Books from Daphne du Maurier's canon of work celebrating anniversaries in 2026, plus a few more from Angela du Maurier and George du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier's writing career spanned many years, really getting started when she was in her teens and continuing into her 70s. As many of you will know, her writing included short stories, novels, poetry, plays, biographies, autobiography, memoir, and a book about her beloved Cornwall. So, there is a vast canon of work to look through, and to see which books might be celebrating noteworthy anniversaries in 2026. Sometimes, looking back at Daphne's work in this way reminds us of a particular favourite or a book we have not yet read, and it reinforces our appreciation as we return to it.
Daphne du Maurier remains a widely read author, possibly because her writing still feels so relevant today. Given the age of some of her books, it is encouraging that she remains so loved and that her books remain in print, making it easy for people to read her work. For that, we thank Virago, her current publisher, who has ensured that virtually everything Daphne wrote remains readily available.
The first anniversary we celebrate is for Daphne du Maurier's first novel, The Loving Spirit, published in the UK and the US in 1931, marking its 95th anniversary this year. Daphne wrote The Loving Spirit at Ferryside when she was 23 years old. It is the story of a woman's love that endures across generations of her family, based on the real shipbuilding family, the Slades, who lived and worked in the area. The matriarch of the family, Janet Coombe, was born with a passion for the sea and the great ships that her family built in their shipyard. Her 'loving spirit' is passed on to her son, Joseph, and later reappears in her great-granddaughter, Jennifer, with whom the saga ends.
Of course, when this novel was published, Daphne was virtually unknown as a writer and was mainly referred to as the granddaughter of George du Maurier, the author of Trilby.
Jamaica Inn was published in the UK and the US in 1936 and so celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. By the time this book was published, Daphne had become considerably better known as a writer. This book was her first big success, prompting a film to be made directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Charles Laughton as Sir Humphrey Pengallan, Maureen O'Hara as Mary Yellan, Leslie Banks as Joss Merlyn and Robert Newton as Jem Merlyn. The film made many changes from the novel and was a disappointment to Daphne, except for the wrecking scene, which she loved. However, later adaptations have stayed closer to the book's plot.
Jamaica Inn was inspired by two visits that Daphne made to the Inn with her friend Foy Quiller-Couch: first, when they were lost on the moor, and their horses led them back to Jamaica Inn; and later, when she met the vicar of Altarnun, the village not far from the Inn.
Daphne's sixth novel, Frenchman's Creek, was published in the UK in 1941 and in the US in 1942, so the UK edition celebrates its 85th anniversary this year. It was the only romantic novel Daphne ever wrote, and she did so deliberately to lift people's mood during wartime. It is the story of the beautiful Lady Dona St Columb who finds excitement and passion in the arms of a French pirate who anchors his ship in secret in Frenchman's Creek, on the Heford River.
The King's General is the next of Daphne's novels to celebrate an anniversary this year. Published in the UK and the US in 1946, this book celebrates its 80th anniversary. This was Daphne's eighth novel and was the first to be written at Menabilly, the house Daphne rented from the Rashleigh family for about 26 years. The story of The King's General is closely linked to the fortunes of the Rashleighs of Menabilly and is set against the background of the English Civil War in the West and its effects on Cornwall. The inspiration for The King's General came from the true story of a skeleton of a young man, still dressed in the remnants of a Cavalier's clothing, being discovered in a buttress at Menabilly during work being carried out for William Rashleigh in 1824.
Two books are celebrating their 75th anniversaries this year. The first is The Young George du Maurier: A Selection of His Letters 1860 – 67. This is a volume of letters, with some of George's sketches, edited by Daphne and published by his grandson, Peter Davies, who had his own publishing company.
The second is My Cousin Rachel, published in the UK in 1951 and in the US in 1952. So, again, it is the UK edition celebrating its 75th anniversary. It was a hugely successful novel and saw Daphne at the absolute height of her popularity and writing power. The book is set in Cornwall and Italy in the 19th century and is the story of two cousins, Ambrose and Philip, and their consuming passion for the beautiful and enigmatic Rachel of the title. When Ambrose marries her and then dies in mysterious circumstances, Philip sets out to discover for himself what really happened. He, too, falls under the spell of the charming Rachel and is finally left, like the reader, with the unanswered question as to her involvement in his cousin's death. Even Daphne said she did not know whether Rachel was good or evil, and indeed, as you read the book, you waver back and forth, never quite sure of Rachel's innocence or guilt.
In 1956, The Daphne du Maurier Omnibus was published. This book contains Rebecca, Jamaica Inn and Frenchman's Creek, and celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. This omnibus was the first of a number of omnibus editions published with three or more of Daphne's novels in them.
Two books celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2026, the first is The Winding Stair: Francis Bacon, His Rise and Fall, published in 1976 in the UK and 1977 in the US, so celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UK edition. This is the companion book to Golden Lads: A Study of Anthony Bacon, Francis, and their Friends and follows the life of Francis Bacon after his brother's death.
The second book to celebrate its 50th anniversary is Echoes From the Macabre, published in the UK in 1976 and the US in 1977, so again celebrating the anniversary of the UK edition. Echoes is a collection of nine of Daphne du Maurier's best short stories, including well-known titles such as Don't Look Now and The Birds, and less well-known stories including Kiss Me Again, Stranger and The Old Man.
