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The Portrait

The Portrait

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The Portrait

by Pears, Iain

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
  • first
Condition
See description
ISBN 10
1573222984
ISBN 13
9781573222983
Seller
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This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, United States
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About This Item

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Riverhead Books, 2005. Fine in a Near Fine dustjacket. Black boards. Both the spine and the front panel are stamped in gilt. Small octavo. Brown endpapers. 211pps. An excellent, collector's-quality copy: clean, tight, square, and bright. All tips are sharp. Yet to be read. The dustjacket, glossy in a new mylar sleeve, is mildly rubbed; the original price is intact. SIGNED by the author -- without further inscription -- on a tipped-in sheet.<b><font color=#003366><br><br> "An influential art critic in the early years of the twentieth century journeys from London to the rustic, remote island of Houat, off France's northwest coast, to sit for a portrait painted by an old friend, a gifted but tormented artist living in self-imposed exile. Over the course of the sitting, the painter recalls their years of friendship, the double-edged gift of the critic's patronage, the power he wielded over aspiring artists, and his apparent callousness in anointing the careers of some and devastating the lives of others. The balance of power between the two men shifts dramatically as the critic becomes a passive subject, while the painter struggles to capture the character of the man, as well as his image, on canvas. Reminiscing with ease and familiarity one minute, with anger and menace the next, the painter eventually reveals why he has accepted the commission of this portrait, why he left London suddenly and mysteriously at the height of his success, and why now, with dark determination, he feels ready to return. Set against the dramatic, untamed landscape of Brittany during one of the most explosive periods in art history, 'The Portrait' is rich with atmosphere and suggestion, psychological complexity, and marvelous detail. It is a novel you will want to begin again immediately after turning the last chilling page, to read once more with a watchful eye and appreciate the hand of an ingenious storyteller at work."</b></font><br><br> Purchase with confidence: all books, gradings, and descriptions are rendered the care of a genuine bibliophile. Satisfaction guaranteed or all costs you've incurred will be promptly refunded. Thanks for your interest in Nooks Of Books.. SIGNED by the Author. First Edition, First Printing. Hard Cover.

Synopsis

Iain Pears is the author of the New York Times bestseller An Instance of the Fingerpost and the national bestseller The Dream of Scipio , as well as a series of acclaimed detective novels, a book of art history, and countless articles on artistic, financial, and historical subjects. He lives in Oxford, England.

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Details

Bookseller
Nooks Of Books US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
108-5300
Title
The Portrait
Author
Pears, Iain
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition, First Printing
ISBN 10
1573222984
ISBN 13
9781573222983
Publisher
Riverhead Books
Place of Publication
New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published
2005
Keywords
IAN PEARS THE PORTRAIT SIGNED FIRST EDITIONS LITERATURE LITERARY LONDON HOUAT BRITTANY BRITISH AUTHORS COLLECTIBLE BOOKS NOVELS
Bookseller catalogs
Signed; Literature & Fiction, World;

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About the Seller

Nooks Of Books

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This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

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Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Octavo
Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
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...
Tight
Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Gilt
The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...

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