Elson on "A Notorious Divorce in Early Twentieth-Century America"

New from Temple University Press: Gross Misbehavior and Wickedness: A Notorious Divorce in Early Twentieth-Century America (June 2017), by Jean Elson (University of New Hampshire). A description from the Press:

The bitter and public court battle waged between Nina and James Walker of Newport, Rhode Island, from 1909 to 1916 created a sensation throughout the nation, with lurid accounts of their marital troubles fueling widespread gossip. The ordeal of this high-society couple, who wed as much for status as for love, is one of the prime examples of the growing trend of women seeking divorce during the early twentieth century.

Gross Misbehavior and Wickedness—which takes its title from the charges Nina levied against James for his adultery (with the family governess) and extreme cruelty—recounts the protracted legal proceedings in juicy detail.

More information is available here.