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books tagged “historical”
books tagged “historical”
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Annie's Songby Catherine AndersonISBN 0380779617 (0-380-77961-7)
Softcover, Avon Books
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Arthurby Steve LawheadISBN 0380708906 (0-380-70890-6)
Softcover, Avon Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Arthur'Book summary:In a forgotten age of darkness a magnificent king arose to light the world.
They called him unfit to rulea lowborn, callow boy, Uther's bastard. But his coming had been foretold in the songs of the bard Taliesin. He had learned the uses of power from his guide and protector, Merlin. He was Arthur, Pendragon of the Island of the Mightywho would rise to legendary greatness in a Britain torn by violence, greed and war; the Lord of Summer who would usher in a glorious reign of peace and prosperity . . . and whose noble, trusting heart would be broken by treachery.
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The Athenian Murdersby Sonia Soto, Jose Carlos SomozaISBN 0374106770 (0-374-10677-0)
Hardcover, Farrar Straus & Giroux
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Autumn Loverby Elizabeth LowellISBN 0380769557 (0-380-76955-7)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Because of Youby Cathy MaxwellISBN 0380797100 (0-380-79710-0)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Beloved Exileby Parke GodwinISBN 0380775530 (0-380-77553-0)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Blood and Goldby Anne RiceISBN 0375431330 (0-375-43133-0)
Hardcover, Random House Large Print
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Book of the Courtierby Baldesar CastiglioneISBN 0385094213 (0-385-09421-3)
Softcover, Knopf Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Book of the Courtier'Book summary:This text is a historical record of conversational leisure at a Renaissance Italian court, a manual of instruction for aspiring courtiers and a handbook. From it spring the behaviour manuals which continue to reveal the ways of "arriviste", from social climber to young business executive. [via]
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The Caine Mutinyby Herman WoukISBN 0385040539 (0-385-04053-9)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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Captive Brideby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380016974 (0-380-01697-4)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Captive Bride'Book summary:The irresistible call of adventure brings lovely Christina Wakefield to the alluring Arabian desert. But fate imprisons her after she encounters Sheik Abu, the strikingly handsome though arrogant adventurer, whom she had known in England as Philip Caxton.
Once Christina had rejected Philip's fervent offer of marriage. But now she is to be his slave -- desperate for the freedoms denied her...yet weakened by her heart's blazing desire to willingly explore her virile captor's most sensuous cravings.
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Charity Girlby Georgette HeyerISBN 0370014316 (0-370-01431-6)
Hardcover, Bodley Head
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Cherishby Catherine AndersonISBN 0380799367 (0-380-79936-7)
Softcover, Avon Books
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A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmasby Charles Dickens, John LeechISBN 0385128169 (0-385-12816-9)
Hardcover, J. G. Ferguson Pub Co
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'Book summary:In the history of English literature, Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, which has been continuously in print since it was first published in the winter of 1843, stands out as the quintessential Christmas story. What makes this charming edition of Dickens's immortal tale so special is the collection of 80 vivid illustrations by Everett Shinn (1876-1953). Shinn, a well-known artist in his time, was a popular illustrator of newspapers and magazines whose work displayed a remarkable affinity for the stories of Charles Dickens, evoking the bustling street life of the mid-1800s. Printed on heavy, cream-colored paper stock, the edges of the pages have been left rough, simulating the way in which the story might have appeared in Dickens's own time. Though countless editions of this classic have been published over the years, this one stands out as particularly beautiful, nostalgic, and evocative of the spirit of Christmas. [via]
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Claiming the Highlanderby Kinley MacGregorISBN 0380817896 (0-380-81789-6)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Claiming the Highlander'Book summary:To end a long running feud, a proud Scottish lass convinced the clan2s women to refuse their men everything.
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The Dangerous Debutanteby Kasey MichaelsISBN 0373771517 (0-373-77151-7)
Softcover, Harlequin Enterprises, Limited
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A Dangerous Fortuneby Ken FollettISBN 0385311214 (0-385-31121-4)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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Deceivedby Nicola CornickISBN 0373771649 (0-373-77164-9)
Softcover, Harlequin Books
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Declareby Tim PowersISBN 0380798360 (0-380-79836-0)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Declare'Book summary:This supernatural suspense thriller crosses several genres--espionage, geopolitics, religion, fantasy. But like the chicken crossing the road, it takes quite a while to get to the other side. En route, Tim Powers covers a lot of territory: Turkey, Armenia, the Saudi Arabian desert, Beirut, London, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow. Andrew Hale, an Oxford lecturer who first entered Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service as an 18-year-old schoolboy, is called back to finish a job that culminated in a deadly mission on Mount Ararat after the end of World War II. Now it's 1963, and cold war politics are behind the decision to activate Hale for another attempt to complete Operation Declare and bring down the Communist government before Moscow can harness the powerful, other-worldly forces concentrated on the summit of the mountain, supposed site of the landing of Noah's ark. James Theodora is the über-spymaster whose internecine rivalry with other branches of the Secret Intelligence Service traps Hale between a rock and a hard place, literally and figuratively. There's plenty of mountain and desert survival stuff here, a plethora of geopolitical and theological history, and a big serving of A Thousand and One Nights, which is Hale's guide to the meteorites, drogue stones, and amonon plant, which figure in this complicated tale. There's a love story, too, and a bizarre twist on the Kim Philby legend that posits both Philby and Hale as the only humans who can tame the powers of the djinns who populate Mount Ararat.
