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The Historian
by Kostova, Elizabeth
- Used
- Fine
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Fine in Archival Plastic Cover
- ISBN 10
- 0316011770
- ISBN 13
- 9780316011778
- Seller
-
SANDY, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. First Edition, First Printing. Cloth & Boards. Fine/Fine in Archival Plastic Cover. A handsome First Edition, First Printing of Kostova's best-selling book, signed by the author for Parrish Books on July 5, 2005 in Portland, Oregon, one of her earliest signings. With number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. In pink and black cloth & boards, the book is in perfect fine unread condition. The colorful first state dustjacket is complete and is in fine condition, protected by an archival plastic cover. Already into multiple printings. A beautiful copy signed before the author went abroad for signings.
Synopsis
To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history....Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of-a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known-and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself-to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed-and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign-and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions-and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad's ancient powers-one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful-and utterly unforgettable.
Reviews
On Jan 17 2007, Fict said:
Riding a bit on the coat tails of the Da Vinci Code and awfully similar in theme, but at least much better written with something approaching real-life dialogue.
On Dec 16 2005, Raabe said:
Excellent fictional account of the mystery of Vlad Tepes.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Parrish Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2440
- Title
- The Historian
- Author
- Kostova, Elizabeth
- Format/Binding
- Cloth & Boards
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine in Archival Plastic Cover
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition, First Printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0316011770
- ISBN 13
- 9780316011778
- Publisher
- Little, Brown and Company
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2005
Terms of Sale
Parrish Books
A full refund (including postage) will be issued if the book you receive is not as described. A full refund of the purchase price (less postage) will be issued if the seller is notified within 5 days of receipt and the book is returned within 10 days of receipt in the original condition. We only ship international orders by air because of the delays that often occur. We refund excess postage after shipping and insurance costs are calculated. We do not charge for packing materials or handling. Our PayPal address is Parrish@ParrishBooks.com
About the Seller
Parrish Books
Biblio member since 2006
SANDY, Oregon
About Parrish Books
Parrish Books is a full-time on-line dealer in fine collectible books in business since 2002. With specialities in signed limited editions and many favorite authors including Ray Bradbury, Richard Bach, Tom Clancy, John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut, Edward Gorey and Maurice Sendak. We specialize in exceptional customer service and quality packaging of all orders.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- 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...
- First State
- used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
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