First printing. Book has light creasing to the head and tail of the spine and some age tanning around the page edges. Unclipped DJ has light creasing to the top edge. Signed by Kneale on the title page. Determined to prove the literal truth of the Bible against atheist geologists, the Reverend Geoffrey Wilson sets out from England, in the summer of 1857, with an expedition to find the Garden of Eden, which he is convinced lies on the island of Tasmania. Unknown to him, others in the party have very different agendas, notably the surgeon, Dr Potter, who is developing a revolutionary and sinister thesis of his own on the races of man. Winner of the 2000 Whitbread Book of the Year. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2000.

Synopsis

"English Passengers is an old-fashioned book in the best sense: epic in scale, crammed with outsize characters, set in a long-ago time and a faraway place... 'A-'"--Entertainment Weekly"Robust and rollicking...unforgettable...It's tough to pull off a memorable epic, but Kneale has done it. So get comfortable, and be prepared to enter a fascinating world."--New York PostWhen Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley and his band of rum smugglers from the Isle of Man have most of their contraband--but not all--confiscated by British Customs, they are forced to put their ship Sincerity up for charter. The only takers are two eccentric Englishmen who want to embark for the other side of the globe.The Reverend Geoffrey Wilson believes the Garden of Eden was on the island of Tasmania. His traveling partner, Dr. Thomas Potter, unbeknownst to Wilson, is developing a revolutionary, and sinister, thesis of his own, about the races of men. And these passengers are perhaps only slightly more odd than the crew itself, a diverse and lively bunch better equipped to entertain one another than to steer Sincerity around Cape Horn and across the Indian Ocean. Yet they set sail, pointed southward and bound for a thrilling, epic romp across the high seas and cultures of the nineteenth century.Meanwhile, an aboriginal in Tasmania named Peevay recounts his people's struggles against the invading British, who prove as lethal in their good intentions as in their cruelty. This is no Eden but a world of hunting parties and colonial ethnic cleansing. As the English passengers haplessly approach Peevay's land, their bizarre notions ever more painfully at odds with reality, we know a mighty collision is looming.Full of dangerous humor, English Passengers combines wit, adventure, and harrowing historical detail in a mesmerizing display of storytelling. Narrated by over twenty different characters, each one so distinct that the reader has the sense of a story not so much told as dazzlingly peopled, Matthew Kneale has created a buoyant tale, beautifully presented in a storm of voices that brings a past age to vivid and memorable life.From the Hardcover edition.

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Details

Bookseller: Books-and-records.com, IOBA (GB)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 4410
Title: English Passengers (Signed)
Author: Matthew Kneale
Format/Binding: Creasing to head and tail of spine, tanning around page edges
Book Condition: Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition: Very Good
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0241140684
ISBN 13: 9780241140680
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
Place of Publication: London
Date Published: 2000
Bookseller catalogs: Signed Books;

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