Giving in to temptation

It probably won't surprise anyone who reads this blog to know that I bought Margot Asquith's Great War Diary. After writing about it here, it was only a matter of time, really. I bought it at an end of financial year sale at Bookworld, so it was 15% off plus free postage - a bargain! I'm glad I have it now because I've just watched an excellent three part drama series called 37 Days, about the weeks leading up to the beginning of WWI from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand & his wife until the declaration of war.
Sinead Cusack plays Margot, &, as a segue into the post that's coming up on Thursday, I've just been watching Cusack's husband, Jeremy Irons, play Frank Tregear in The Pallisers 40 years ago. I hadn't realised that Irons & Anthony Andrews had acted together before their famous roles in Brideshead Revisited but, here they are as best friends seven years earlier as Andrews plays Lord Silverbridge in The Pallisers.

Asquith Diaries

I'm very tempted by this book at the moment, Margot Asquith's Great War Diaries. I haven't succumbed just yet as I've bought a few books lately & really don't need any more. Margot was the second wife of Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith who was PM from 1908-1916. Margot, therefore, was right there at the centre of politics at this crucial time.

This morning, as I was dusting the study, I was thinking about Margot & remembered that I had an Asquith diary on the tbr shelves. Lady Cynthia was the stepdaughter-in-law of Margot, being married to the PM's son, Herbert. I bought this second hand copy years ago &, on opening it up at random, was very encouraged to see this entry from March 11th 1915,

A lot more snow fell. The weather is most depressing. I frowsted all morning. I have been re-reading Jane Eyre with tremendous enjoyment. I still find Rochester irresistible ... I suppose I ought to have outgrown his charm.

I like Cynthia already! This edition was published in 1968, with an Introduction by the novelist L P Hartley. I was intrigued by this comment from the blurb,

She wrote with the bewildering fullness of a still-leisured age - and very, very frankly, so that even now many excisions have been made for reasons other than length, before it was possible to publish this selection.

What has been left out? Has a fuller "selection" ever been published in the 46 years since first publication?? I must investigate! Wouldn't it be interesting to read these two diaries side by side as they cover practically the same period? Can you tell I'm talking myself into making a little purchase? Don't worry, if I succumb, I'll confess all.