This is an easy book to get lost in, and Powers's many fans will have a field day with it. The rest of us may have a harder time. --Jane Adams [via]
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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empireby Edward Gibbon, Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Daniel J. BoorstinISBN 0375758119 (0-375-75811-9)
Softcover, Modern Library
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'Book summary:British parliamentarian and soldier Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) conceived of his plan for Decline and Fall while "musing amid the ruins of the Capitol" on a visit to Rome. For the next 10 years he worked away at his great history, which traces the decadence of the late empire from the time of the Antonines and the rise of Western Christianity. "The confusion of the times, and the scarcity of authentic memorials, pose equal difficulties to the historian, who attempts to preserve a clear and unbroken thread of narration," he writes. Despite these obstacles, Decline and Fall remains a model of historical exposition, and required reading for students of European history. [via]
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Defy Not the Heartby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380752999 (0-380-75299-9)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Defy Not the Heart'Book summary:Reina seethes with rage over her fate: taken captive by the knight Ranulf -- a golden giant of a man -- who has pledged to deliver her to the nuptial bed of the despised Lord Rothwell. She will never accept such bondage -- and Reina offers herself to her kidnapped instead, offering to make Ranulf a great lord...if he agrees to wed her.
But the brave knight desires much more than a marriage of convenience from this proud, headstrong lady who treats him with scorn yet makes his blood run hotter than liquid fire. She must come to him of her own free will -- or Ranulf will take her. For the passion that consumes them both cannot long be denied -- even though gravest peril surely awaits them on the heart's trail to a destines and turbulent love.
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A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Centuryby Barbara W. TuchmanISBN 0345910907 (0-345-91090-7)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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The Door in the Wall : Story of Medieval Londonby Marguerite De AngeliISBN 038507283X (0-385-07283-X)
Hardcover, Random House Children's Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Door in the Wall : Story of Medieval London'Book summary:Ever since he can remember, Robin, son of Sir John de Bureford, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin's destiny is changed in one stroke: He falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him and Robin is left alone. [via]
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The Druid Kingby Norman SpinradISBN 0375724966 (0-375-72496-6)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Druid King'Book summary:Vercingetorix, the great Gallic warrior, was both a man of history and a man of myth. Druid King of Gaul, King of One Hundred Battles, he was among Julius Caesars greatest opponents; his eventual defeat at Caesars hands was said to prove Caesars unstoppable power. Yet Vercingetorix has remained, to this day, a French national hero. And now he is the heart and soul of this enthralling and evocative historical novel.
Witness to his fathers harrowing death, Vercingetorix spends years deep in the forest living with the druids. Although they raise him as one of their own, his fathers honor and the looming shadow of Rome force him to become a warrior. After an ill-fated alliance with Caesar, he gathers the tribes of Gaul against law and custom into a single army, ragtag but determined to face down the might of the Romans.
This dramatic and momentous life, played against a brilliantly created background of the disparate worlds of Gallic and Roman soldiers, is riveting. The final battle that pits Vercingetorixs will against Caesars own rounds out a novel that richly traces the arc of a heros life and the origin of a legend. [via] -
Druidsby Morgan LlywelynISBN 0345491319 (0-345-49131-9)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Druids'Book summary:Mine was the vast dark sky and the spaces between the stars that called out to me; mine was the promise of magic.
So spoke the young Celt Ainvar, centuries before the enchanted age of Arthur and Merlin. An orphan taken in by the chief druid of the Carnutes in Gaul, Ainvar possessed talents that would lead him to master the druid mysteries of thought, healing, magic, and battle talents that would make him a soul friend to the Prince Vercingetorix . . . though the two youths were as different as fire and ice.
Yet Ainvars destiny lay with Vercingetorix, the sun-bright warrior-king. Together they traveled through bitter winters and starlit summers in Gaul, rallying the splintered Celtic tribes against the encroaching might of Julius Caesar and the soulless legions of Rome. . . .
From the Paperback edition. [via]More editions of Druids:
The Dukeby Gaelen FoleyISBN 0345498399 (0-345-49839-9)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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Ecstasyby Nicole JordanISBN 0345486439 (0-345-48643-9)
Softcover, Random House Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Ecstasy'Book summary:A blazing tale of breathless passion, seductive desire, and deep love from sensational, bestselling author Nicole Jordan . . .
