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THE CLEFT

THE CLEFT

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THE CLEFT

by LESSING DORIS

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
  • first
Condition
See description
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Leicester, United Kingdom
Item Price
£265.00
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About This Item

London: Fourth Estate, 2007. First Edition. Hard Cover. Dust Jacket. Signed by Author. First UK Edition. A near fine (or better) copy in like D/W. Inscribed by the Author on the half-title page: For Lucy --/ with good wishes/ Doris Lessing/ Jan 2007. Inexplicably uncommon signed.

Synopsis

Doris Lessing, one of England's finest living novelists, invites us to imagine a mythical society free from sexual intrigue, free from jealousy, free from petty rivalries: a society free from men.An old Roman senator, contemplative at his late stage of life, embarks on what will likely be his last endeavour: the retelling of the story of human creation. He recounts the history of the Clefts, an ancient community of women living in an Edenic, coastal wilderness, confined within the valley of an overshadowing mountain. The Clefts have no need, or knowledge, of men – childbirth is controlled, like the tides that lap around their feet, through the cycles of the moon, and their children are always female. But with the unheralded birth of a strange, new child – a boy – the harmony of their community is suddenly thrown into jeopardy. At first, in their ignorance, the Clefts are awestruck by this seemingly malformed child, but as more and more of these threateningly unfamiliar males appear, now unfavourably nicknamed Squirts, they are rejected, and are exposed on the nearby mountainside; sacrificed to the patrolling eagles overhead, the sentinels of their female haven. Unbeknownst to the Clefts, however, these baby males survive, aided by the very eagles sent to kill them, and thrive on their own on the other side of the mountain. It is not until an unusually curious young Cleft named Maire goes beyond the geographical, and emotional, divide of the mountain that this disquieting fact is uncovered – a discovery that forces the Clefts to accept and realign themselves to the prospect of a now shared world, and the possible vengeance of the wronged males. In this fascinating and beguiling novel, Lessing confronts head-on the themes that inspired much of her early writing: how men and women, two similar and yet thoroughly distinct creatures, manage to live side by side in the world, and how the specifics of gender affect every aspect of our existence.

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Details

Bookseller
James M Pickard, ABA, ILAB, PBFA. GB (GB)
Bookseller's Inventory #
355490714838
Title
THE CLEFT
Author
LESSING DORIS
Format/Binding
Hard Cover
Book Condition
Used
Jacket Condition
Dust Jacket
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Hardcover
Publisher
Fourth Estate
Place of Publication
London
Date Published
2007

Terms of Sale

James M Pickard, ABA, ILAB, PBFA.

We can personally take Visa, Mastercard and debit/Maestro cards. All books are are returnable if found not to be as described, please contact us first. James M Pickard (Rare Books) is proud to be a full member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association (ABA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and The Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association (PBFA).

About the Seller

James M Pickard, ABA, ILAB, PBFA.

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2006
Leicester

About James M Pickard, ABA, ILAB, PBFA.

James M Pickard (Rare Books) is proud to be a full member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association (ABA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and The Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association (PBFA).

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...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Inscribed
When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
Jacket
Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...

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