The last of Daphne's books to mark a special anniversary in 2026 is the UK edition of The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, published in 1981, so it is celebrating its 45th anniversary. This book was published in the US in 1980, but its content follows a somewhat different format, making it a substantially different book. The UK edition of The Rebecca Notebook includes information about how Rebecca was conceived and written. It also includes a series of articles giving Daphne's views on romantic love, religion, success, death and widowhood, and life in her various homes. Unusually, the collection includes a small number of Daphne's poems. This memoir shows something of Daphne's extraordinary talent and reveals her as a person of immense strength of character, a wide range of interests and a delightful sense of humour. It gives much insight into her mastery of the writer's craft and a glimpse of the inner world that has made her writing so memorable.
I have found reference to three books that include a chapter by Daphne, all celebrating anniversaries. The first one, published in 1931, so 95 years ago, is The Best Stories of 1931 edited by Edward J O'Brien and including Daphne's short story Panic. The next book is Countryside Character, compiled by Richard Harman in 1946, so 80 years ago. It is a collection of articles about the British Countryside written by many famous authors. Daphne du Maurier contributed her essay, The House of Secrets. The third book is What I Believe, edited by George Unwin. This is a collection of nineteen personal philosophies, including one by Daphne. It was published 60 years ago, in 1966.
Two biographies about Daphne du Maurier were published in 1991, making them 35 years old. They are Daphne: A Portrait by Judith Cook, a superb, straightforward account of Daphne, her life, and her work. I think this book is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about Daphne. The second biography is The Private World of Daphne du Maurier by Martyn Shallcross.
To conclude the special anniversaries relating ot Daphne's work, we have two television programmes. The first was shown 50 years ago, in 1976 and was a play adapted for television from Daphne's short story The Breakthrough. It starred Simon Ward and was part of a series of eight plays in the BBC2 television series The Mind Beyond, produced by Irene Shubik. The series was accompanied by a book of the same title, published by Penguin in the same year. The second programme for television was the two-part Carlton TV adaptation of Rebecca, starring Emilia Fox as the second Mrs de Winter, Charles Dance as Maxim and Diana Rigg as Mrs Danvers. It was broadcast in early 1996, so it is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026.
Turning our attention to other writers in the du Maurier family, we find two anniversaries relating to Daphne's grandfather, George. Daphne did not know George because he died in 1896, eleven years before she was born. However, Daphne's father, Gerald, often spoke of George, and her grandfather's writing definitely influenced Daphne's desire to write. She even wrote some of her stories in George's notebooks, alongside his work.
As was very typical of the Victorian era, the three novels George du Maurier wrote towards the end of his life were all serialised in magazines before publication in book form. For George, the magazine was Harper's Monthly Magazine. Trilby is, of course, George du Maurier's best-known and most successful novel, but it is actually his other two books that celebrate anniversaries in 2026. We begin with George's first novel, Peter Ibbetson, which was serialised in Harper's Monthly Magazine XXII, from June until November 1891, a whopping 135 years ago, so that is quite some anniversary. It was published for the first time as an illustrated single-volume book by Osgood McIlvaine in New York in 1891. It was not published in the UK in book form until 1892. George's third novel, The Martian, was serialised five years later in Harper's Monthly Magazine XXXII–XXXIV, from October 1896 to July 1897, 130 years ago.
Finally, we come to Daphne du Maurier's sister, Angela, a fairly prolific writer, although by no means as successful as her sister. During her writing career, she wrote nine novels, a book of short stories, three books of autobiography, and a number of articles for publication in other books and magazines.
Two of Angela's novels and two of her autobiographical works celebrate special anniversaries in 2026. We begin with Angela's novel The Little Less, published in 1941 and celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. This book is remarkable. Angela started writing it very soon after the publication of The Well of Loneliness by Radcliffe Hall in 1928. It follows similar lesbian themes and, given the notoriety The Well of Loneliness had gained, it was a brave novel for Angela to write. Sadly, publishers were reluctant to risk reigniting the prejudices of the time, and so the book was rejected. Angela put it away and did not write anything else for about ten years. However, once she had successfully published two books, she offered The Little Less again, and it was finally accepted for publication in 1941.
Five years later, in 1946, Angela's fifth novel, Lawrence Vane, was published, marking its 80th anniversary this year. This was the first of her books to be published by her cousin Peter Davies, who went on to publish all the UK editions of her work from then on.
For many years now, Angela's autobiographies have been the books that have interested people the most, and sadly, this is almost certainly because of the information they provide about her sister. After Daphne du Maurier died in 1989, biographies of her life and writing began to appear, and, simultaneously, interest in Angela's autobiographies took off, too. The two main autobiographies that Angela wrote both celebrate anniversaries this year. They are It's Only the Sister, published in 1951 and celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and Old Maids Remember, published in 1966 and marking its 60th anniversary.
We have covered a lot of ground in this article and cited many books. A lot of them are still available as new paperbacks. Others can be found as second-hand copies at good second-hand and antiquarian bookshops, or online at mega-sites such as Addall and Bookfinder. Hopefully, this look at Daphne du Maurier's books and those by George and Angela du Maurier has inspired you to go back to some of these wonderful du Maurier titles and read them for the first time or to re-read them.
Enjoy!
© Ann Willmore, January 2026.