Bidspirit auction | Mary and Richard: The Story

Mary and Richard: The Story of Richard Hillary and Mary Booker by Michael Burn. Andre Deutsch Limited, 1988. Hardback. Richard Hillary and Mary Booker had a passionate, 13-month love affair during World War II. Hillary was a 22-year-old Battle of Britain Spitfire ace and author of The Last Enemy, while Booker was a 42-year-old divorcee. Their intense romance lasted until Hillary's tragic death in a 1943 training crash. The Meeting (1941): Hillary, disfigured and recovering from severe burns sustained when he was shot down, met Booker—a society beauty and WAAF officer—in late 1941. Despite the 20-year age gap, Booker provided crucial emotional support during his rehabilitation. The Aftermath: Hillary died in January 1943 when his twin-engine night fighter crashed into a mountain during training. Decades later, Mary Booker married author Michael Burn, who meticulously investigated Hillary’s life and the couple's relationship to write Mary and Richard.