Having watched her mother languish away for a lost love, Raven Kendrick vows never to surrender her heart. But when her life erupts in scandal, she is forced to accept a marriage proposal from the wickedly sensuous owner of Londons most notorious gaming hell. Though fiercely drawn to her enigmatic rescuer, Raven battles to resist her husband, whose sensuous caresses promise ecstasy beyond her wildest fantasies.
To save the reputation of an innocent girl nearly ruined by his brother, Kell Lasseter sacrifices his freedom to wed the dazzling debutante. Long scorned for his Irish blood and dark past, Kell cannot deny that this enchanting spitfire is unlike other society misses . . . anymore than he can quell his smoldering desire for her. Torn between loyalty to his brother and his growing feelings for his rebellious bride, Kell must somehow free Ravens reluctant heart before they can know the ecstasy of true love. [via]More editions of Ecstasy:
Fires of Winterby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380757478 (0-380-75747-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Forbiddenby Elizabeth LowellISBN 0380769549 (0-380-76954-9)
Softcover, Avon Books
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The Glass Blowersby Daphne Du MaurierISBN 0385067364 (0-385-06736-4)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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The Glass Palaceby Amitav GhoshISBN 0375758771 (0-375-75877-1)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Glass Palace'Book summary:Brilliant and impassioned, The Glass Palace is a masterly novel by Amitav Ghosh, the gifted novelist Peter Matthiessen has called an exceptional writer. This superb story of love and war begins with the shattering of the kingdom of Burma and the igniting of a great and passionate love, and it goes on to tell the story of a people, a fortune, and a family and its fate.
The Glass Palace tells of Rajkumar, a poor boy lifted on the tides of political and social chaos, who creates an empire in the Burmese teak forest. During the British invasion of 1885, when soldiers force the royal family out of the Glass Palace and into exile, Rajkumar befriends Dolly, the woman whose love will shape his life. He cannot forget her, and years later, as a rich man, he goes in search of her. [via] -
The Glorious Cause: A Novel of the American Revolutionby Jeff ShaaraISBN 0375432450 (0-375-43245-0)
Hardcover, Random House Large Print
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Glorious Cause: A Novel of the American Revolution'Book summary:In Rise to Rebellion, bestselling author Jeff Shaara captured the origins of the American Revolution as brilliantly as he depicted the Civil War in Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. Now he continues the amazing saga of how thirteen colonies became a nation, taking the conflict from kingdom and courtroom to the bold and bloody battlefields of war.
It was never a war in which the outcome was obvious. Despite their spirit and stamina, the colonists were outmanned and outfought by the brazen British army. General George Washington found his troops trounced in the battles of Brooklyn and Manhattan and retreated toward Pennsylvania. With the future of the colonies at its lowest ebb, Washington made his most fateful decision: to cross the Delaware River and attack the enemy. The stunning victory at Trenton began a saga of victory and defeat that concluded with the British surrender at Yorktown, a moment that changed the history of the world.
The despair and triumph of Americas first great army is conveyed in scenes as powerful as any Shaara has written, a story told from the points of view of some of the most memorable characters in American history. There is George Washington, the charismatic leader who held his army together to achieve an unlikely victory; Charles Cornwallis, the no-nonsense British general, more than a match for his colonial counterpart; Nathaniel Greene, who rose from obscurity to become the finest battlefield commander in Washingtons army; The Marquis de Lafayette, the young Frenchman who brought a soldiers passion to America; and Benjamin Franklin, a brilliant man of science and philosophy who became the finest statesman of his day.
From Nathan Hale to Benedict Arnold, William Howe to Light Horse Harry Lee, from Trenton and Valley Forge, Brandywine and Yorktown, the American Revolutions most immortal characters and poignant moments are brought to life in remarkable Shaara style. Yet, The Glorious Cause is more than just a story of the legendary six-year struggle. It is a tribute to an amazing people who turned ideas into action and fought to declare themselves free. Above all, it is a riveting novel that both expands and surpasses its beloved authors best work. [via]More editions of The Glorious Cause: A Novel of the American Revolution:
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Human Tracesby Sebastian FaulksISBN 0375502262 (0-375-50226-2)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Human Traces'Book summary:What is it to be human? This question, as in Birdsong, is at the heart of Human Traces.
The story begins in Brittany where a young, poor boy somehow passes his medical exams and goes to Paris, where he attends the lectures of Charcot, the Parisian neurologist who set the world on its head in the 1870s. With a friend, he sets up a clinic in the mysterious mountain district of Carinthia in south-east Austria.
