Louis Couperus - Hooge troeven - 1896

Hooge troeven - Amsterdam, L J Veen, [n.d. 1896] - 121 pp - crème linnen met een roodbruine opdruk

Fairly good. The spine imprint slightly faded, some spots flattened. Dents along edges and corners. Pencil scribble on the first flyleaf. Interior browned, foxing on the endpapers and title page and on the deckle and somewhat along the page edges of several pages.

Iconic book binding. The beautiful Jugendstil design was created by the well-known Dutch architect and designer H.P. Berlage (Hendrik Petrus Berlage). The pattern is subtly inspired by playing cards, with the four card colors (hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds) incorporated into the corners of the front board.

Psychological novella set in the decadent, glittering world of European royalty and nobility. The story forms the concluding volume of Couperus' 'king's novels' and centers on the cold, ambitious queen-mother Alexandra, who, due to political maneuvering, has been banished to the Mediterranean island of Paxos. Obsessed with the will to reclaim her lost political power in the kingdom of Thrace, she begins a cold psychological power play in which she manipulates her own son (King Wladimir). She uses her naïve maid Elena as a pawn — or 'trump card' — on her geopolitical chessboard. Couperus weaves this cynical political intrigue with lush descriptions of court life and the sultry, Mediterranean nature.

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