Title: Madame du Deffand and Her World
First published: 1982
Description: Biography of Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, Madame du Deffand. 
Madame du Deffand, a popular and influential Parisian salon hostess, was widely respected for her keen wit and intellect, and she was a prolific correspondent with a number of notable thought & literary figures of her time.  Her letters to people such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, Fontenelle were published after her death by close friend Horace Walpole.
Author Benedetta Craveri, a professor of French literature, originally published the biography in Italian as "Madame du Deffand e il suo mondo" in 1982. She won awards for the work in Italy & France - this U.S. edition & English translation was published a little over a decade later in 1994.
Subjects: Authors, French, Biography, Court and courtiers, French Authors, History, Social life and customs, Parisian Salons, French Salons, French Society Hostess, Voltaire, Horace Walpole, Authors, biography, France, court and courtiers, France, social life and customs, France, history, 18th century, New York Times reviewed
Places: Burgundy, France, Paris, Saône-et-Loire
People: Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, Madame du Deffand (1696 or 1697-1780)
Time periods: 18th century