If The Girl at the Lion dOr was a simple three-movement symphony, Birdsong an opera, Charlotte Gray a complex four-movement symphony and On Green Dolphin Street a concerto, then Human Traces is a Wagnerian grand opera. [via]More editions of Human Traces:
In the Fallby Jeffrey LentISBN 037570745X (0-375-70745-X)
Softcover, Alfred a Knopf Inc
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In the Garden of Iden: A Novel of the Companyby Kage BakerISBN 0380731797 (0-380-73179-7)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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The Indiscretionby Judith IvoryISBN 0380812967 (0-380-81296-7)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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Isaac's Stormby Erik Larson, Isaac Monroe ClineISBN 0375708278 (0-375-70827-8)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Isaac's Storm'Book summary:On September 8, 1900, a massive hurricane slammed into Galveston, Texas. A tidal surge of some four feet in as many seconds inundated the city, while the wind destroyed thousands of buildings. By the time the water and winds subsided, entire streets had disappeared and as many as 10,000 were dead--making this the worst natural disaster in America's history.
In Isaac's Storm, Erik Larson blends science and history to tell the story of Galveston, its people, and the hurricane that devastated them. Drawing on hundreds of personal reminiscences of the storm, Larson follows individuals through the fateful day and the storm's aftermath. There's Louisa Rollfing, who begged her husband, August, not to go into town the morning of the storm; the Ursuline Sisters at St. Mary's orphanage who tied their charges to lengths of clothesline to keep them together; Judson Palmer, who huddled in his bathroom with his family and neighbors, hoping to ride out the storm. At the center of it all is Isaac Cline, employee of the nascent Weather Bureau, and his younger brother--and rival weatherman--Joseph. Larson does an excellent job of piecing together Isaac's life and reveals that Isaac was not the quick-thinking hero he claimed to be after the storm ended. The storm itself, however, is the book's true protagonist--and Larson describes its nuances in horrific detail.
At times the prose is a bit too purple, but Larson is engaging and keeps the book's tempo rising in pace with the wind and waves. Overall, Isaac's Storm recaptures at a time when, standing in the first year of the century, Americans felt like they ruled the world--and that even the weather was no real threat to their supremacy. Nature proved them wrong. --Sunny Delaney [via]
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Jacob Have I Lovedby Katherine PatersonISBN 0380564998 (0-380-56499-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Jacob Have I Loved'Book summary:First Scholastic Printing, 1990 [via]
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Jamaica Innby Daphne Du MaurierISBN 0380725398 (0-380-72539-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Jamaica Inn'Book summary:Jamaica Inn is a true classic. After the death of her mother, Mary Yellan travels to Jamaica Inn on the wild British moors to live with her Aunt Patience. The coachman warns her of the strange happenings there, but Mary is committed to remain at Jamaica Inn. Suddenly, her life is in the hands of strangers: her uncle, Joss Merlyn, whose crude ways repel her; Aunt Patience, who seems mentally unstable and perpetually frightened; and the enigmatic Francis Davey. But most importantly, Mary meets Jem Merlyn, Joss's younger brother, whose kisses make her heart race. Caught up in the danger at this inn of evil repute, Mary must survive murder, mystery, storms, and smugglers before she can build a life with Jem. [via]
James Clavell's Whirlwindby James ClavellISBN 0380703122 (0-380-70312-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Journal of the Plague Yearby Daniel Defoe, Jason GoodwinISBN 0375757899 (0-375-75789-9)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Journal of the Plague Year'Book summary:Defoe's account of the bubonic plague that swept London in 1665 remains as vivid as it is harrowing. Based on Defoe's own childhood memories and prodigious research, A Journal of the Plague Year walks the line between fiction, history, and reportage. In meticulous and unsentimental detail it renders the daily life of a city under siege; the often gruesome medical precautions and practices of the time; the mass panics of a frightened citizenry; and the solitary travails of Defoe's narrator, a man who decides to remain in the city through it all, chronicling the course of events with an unwavering eye. Defoe's Journal remains perhaps the greatest account of a natural disaster ever written.
This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the original edition published in 1722. [via]More editions of Journal of the Plague Year:
Lord of Fire : A Novelby Gaelen FoleyISBN 0345490665 (0-345-49066-5)
Softcover, Random House Publishing Group
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Many Watersby Madeleine L'EngleISBN 0374347964 (0-374-34796-4)
Hardcover, Farrar Straus & Giroux
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Many Waters'Book summary:We've all done it. In the frigid depths of winter we've wished we could be magically transported to someplace warm and sunny. But most people don't have genius parents who just happen to be working on a scientific experiment with time travel at the moment of our wish. Sandy and Dennys Murry, the "normal" boys in a family of geniuses, suddenly find themselves trudging through a blazing-hot desert, seeking a far-off oasis for shade. Their desperate wandering brings them face-to-face with history--biblical history. Soon they're feeling right at home with Noah and his family. Even so, the urgent question is, how will Sandy and Dennys get back to their own place and time before the floods--the many waters--come? As they begin to cross the invisible border into adulthood, the twins must confront their ability to resist temptation and embrace integrity.
