{"product_id":"the-mad-bad-line-brian-roberts-9798364307071","title":"The Mad Bad Line: The family of Lord Alfred Douglas","description":"\u003cb\u003e'You had yourself often told me, ' Oscar Wilde wrote to Lord Alfred Douglas, 'how many of your race there had been who had stained their hands in their own blood; your uncle certainly, your grandfather possibly; many others in the mad, bad line from which you come.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWilde's tragic involvement with Lord Alfred Douglas's family led him to believe anything he was told about the 'mad, bad line.' The truth was even stranger than he imagined. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThat Lord Alfred's grandfather, the 7th Marquess of Queensberry, committed suicide is more than a possibility. His eldest son, the 8th Marquess, was that noted eccentric famous for giving his name to the rules of boxing and for his persecution of Oscar Wilde. He had other claims to notoriety, too. His agnosticism resulted in his expulsion from the House of Lords and he quarrelled violently with all his sons, the eldest of whom was found dead in suspicious circumstances. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNor was the 8th Marquess the only eccentric in the Douglas family. His mother shocked London society by supporting the Fenians, one of his brothers was killed in the first ascent of the Matterhorn, and another brother cut his throat in a London hotel. The Marquess's eldest sister created a scandal by marrying a baker's boy twenty years her junior, and his youngest sister, Lady Florence Dixie - author, explorer, ardent feminist and champion of the Zulus - was, in her day, almost as controversial as the Marquess himself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBased on much original research, Brian Roberts' immensely readable book examines this extraordinary family more fully than ever before. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBrian Roberts\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Zulu Kings\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Diamond Magnates\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCecil Rhodes and the Princess\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eChurchills in Africa\u003c\/i\u003e. After spending some years in Africa, he returned to England and now lives in Somerset.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Brian Roberts\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798364307071\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/17\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 404\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.03lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.83d","brand":"Brian Roberts","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46927633121535,"sku":"9798364307071","price":15.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c6dcc95b-626a-4130-9079-6ad96911e007.jpg?v=1749372475","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-mad-bad-line-brian-roberts-9798364307071","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}