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The Book of Evidence
by John Banville
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- Seller
-
BATH, Somerset, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Secker & Warburg, 1989. First edition. Cloth. Near Fine/Near Fine. 9" by 5". None. A first edition of this award-winning novel by John Banville. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and winner of the Guinness Peat Aviation award, The Book of Evidence is the gripping narrative of Freddie Montgomery, a scientist who murders a servant girl during an attempt to steal a painting from a neighbour. In a brown cloth binding in original unclipped dustwrapper. Externally, excellent. Very minor shelfwear to the boards.. Dustwrapper is very smart with just some slight edgewear and minor handling marks. Internally, firmly bound. Pages generally bright and clean, aside from some slight age-toning to textblock edge. Near Fine
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
- Rooke Books
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- MOD6-B-18
- Title
- The Book of Evidence
- Author
- John Banville
- Illustrator
- None
- Format/Binding
- Cloth
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Secker & Warburg
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1989
- Size
- 9" by 5"
- Keywords
- john banville freddie montgomery the book of evidence freddie montgomery
Terms of Sale
Rooke Books
Books are sent on approval and may be returned in like condition for any reason within 14 days of receipt. Responsibility of return to be with the purchaser.
About the Seller
Rooke Books
Biblio member since 2007
BATH, Somerset
About Rooke Books
Welcome to Rooke Books Antiquarian Bookseller
We are a small team dedicated to bringing you very scarce books at reasonable prices. We specialise in rare and hard to come by works on all subjects over the last 500 years, together with modern first editions and decorative sets and bindings. Our library has something for every interest and specialism. We deliver worldwide using a fully tracked and insured courier delivery service.
Where are We?
Based in the literary city of Bath, our offices are housed in the Eastern Dispensary. Built in 1845, the building originally existed as a charitable institution providing medical care. The building now houses our collection of over twenty thousand books and has five full time members of staff.
We are a small team dedicated to bringing you very scarce books at reasonable prices. We specialise in rare and hard to come by works on all subjects over the last 500 years, together with modern first editions and decorative sets and bindings. Our library has something for every interest and specialism. We deliver worldwide using a fully tracked and insured courier delivery service.
Where are We?
Based in the literary city of Bath, our offices are housed in the Eastern Dispensary. Built in 1845, the building originally existed as a charitable institution providing medical care. The building now houses our collection of over twenty thousand books and has five full time members of staff.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Dustwrapper
- Also known as book jacket, dust cover, or dust wrapper, a dust jacket is a protective and decorative cover for a book that is...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Shelfwear
- Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from a bookshelf, especially along the bottom edge.
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