""Nobody sings like Melba, and nobody ever will," proclaimed the impresario Oscar Hammerstein in 1908. Like many others at the time, he considered her to be the world's greatest singer. The wild acclaim showered on her by American fans led to the coining of the word "Melbamania." Year after year she toured America in a private railroad car, bringing operas and concerts to out-of-the-way cities and towns; and thanks to the new gramophone, she could also be heard in the remotest locales." "Ann Blainey's beguiling life of Nellie Melba tells the story of a woman who - in an era when no woman was prime minister, chief justice, head of a church or financial firm, or an international film star - became perhaps the most famous woman in the world. So great was her celebrity that the renowned French chef Escoffier created dishes in her honor: Peach Melba and Melba Toast."

"Based upon her research on three continents, including newly discovered letters, diaries, and legal documents, Ms. Blainey's Marvelous Melba punctures many of the myths surrounding Melba's life and career, and offers a new portrait of the great diva." "Born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1861, the daughter of a stonemason who emigrated from Scotland and became a wealthy contractor, she inherited her father's practicality and determination and her mother's artistry. In her mid-twenties, already a married woman, she enrolled herself in one of the most famous singing schools in Europe. Within three years she had become a prima donna in Paris, Belgium, and London, where she was a friend of the royal family."

"So great were her personal excesses that her life was clouded by a bitter divorce and the loss of custody of her only child. But she reigned over the operatic world in England, the United States, and Australia for well over a quarter century, her reviews superb, her diamonds and dresses fabulous, her lovers numerous. Marvelous Melba explores her life - the highs and lows, the personal losses and professional triumphs - in an important new biography."--Jacket.