New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997 WYSIWYG pricing--no added shipping charge for standard shipping within USA. Full charcoal grey cloth, gold & silver foil titles, top edge dyed peach, [xi], 334, [3] pp. Original owner's name in pencil on ffep. DJ in Brodart archival cover. We don't imagine Updike would have called his eighteenth novel science fiction, but the plot synopsis sure sounds like it: "Ben Turnbull...is a sixty-six-year-old retired investment counselor living north of Boston in the year 2020. A recent war between the United States and China has thinned the population and brought social chaos. The dollar has been locally replaced by Massachusetts scrip; instead of taxes, one pays protection money to competing racketeers. ... Something of a science buff, [Ben] finds his personal history caught up in the disjunctions and vagaries of the 'many-worlds' hypothesis derived from the indeterminacy of quantum theory. His identity branches into variants extending back through history and ahead in the evolution of the universe, as both it and his own mortal, nature-enshrouded existence move toward the end of time." Shipping weight 2 lbs. (International 1 lb, 12 oz.). 2nd ptg. . Near Fine/Fine. 21 X 14 cm.

Synopsis

Ben Turnbull, the hero of John Updike's eighteenth novel, is a sixty-six-year-old retired investment counselor living north of Boston in the year 2020. A recent war between the United States and China has thinned the population and brought social chaos. The dollar has been locally replaced by Massachusetts scrip; instead of taxes, one pays protection money to competing racketeers. Nevertheless, Ben's life, traced by his journal entries over the course of a year, retains many of its accustomed comforts, as supervised by his vibrant wife, Gloria. He plays golf; he pays visits to his five children and ten grandchildren. Something of a science buff, he finds his personal history caught up in the disjunctions and vagaries of the "many-worlds hypothesis derived from the indeterminacy of quantum theory. His identity branches into variants extending back through history and ahead in the evolution of the universe, as both it and his own mortal, nature-enshrouded existence move toward the end of time.From the Hardcover edition.

Reviews

On Dec 21 2010, Btbkc69 said:

An exceptional display of refined talent, Updike, though often showing off, puts you in the skin, as it were and introduces much of the past in the future. The domestic insights are a bispectral blend of poignance and comedy. My humble opinion. btb

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Details

Bookseller: Twin City Antiquarian Books (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: LIFI00437
Title: Toward the End of Time
Author: Updike, John
Format/Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Used - Near Fine
Jacket Condition: Fine
Edition: 2nd ptg
ISBN 10: 0375400060
ISBN 13: 9780375400063
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 1997
Keywords: Fiction
Bookseller catalogs: Fiction;
X weight: 32 oz
Size: 21 X 14 cm

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About Twin City Antiquarian Books

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Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Brodart: Generally used to refer to a clear plastic cover that is sometimes added to the dustjacket or outside covering of a book. The...
FFEP: A common abbreviation for Front Free End Paper. Generally, it is the first page of a book and is part of a single sheet that...