In Many Waters, Madeleine L'Engle continues the Murry family saga, which includes A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind in the Door; and A Swiftly Tilting Planet, which won the American Book Award. L'Engle's mystical mix of science fiction and fantasy, time and space travel, history, morals, religion, and culture once again urges her many adoring readers to stretch their minds and hearts to understand why the world is the way it is. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter [via]
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The Marchby E.L. DoctorowISBN 0375506713 (0-375-50671-3)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The March'Book summary:As the Civil War was moving toward its inevitable conclusion, General William Tecumseh Sherman marched 60,000 Union troops through Georgia and the Carolinas, leaving a 60-mile-wide trail of death, destruction, looting, thievery and chaos. In The March, E.L. Doctorow has put his unique stamp on these events by staying close to historical fact, naming real people and places and then imagining the rest, as he did in Ragtime.
Recently, the Civil War has been the subject of novels by Howard Bahr, Michael Shaara, Charles Frazier, and Robert Hicks, to name a few. Its perennial appeal is due not only to the fact that it was fought on our own soil, but also that it captures perfectly our long-time and ongoing ambivalence about race. Doctorow examines this question extensively, chronicling the dislocation of both southern whites and Negroes as Sherman burned and destroyed all that they had ever known. Sherman is a well-drawn character, pictured as a crazy tactical genius pitted against his West Point counterparts. Doctorow creates a context for the march: "The brutal romance of war was still possible in the taking of spoils. Each town the army overran was a prize... There was something undeniably classical about it, for how else did the armies of Greece and Rome supply themselves?"
The characters depicted on the march are those people high and low, white and black, whose lives are forever changed by war: Pearl, the newly free daughter of a white plantation owner and one of his slaves, Colonel Sartorius, a competent, remote, almost robotic surgeon; several officers, both Union and Confederate; two soldiers, Arly and Will, who provide comic relief in the manner of Shakespeare's fools until, suddenly, their roles are not funny anymore.
Doctorow has captured the madness of war in his description of the condition of a dispossessed Southern white woman: "What was clear at this moment was that Mattie Jameson's mental state befitted the situation in which she found herself. The world at war had risen to her affliction and made it indistinguishable." And later, " This was not war as adventure, nor war for a solemn cause, it was war at its purest, a mindless mass rage severed from any cause, ideal, or moral principle."
As we have come to expect, Doctorow puts the reader in the picture; never more so than in recalling "The March" and letting us see it as a cautionary tale for our times. --Valerie Ryan [via]
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The Marriage Contractby Cathy MaxwellISBN 0380808331 (0-380-80833-1)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Marriage Contract'Book summary:Setting: London and Scotland, 1815
Sensuality Rating: 7
Married by proxy to a man she's never laid eyes on, one who's rumored to be insane, at that, sensible Anne Burnett wonders what she's gotten herself into. When Anne arrives at her new home in the Scottish Highlands, she is greeted by a half-naked, blue-faced man wielding a knife. This, of course, is Anne's new husband, Aidan Black, the Earl of Thiebauld. Thiebauld is furious with his older sister's unwelcome meddling and is determined not to accept the bride so summarily dumped on him, no matter how appealing her direct manner, fine gray eyes, and womanly curves. But her husband didn't count on Anne's determination to finally have her own home, her own people, and her own place in the world. And he certainly didn't count on the gut-wrenching passion that flames out of control every time Anne comes near him. Maxwell's trademark humor, realistic dramatic scenes, and fast-paced storytelling is greatly in evidence in The Marriage Contract. Cathy Maxwell is definitely a rising star among romance authors. Keep an eye on her and enjoy! --Alison Trinkle [via]
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The Marriage Lessonby Victoria AlexanderISBN 0380818205 (0-380-81820-5)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Memoirs of Hadrianby Marguerite YourcenarISBN 0374207283 (0-374-20728-3)
Hardcover, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Memoirs of Hadrian'Book summary:In her magnificent novel, Marguerite Yourcenor recreates the life and death of one of the great rulers of the ancient world. The Emperor Hadrian, aware his demise is imminent, writes a long valedictory letter to Marcus Aurelius, his future successor. The Emperor meditates on his past, describing his accession, military triumphs, love of poetry and music, and the philosophy that informed his powerful and far-flung rule. A work of superbly detailed research and sustained empathy, "Memoirs of Hadrian" captures the living spirit of the Emperor and of Ancient Rome. [via]
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Memoirs Of Hadrian: and Reflections on the composition of memoirs of Hadrianby Marguerite Yourcenar, Grace FrickISBN 0374529264 (0-374-52926-4)
Softcover, Farrar Straus & Giroux
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Memoirs Of Hadrian: and Reflections on the composition of memoirs of Hadrian'Book summary:Both an exploration of character and a reflection on the meaning of history, Memoirs of Hadrian has received international acclaim since its first publication in France in 1951. In it, Marguerite Yourcenar reimagines the Emperor Hadrian's arduous boyhood, his triumphs and reversals, and finally, as emperor, his gradual reordering of a war-torn world, writing with the imaginative insight of a great writer of the twentieth century while crafting a prose style as elegant and precise as those of the Latin stylists of Hadrian's own era.[via]More editions of Memoirs Of Hadrian: and Reflections on the composition of memoirs of Hadrian:
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Merlinby Steve LawheadISBN 0380708892 (0-380-70889-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Merlin'Book summary:He was born to greatness, the son of a druid bard and a princess of lost Atlantis. A trained warrior, blessed with the gifts of prophecy and song, he grew to manhood in a land ravaged by the brutal greed of petty chieftains and barbarian invaders.
