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Wolf Hall.
by MANTEL, Hilary
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Fourth Estate,, 2009. England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster First edition, first impression, signed and dated by the author on the title page a month after publication, "Hilary Mantel 27 May 2009". This title launched her popular trilogy on the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to Henry VIII. Winner of the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2009, the novel has since been adapted to critical acclaim for both stage and television. The work not only established her reputation, but also rehabilitated that of its historical protagonist Thomas Cromwell, "by presenting him as a brilliant and revolutionary strategist... Enraptured critics said [Mantel] had presented the historical novel as high literature, portraying her subjects not as cardboard characters from centuries past but as real people of contradictions and psychological complexity, relatable in any age" (Marshall & Alter). It is ranked no. 1 in The Guardian's 2019 list of the best books of the century so far. Octavo. Original black boards, spine lettered in gilt, illustrated endpapers. With dust jacket. Light finger-soiling to front cover, bumps to lower edges, resultant creases to lower outer corner of initial leaves, contents clean. A very good copy indeed in like dust jacket, slightly creased but bright. Alex Marshall & Alexandra Alter, "Hilary Mantel, Prize-Winning Author of Historical Fiction, Dies at 70", New York Times, 23 Sept. 2022; "The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century", The Guardian, 21 Sept. 2019.
Synopsis
Hilary Mantel was born in Glossop, Derbyshire, England in July of 1952. Her novel, Wolf Hall was the winner of the Man Booker prize in 2009. Mantel is a former social worker and film critic who has written short stories, the memoir "Giving up the Ghost" and novels including 2005's "Beyond Black," which was shortlisted for a Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction. In this novel, Wolf Hall, the book centers on the real-life figure of Cromwell, depicted as a ruthless but compelling figure straining against the certainties of his age. Mantel calls Cromwell the chief fixer and spin doctor as well as propagandist for one of the most eventful decades of English history, and the question driving the book is “How did he do it?” This tale of political intrigue is set during the reign of King Henry VIII and is a fabulous and intelligent retelling of a familiar story, with an unfamiliar angle.
Reviews
On Jan 30 2014, a reader said:
I am not normally a fan of historical fiction, and it took me a while to get into this book. But once I did I was well and truly hooked. Within the historical narrative woven from the events and people with whom we may have become familiar from TV dramas and films about Henry VIII and the Tudors, Mantell gives Thomas Cromwell and other minor players a remarkable voice. By the time I got to the end of what is a lengthy and time-consuming book I was hungry for more. Thankfully, that is an appetite I can feed with the next instalment.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 162378
- Title
- Wolf Hall.
- Author
- MANTEL, Hilary
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London: Fourth Estate,
- Date Published
- 2009
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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"...
- 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...
- 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...
- Bumps
- Indicates that the affected part of the book has been impacted in such a way so as to cause a flattening, indention, or light...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- 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...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- 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....
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