Daphne du Maurier novel into French and sent it to a publisher in Paris, who she learned was also Ms. du Maurier's [publisher] only after "Rebecca" became a worldwide success. The novels have identical plots and even some identical episodes." Author Frank Baker believed that du Maurier had plagiarised his novel "The Birds" (1936) in her short story "The Birds" (1952). Du Maurier had been working as a reader for Baker's publisher Peter Davies at the time he submitted the book. When Hitchcock's "The Birds" was released in 1963, based on du Maurier's story, Baker considered, but was advised against, pursuing costly litigation
George du Maurier the novel, is known to this day as a "trilby". The plot inspired Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel "Phantom of the Opera" and the innumerable works derived from it. Du Maurier eventually came to dislike the persistent attention given to his novel. The third novel was a long, largely autobiographical work entitled "The Martian", only published posthumously in 1896. George du Maurier was a close friend of Henry James, the novelist; their relationship was fictionalised in David Lodge's "Author, Author". He was buried in St John-at-Hampstead churchyard in Hampstead parish in London. George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier