The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and a Quartette
by Robert Louis Stevenson; Lloyd Osbourne
- Used
- Good
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Good
- Seller
-
BATH, Somerset, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
It is Tahiti in the 1890's and three men--an American sea captain, an English gentleman and a cockney thief--are 'on the beach'. Dispossessed and destitute, the 'trio' agree to sail a smallpox-infected ship loaded with champagne to Sydney, Australia, plotting to steal the cargo, scupper the vessel, and head for the 'Dangerous Archipelago'. Predictably, the thieves fall out. They lose their course and are driven towards an uncharted island which flies the red ensign. The owner of the island, also an English gentleman, has amassed a fortune in pearls. He is both a stern disciplinarian and a religious megalomaniac. As the protagonists in this 'quartette' begin to play out their parts, the plot moves to its dramatic, but ambiguous, conclusion. Stevenson's tale of exploitation in the South Seas recreates both the period and the place through a brilliant exploration of the moral corruption of colonisation.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Rooke Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 796A34
- Title
- The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and a Quartette
- Author
- Robert Louis Stevenson; Lloyd Osbourne
- Illustrator
- None
- Format/Binding
- Cloth
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- William Heinemann
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1894
- Size
- 7.5" by 5"
- Keywords
- robert louis stevenson first editions lloyd osbourne novels first editions
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
About Rooke Books
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:
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Shelf Wear
- Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Tail
- The heel of the spine.
- Cocked
- Refers to a state where the spine of a book is lightly "twisted" in such a way that the front and rear boards of a book do not...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- 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...