalls” and can follow their lead; his great passion is the search for a submerged city in the Andes, the discovery of which will bring hi lasting fame and fortune.  Because of this monomania, and despite his being extremely attractive to women, he has always avoided marriage, but now his desire for a son to inherit his name, and to carry on his work, impels him to propose to Margaret….”