The Book of Evidence
by Banville, John
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- Condition
- F/F
- ISBN 10
- 0684191806
- ISBN 13
- 9780684191805
- Seller
-
Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989 F/F. 8vo. original oatmeal cloth backed boards gilt in dustwrapper; pp. [iv), 220. A fine copy. Flatsigned to title page 'John Banville'.. Signed by Author. Second Printing. Hard Cover. F/F.
Reviews
On Sep 12 2009, Serendipity said:
Written in precise, almost cold prose, Banville's masterpiece (and really, which of his novels isn't a masterpiece?) tells the story of Freddie Montgomery, formerly a brilliant mathematician who's fallen on hard times in the Meditteranean where he and his wife have been living, drinking with and cadging money from the local colourful ex-pat community.
In debt, Freddie returns home to Ireland and attempts to retrieve paintings his widowed mother sold to a family friend. This sets off a series of events that result in Freddie stealing a Dutch master and killing a serving-girl, before going on the run and hiding out with another old family friend, Charlie.
That bald descritpiton of the plot does nothing to describe just how wonderful this novel is: part memoir, part confession, concerned with mathematics, philosophy, the nature of evil, sex, death, and other themes Banville regularly explores.
Based in part on a real-life murder case that shocked Ireland in the 1980's and had an interesting political denouement, this novel is easily one of Banville's best. Should have won the Booker for him in 1989.
The finest fiction writer at work today.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Mount of Alex - Arapiles Mountain Books (AU)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 014712
- Title
- The Book of Evidence
- Author
- Banville, John
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - F
- Jacket Condition
- F
- Edition
- Second Printing
- ISBN 10
- 0684191806
- ISBN 13
- 9780684191805
- Publisher
- Charles Scribner's Sons
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1989
- Keywords
- John Banville The Book of Evidence Modern Literature Irish Authors
Terms of Sale
Mount of Alex - Arapiles Mountain Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Mount of Alex - Arapiles Mountain Books
Biblio member since 2022
Castlemaine, Victoria
About Mount of Alex - Arapiles Mountain Books
Bricks and mortar bookshop with substantial online stock, specialising in travel and adventure books. Open by chance or appointment, most likely on weekends. Note that our online stock is stored off site, so best contact us in advance to check opening hours and arrange a viewing.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Flatsigned
- A flatsigned book is signed, and not inscribed, directly on a page of the book, rather than on a bookplate or with an...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...