London & New York: Marion Boyars, 1997. Hardcover. First Edition (no additional printings listed). Very Good book in a Near Fine jacket. Interior pristine. Spine straight and tight. Dust stains to edges. Jacket clean with light rubbing. Not from a library. No remainder mark. Not clipped. 320 pages.

First edition of the last novel of acclaimed Guyanese writer Roy Heath. Reduced to destitution after losing his status as village faith healer, Kwaku Cholmondeley migrates to Guyana's capital city to sell antique chamber pots to tourists. Instead, he finds an impersonal, corrupt culture and the patronage of an enterprising civil servant at the Ministry of Hope whose spotless reputation for honesty is exceeded only by his corruption. After numerous embarrassments suffered in adjusting to city ways Kwaku's fortunes rise, but the morals and sanity of those around him couldn't be lower. Billed as a comic novel, this is really a dark, psychological study of the ways corruption, prejudice, and superstition infect all layers of society. No one is spared, not even Kwaku's blind wife or the Indian woman whose children are stolen by her own family. With a fine ear for comic dialogue and an eye for the ironies of clashing personalities, Heath ably steers his charming ship of fools and knaves through a sea of picaresque corruption to a generous-hearted conclusion.

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Bookseller: Books of the World (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: RWARE0000000837
Title: The Ministry of Hope : A Novel
Author: Roy Heath
Format/Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition: Near Fine
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: First Edition
ISBN 10: 0714530158
ISBN 13: 9780714530154
Publisher: Marion Boyars
Place of Publication: London & New York
Date Published: 1997
Pages: 320
Size: 8vo
Keywords: fiction, literature, humor, satire, fools, holy fools, romans, nouvelles, psychological, corruption, poverty, prejudice, superstition, Kwaku, Guyana
Bookseller catalogs: Fiction; Humor, Comedy, Satire, Funny stuff; Caribbean; Guyana;

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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...
Jacket: Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
Remainder Mark: Usually an ink marking of some sort which indicates that the book was designated a remainder. In most cases, it can be found on...
Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Rubbing: Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
Edges: The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
New: A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
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....
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...