She writes her dinner invitations without mistakes and spends her time bombarding us with literary references, ("Colombe, stop trying to act like Madame Guermantes, " or "Pumpkin, you are a regular Sanseverina, ").

NPR: Excerpt: 'The Elegance Of The Hedgehog'

Made for the Comtesse Greffulhe, one of the inspirations for Proust's Duchesse de Guermantes, it showcases the designer's creative eye: metallic, crystal-beaded trompe-l'oeil cords appear to tie the front and back panels of the gown together.

WSJ: Some Like It Haute | 'Paris Haute Couture' at the H?tel de Ville

And one can add that, when we read the pages where he waits in the Duchesse de Guermantes's library and reflects on the resurrections of memory that he has experienced, then we welcome this Penguin edition that will enable others to read, reread and grow to love such passages in the same way.

ECONOMIST: Proust in translation