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The Historian

The Historian

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The Historian

by KOSTOVA, Elizabeth

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
  • first
Condition
Fine/Fine
ISBN 10
0316730319
ISBN 13
9780316730310
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Gloucester City, New Jersey, United States
Item Price
£321.20
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About This Item

New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First edition. Fine in fine dustwrapper. Signed on the titlepage and additionally very warmly Inscribed by Kostova on the dedication page to her fellow author and mentor Nicholas Delbanco: "and for Nicholas, cherished mentor, great reader of this book, with endless thanks, Elizabeth. May 2005." Delbanco taught creative writing at the University of Michigan where Kostova received her MFA and where she won the Hopgood Award, both of which were supervised by Delbanco. A very nice association.

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
Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
417193
Title
The Historian
Author
KOSTOVA, Elizabeth
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
Used - Fine
Jacket Condition
Fine
Quantity Available
1
ISBN 10
0316730319
ISBN 13
9780316730310
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Place of Publication
New York
Date Published
2005
Keywords
Mystery, FirstBook, AssociationCopy

Terms of Sale

Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA

All books are first editions unless otherwise noted. All books are returnable within ten days if returned in the same condition as sent. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, PAYPAL, checks and money orders. New Jersey residents please add 6.625% sales tax. All items guaranteed, all items subject to prior sale. Members ABAA, ILAB. Shipping is $4.50 for Media Mail, $10.00 for Priority Mail or UPS Ground. Tracking is provided for every order. Alternate shipping available by request. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.




About the Seller

Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2005
Gloucester City, New Jersey

About Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA

Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., founded in 1985, specializes in first editions of 20th Century American and English fiction. Our inventory of over 75,000 first editions includes: African-American literature & history, Mysteries, Detective Fiction, Drama, Books into Film and Sports books. We routinely issue extensively illustrated color catalogs, available by subscription. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA)and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Tom Congalton, founder of Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., actively promotes the ethics and standards of these professional organizations and served as President of the ABAA from 2000 to 2002.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Dustwrapper
Also known as book jacket, dust cover, or dust wrapper, a dust jacket is a protective and decorative cover for a book that is...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Inscribed
When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
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...

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