Alma Mahler: or the Art of Being Loved

Biography & Memoir

Françoise Giroud’s acclaimed biography Alma Mahler: or the Art of Being Loved traces the glittering, scandal-strewn life of the Viennese muse who married (and survived) three of the twentieth century’s most brilliant men. In 169 brisk pages this Oxford University Press hardcover distills gossip, letters and diaries into a vivid portrait of how Alma wielded beauty, wit and sheer nerve to become the era’s most famous femme inspiratrice.

The 1991 first English edition arrives with its original dust jacket intact and a warm gift inscription on the fly-leaf—no other writing, no dog-ears, just two discreet pen lines marking one passage. Measuring a trim 215 mm, the book feels at home on shelf or bedside table, its pages fresh from a smoke-free home and ready for a new collector.

Perfect for lovers of biography, fin-de-siècle Vienna, or feminist reinterpretations of history, this concise life offers an elegant entry point into Alma’s world of music, art and restless passion.