Merlin: Respected, feared and hated by many, he was to have a higher destiny. for It was he who prepared the way for the momentous event that would unite the Island of the Mightythe coming of Arthur Pendragon, Lord of the Kingdom of Summer.
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Midnight Pleasuresby Eloisa JamesISBN 0385333617 (0-385-33361-7)
Hardcover, Dell Publishing
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The Moonstoneby Wilkie Collins, Carolyn G. HeilbrunISBN 0375757856 (0-375-75785-6)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Moonstone'Book summary:"The Moonstone is a page-turner," writes Carolyn Heilbrun. "It catches one up and unfolds its amazing story through the recountings of its several narrators, all of them enticing and singular." Wilkie Collins's spellbinding tale of romance, theft, and murder inspired a hugely popular genre-the detective mystery. Hinging on the theft of an enormous diamond originally stolen from an Indian shrine, this riveting novel features the innovative Sergeant Cuff, the hilarious house steward Gabriel Betteridge, a lovesick housemaid, and a mysterious band of Indian jugglers.This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the definitive 1871 edition. [via]
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Only Youby Elizabeth LowellISBN 0380763400 (0-380-76340-0)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Outcastby Rosemary Sutcliff, Richard KennedyISBN 0374456739 (0-374-45673-9)
Softcover, Farrar Straus & Giroux
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Outcast'Book summary:When a Roman ship is wrecked off the coast of Britain, an infant, Beric, is the only survivor. He is rescued by a British tribe who raise him as their own until they can no longer ignore his Roman ancestry.[via]More editions of Outcast:
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The Outlandish Companionby Diana GabaldonISBN 0385257392 (0-385-25739-2)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Outlandish Companion'Book summary:For nine years, four books, and nearly 4,000 pages, Diana Gabaldon has entranced readers with her talent for historical authenticity, dramatic plot lines, and strong characters in the Outlander series. Her superb writing has earned a loyal audience, but after a million and a half words, even the most fervent of fans may have a difficult time trying to recall the exact details of the secondary characters, let alone the obscure ones. Thankfully, Gabaldon's The Outlandish Companion is here to help.
Part crib notes and part trivia guide, this essential handbook includes synopses of the first four novels, a character guide, notes on plot development and research, answers to frequently asked questions, and teasers for the upcoming novels--there're even horoscope charts of the central characters, a list of fan Web sites, and choice recipes for the truly devoted.
Readers looking for a fix of Gabaldon's humorous voice or insight into her writing processes and characters will certainly be more than satisfied, but those looking for the next installment of Jamie and Claire's adventures will have to wait for The Fiery Cross, the fifth book in this bestselling series, expected sometime in late 1999 to early 2000. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien [via]
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Petals on the Riverby Kathleen E. WoodiwissISBN 038079828X (0-380-79828-X)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Petals on the River'Book summary:Falsely convicted of being a thief, lovely high-born Shemaine O'Hearn arrives in colonial Virginia from London on a convict ship and is sold as an indentured servant to Gage Thornton, a local shipbuilder in need of a nanny for his young son. Shemaine is relieved to have such a handsome and generous master and eagerly undertakes unfamiliar domestic tasks in Gage's rustic cabin on the edge of the American wilderness. Even persistent rumors that Gage was responsible for his wife's violent and untimely death don't trouble her for long. But as Shemaine and Gage struggle to deal honorably with their growing desire in such close quarters, they're beset by enemies, both nearby and from afar, who are determined to rob them of their newfound happiness. Woodiwiss's lush, leisurely writing and heartwarming story will fully satisfy many of her loyal fans. --Ellen Edwards [via]
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The Picture of Dorian Grayby Oscar WildeISBN 0375751513 (0-375-75151-3)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'Book summary:A lush, cautionary tale of a life of vileness and deception or a loving portrait of the aesthetic impulse run rampant? Why not both? After Basil Hallward paints a beautiful, young man's portrait, his subject's frivolous wish that the picture change and he remain the same comes true. Dorian Gray's picture grows aged and corrupt while he continues to appear fresh and innocent. After he kills a young woman, "as surely as if I had cut her little throat with a knife," Dorian Gray is surprised to find no difference in his vision or surroundings. "The roses are not less lovely for all that. The birds sing just as happily in my garden."
