During the golden age of English country house entertaining, from the death of Prince Albert in 1861 to the outbreak of World War I, invitations passed back and forth among members of the aristocracy, with the great houses of England providing splendid settings for house parties which ranged from long weekends to extended visits of up to six weeks. Barstow brings to life the personalities and lifestyles of a vanished age in this carefully researched, illustrated study. All the great characters of Edwardian high society are here: Lillie Langtry, the Double Duchess Louise von Alten, Daisy Warwick the socialite turned socialist and the Marquis of Hastings, who died ruined at the age of 26. International royalty and the political figures of the day also feature, none more memorably than the Shah of Persia, who offered to buy the Marchioness of Londonderry and advised the Prince of Wales to exexute the Duke of Sutherland when he became king. The text reveals the social and political importance of the house party and also describes the role of the country house in its local and national setting. The decline of country house living after World War I and the beginnings of the National Trust and other efforts to save for the nation these former playgrounds of the elite form the concluding chapters.