The Ear, the Eye and the Arm

FARMER, Nancy. The Ear, the Eye and the Arm. NY: Orchard Books [1994]. 8vo, [viii] 311pp. Violet quarter-cloth stamped in gold with purple boards. Green endpapers. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket (no medal affixed). With a bookplate signed by the author, Nancy Farmer, laid in.

First edition. 1995 Newbery Honor Book! In Zimbabwe, 200 years in the future, the pampered three children of a military leader sneak out into a bustling world from which they have been protected. Their inexperience quickly marks them as the children of wealthy parents, resulting in their being kidnapped. The children find themselves on an odyssey of discovery through the varied tapestry of a society they never dreamed existed as they seek a way home to their grieving parents. One step behind and struggling to rescue the wayfaring children are the Ear, the Eye and the Arm – a trio of detectives with mutant abilities who have been hired to find the missing children before their parents' powerful enemies can seize them. Loosely based on Shona mythology, this exceptional novel expertly blends speculation on psychic powers with traditional African mysticism and pulses with vibrant life and rich, imaginative invention!