Click for full-size.
LAND OF MARVELS.
by Unsworth, Barry
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine in fine dust jacket./fine
- ISBN 10
- 0385520077
- ISBN 13
- 9780385520072
- Seller
-
Ione, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York:: Doubleday,, (2009). Hardcover first edition -. Fine in fine dust jacket.. First US printing. A thriller by this award winning writer, set in 1914 in a world on the brink of war, one in which "he brings to life the schemes and double-dealings of Western nations grappling for a foothold in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire.Somerville, a British archaeologist, is excavating a long-buried Assyrian palace. The site lies directly in the path of a new railroad to Baghdad, and he watches nervously as the construction progresses, threatening to destroy his discovery. . .. Posing as an archaeologist, an American geologist from an oil company arrives one day and insinuates himself into the group. But heÕs not the only one working undercover to stake a claim on IraqÕs rich oil fields. " 287 pp.
Synopsis
Barry Unsworth, a writer with an "almost magical capacity for literary time travel" (New York Times Book Review) has the extraordinary ability to re-create the past and make it relevant to contemporary readers. In Land of Marvels, a thriller set in 1914, he brings to life the schemes and double-dealings of Western nations grappling for a foothold in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire.Somerville, a British archaeologist, is excavating a long-buried Assyrian palace. The site lies directly in the path of a new railroad to Baghdad, and he watches nervously as the construction progresses, threatening to destroy his discovery. The expedition party includes Somerville's beautiful, bored wife, Edith; Patricia, a smart young graduate student; and Jehar, an Arab man-of-all-duties whose subservient manner belies his intelligence and ambitions. Posing as an archaeologist, an American geologist from an oil company arrives one day and insinuates himself into the group. But he's not the only one working undercover to stake a claim on Iraq's rich oil fields. Historical fiction at its finest, Land of Marvels opens a window on the past and reveals its lasting impact.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Bookfever.com, IOBA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 89034
- Title
- LAND OF MARVELS.
- Author
- Unsworth, Barry
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover first edition -
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine in fine dust jacket.
- Jacket Condition
- fine
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0385520077
- ISBN 13
- 9780385520072
- Publisher
- Doubleday,
- Place of Publication
- New York:
- Date Published
- (2009)
- Keywords
- world war i, iraq, archeology,
- Bookseller catalogs
- Historical Fiction;
Terms of Sale
Bookfever.com, IOBA
Free media mail shipping in US included; priority is $7.50 and international at cost. Books are packed carefully, shipped promptly with delivery confirmation and insurance at our expense. It is important for our customers to be totally satisfied with their purchase and guarantee all of our books to be as described. Want lists welcomed.
About the Seller
Bookfever.com, IOBA
Biblio member since 2003
Ione, California
About Bookfever.com, IOBA
Celebrating our 30th year in business. We started selling books in the CompuServe Book Collecting forum in 1993, a few years before there was any commercial Internet. In 1998 we relocated our main business from Sacramento to the Sierra foothills of Amador County.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- 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
How to identify a rare book
There are several important points to keep in mind when trying to determine if a book can be considered "rare". Read here to learn more.Learn how to determine if a book is rare
What is a professional bookseller?
Just about anyone can sell a book, but a professional bookseller knows the ins and outs of the rare book trade. Learn more!