As Hallward tries to make sense of his creation, his epigram-happy friend Lord Henry Wotton encourages Dorian in his sensual quest with any number of Wildean paradoxes, including the delightful "When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy." But despite its many languorous pleasures, The Picture of Dorian Gray is an imperfect work. Compared to the two (voyeuristic) older men, Dorian is a bore, and his search for ever new sensations far less fun than the novel's drawing-room discussions. Even more oddly, the moral message of the novel contradicts many of Wilde's supposed aims, not least "no artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style." Nonetheless, the glamour boy gets his just deserts. And Wilde, defending Dorian Gray, had it both ways: "All excess, as well as all renunciation, brings its own punishment." [via]
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A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladiesby Ellen CooneyISBN 0375423400 (0-375-42340-0)
Hardcover, Random House Inc
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The Rake: Lessons in Loveby Suzanne EnochISBN 038082082X (0-380-82082-X)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Raptorby Gary JenningsISBN 0385246323 (0-385-24632-3)
Hardcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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Reforming a Rakeby Suzanne EnochISBN 0380809168 (0-380-80916-8)
Softcover, Avon Books
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Rites of Passageby William Gerald GoldingISBN 0374526400 (0-374-52640-0)
Softcover, Farrar Straus & Giroux
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Savage Thunderby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380753006 (0-380-75300-6)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Savage Thunder'Book summary:good read. [via]
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A Scandalous Marriageby Cathy MaxwellISBN 0380808323 (0-380-80832-3)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Scandalous Marriage'Book summary:To most eyes Leah Carrollton might appear the dutiful debutante, but it takes Devon Marshall less than a minute to feel the enormous pull of a kindred, rebellious soul. At their first meeting, Devon and Leah are about to acknowledge the amazing connection between them when her brother steps in and clarifies their identities. As members of the rival Carrollton and Marshall families, the two can never mix. However, Devon has never met a woman he couldn't seduce, and a bet--with a bit of bravado mixed in--leads him straight to Leah and a scandal that turns the ton upside down.
With a fast-moving story line, strong plot twists, and a good dose of drama, Cathy Maxwell brings a fresh take to the regency genre. Devon has depth beyond that of the usual romance rake, and Leah is neither the stereotypical naive waif nor the spunky but idiotic go-getter. Their realistic character flaws and mature reactions make Leah and Devon a couple you can truly root for. Keep an eye out for future works by Cathy Maxwell. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien [via]
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Seize the Fireby Laura KinsaleISBN 0380753995 (0-380-75399-5)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Seize the Fire'Book summary:Award-winning author Laura Kinsale fashions a hero and heroine unlike any in the genre. Olympia St. Leger is an exiled princess who needs a knight in shining armor to help her save her people. Sheridan Drake is that man. Together they face treachery, betrayal, mutiny and murder to find a triumphant love. Original. [via]
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A Short History of Nearly Everythingby Bill BrysonISBN 0375432000 (0-375-43200-0)
Hardcover, Random House Large Print
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Short History of Nearly Everything'Book summary:One of the worlds most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.
In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the worlds most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining. [via]More editions of A Short History of Nearly Everything:
Silver Angelby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380752948 (0-380-75294-8)
Softcover, Avon Books
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Six Wives of Henry VIIIby Alison WeirISBN 0370313968 (0-370-31396-8)
Hardcover, Bodley Head
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So Speaks the Heartby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380814714 (0-380-81471-4)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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So Worthy My Loveby Kathleen WoodiwissISBN 0380761483 (0-380-76148-3)
Softcover, Avon Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'So Worthy My Love'Book summary:Maxim
Proud and passionate, the Marquess of Bradbury swore vengeance on those who had stolen his title and lands. . .and branded him a traitor to the Crown.
Elise
Beautiful and spirited, she found herself the innocent prisoner of the marquess, her family's most hated foe.
So Worthy My Love
They were bitter enemies caught in a dangerous tide that swept through Elizabeth's EnglandAnd thus began a battle of wit and will between two people so perfectly matched that they could only fall in love. [via]
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The Song of Rolandby W.S. MerwinISBN 0375757112 (0-375-75711-2)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Song of Roland'Book summary:A contemporary prose rendering of the great medieval French epic, The Song of Roland is as canonical and significant as the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf. It extols the chivalric ideals in the France of Charlemagne through the exploits of Charlemagne's nephew, the warrior Roland, who fights bravely to his death in a legendary battle. Against the bloody backdrop of the struggle between Christianity and Islam, The Song of Roland remains a vivid portrayal of medieval life, knightly adventure, and feudal politics. The first great literary works of a culture are its epic chronicles, those that create simple hero-figures about whom the imagination of a nation can crystallize, observed V. S. Pritchett.
