No family in the past century---excepting per-

haps the Forsytes--has been so dramatically

exposed to public stare as the Bellamys of

Eaton Place. Drawing from the diaries of

Richard Bellamy, the personal letters of Lady

Marjorie, the Southwold Papers in the British

Museum, as well as his own friendship with

James Bellamy and his conversations with

Mrs. Elizabeth (Bellamy) Wallace shortly be-

fore her recent death in New York City, John

Pearson has written a sensitive and finely de-

tailed portrait of this patrician English family.

The Bellamys could not have anticipated

the extraordinary interest that their lives have

generated in Europe and America through the

award-winning television series "Upstairs,

Downstairs." Here, Mr. Pearson chronicles

the Bellamys complex, stormy, and passionate

lives during the years between 1884 and

1929, when they reigned at 165 Eaton Place.

An exciting and intriguing narrative in its

own right, THE BELLAMY SAGA is also a

tribute to the surviving relatives and friends

who consented--although some of them did

so reluctantly--to relinquish much of the pri-

vacy they cherish.