Click for full-size.
The Historian
by Kostova, Elizabeth
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0316011770
- ISBN 13
- 9780316011778
- Seller
-
Spray, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 2005. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/Very Good. 8vo 8" - 9" tall. Sturdy, attractive hardcover copy, spine and binding tight, pages bright and clear, and only minimal wear to covers and tips. Section of text-block split, still holding firm to backstrip. Bright and shiny dust jacket, illustrated, moderately worn. 642 pp.Member, I.O.B.A., C.B.A., and adherent to the highest ethical standards. Additional postage may be required for oversize or especially heavy volumes, and for sets.
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.
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Structure, Verses, Agency Books - Member, I.O.B.A.
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 307913
- Title
- The Historian
- Author
- Kostova, Elizabeth
- Format/Binding
- Hard Cover
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0316011770
- ISBN 13
- 9780316011778
- Publisher
- Little, Brown & Company
- Place of Publication
- Boston
- Date Published
- 2005
- Size
- 8vo 8" - 9" tall
- Keywords
- Literature Elizabeth Kostova
- X weight
- 33 oz
Terms of Sale
Structure, Verses, Agency Books - Member, I.O.B.A.
Thank you for your purchase. In addition to the fact that you can make purchases through biblio.com by the usual means of credit cards (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, and American Express), we are more than happy to arrange payment by means of check, bank draft, and PayPal. Dealers may ask for terms, absolutely.
About the Seller
Structure, Verses, Agency Books - Member, I.O.B.A.
Biblio member since 2005
Spray, Oregon
About Structure, Verses, Agency Books - Member, I.O.B.A.
Occasionally rare, frequently scarce, always fine, or is that Fine? Structure, Verses, Agency Books specializes in the fine arts (painting, the decorative arts, photography, sculpture, Jewish art and artists, art history, art movements), but also carries fine antiquarian tomes, works in the French language, Western Americana, poetry, the social sciences, and some modern first editions. We also selectively purchase books and collections thereof. We also offer appraisals and advice about library-building. We also offer a book-of-the-month club, called Once Upon a Tome. Ask about a subscription thereto. Thanks!
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- 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...
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
Collecting Classic Supernatural Fiction
Classic supernatural fiction is distinct from contemporary horror because it is more literate and often relies upon poetic subtlety rather than unpleasant gratuity to create an atmosphere. Enter if you dare!
Storing books - laying down or standing up?
Don’t unwittingly damage your growing book collection! Learn about when to store books laying down vs standing up. Read About Safe Book Storage