The Song of Roland is animated by the crusading spirit and fortified by national and religious propaganda. This edition features W. S. Merwin's glowing, lyrical translation. [via]More editions of The Song of Roland:
The Sot-Weed Factorby John BarthISBN 0385240880 (0-385-24088-0)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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Specimen Daysby Michael CunninghamISBN 0374299625 (0-374-29962-5)
Hardcover, Farrar Straus & Giroux
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Specimen Days'Book summary:Book Description: In each section of Michael Cunningham's bold new novel, his first since The Hours, we encounter the same group of characters: a young boy, an older man, and a young woman. "In the Machine" is a ghost story that takes place at the height of the industrial revolution, as human beings confront the alienating realities of the new machine age. "The Children's Crusade," set in the early twenty-first century, plays with the conventions of the noir thriller as it tracks the pursuit of a terrorist band that is detonating bombs, seemingly at random, around the city. The third part, "Like Beauty," evokes a New York 150 years into the future, when the city is all but overwhelmed by refugees from the first inhabited planet to be contacted by the people of Earth.
Presiding over each episode of this interrelated whole is the prophetic figure of the poet Walt Whitman, who promised his future readers, "It avails not, neither time or place ... I am with you, and know how it is." Specimen Days is a genre-bending, haunting, and transformative ode to life in our greatest city and a meditation on the direction and meaning of America's destiny. It is a work of surpassing power and beauty by one of the most original and daring writers at work today.
More from Michael Cunningham 
The Hours
A Home at the End of the World
Flesh and BloodWhitman Sampler 
The Portable Walt Whitman
Specimen Days & Collect
Walt Whitman: Poetry and Prose
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Spqrby John Maddox RobertsISBN 0380759934 (0-380-75993-4)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Spqr IIby John Maddox RobertsISBN 0380759950 (0-380-75995-0)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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A Sundial In A Grave: 1610by Mary GentleISBN 0380820412 (0-380-82041-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Surrender My Loveby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380762560 (0-380-76256-0)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Taliesinby Steve LawheadISBN 038070613X (0-380-70613-X)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Taliesin'Book summary:It was a time of legend, when the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. While across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for two thousand years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis. Taliesin is the remarkable adventure of Charis, the Atlantean princess who escaped the terrible devastation of her homeland, and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. It is the story of an incomparable love that joined two worlds amid the fires of chaos, and spawned the miracles of Merlin...and Arthur the king. [via]
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Texasby James A. MichenerISBN 0375761411 (0-375-76141-1)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Texas'Book summary:In this magnificent historical novel, James A. Michener masterfully combines fact and fiction to present Americas richest, most expansive and diversified state. Spanning four and a half centuries, this monumental saga charts the epic history of Texas, from its Spanish roots in the age of the conquistadors, to its modern-day American character, shaped by oil and industry. A stunning achievement by a literary master, Texas is a tale of violence and conflict, patriotism and statesmanship, growth and development. Among Micheners finely drawn cast of characters, emotional and political alliances are made and broken; loyalties are established over the course of Texass remarkable history, only to be betrayed by the expansion of wealth and industry. With Michener as our guide, this novel is as exciting as it is informative. [via]
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The Unburiedby Charles PalliserISBN 0374280355 (0-374-28035-5)
Hardcover, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Unburied'Book summary:Though putatively a mystery set (mostly) in the Victorian age, Charles Palliser's The Unburied has more in common with Umberto Eco than Arthur Conan Doyle. Like The Name of the Rose, this novel is set in a scholarly community and features a lost manuscript as the McGuffin of choice. And here, too, the mystery is not really what the book is about at all. Palliser's tale centers on Edward Courtine, a Cambridge don with a bee in his bonnet about Alfred the Great. It doesn't take a great medievalist to figure out that Courtine has allowed emotion to cloud his reason concerning the Saxon monarch: his version of Alfred's life and character is so forgiving as to be downright suspicious.
When it is suggested that a source dear to his heart may in fact be fraudulent, he accuses his critics of cowardice. According to Courtine, those revisionist scoundrels doubt the veracity of his beloved source "because their own self-serving cynicism is reproached by the portrait of the king that Grimbald offers. You see, his account confirms how extraordinarily brave and resourceful and learned Alfred was, and what a generous and much-loved man." Now Courtine has come to the cathedral town of Thurcester because he believes Grimbald's original manuscript may be in the cathedral library--a manuscript that he hopes will validate his own version of the great king's reign.
Palliser takes his time setting up his story, seeding it with clues that more often than not lead to dead ends. We learn, for example, that Courtine was once married, that his wife ran off with another man, and that he blames his school pal Austin Fickling for the rupture in his marital bliss. Dark doings at the cathedral are also hinted at, with quite a lot of space devoted to a murder that occurred centuries earlier. Meanwhile, ecclesiastical renovations turn up some unpleasant surprises--and as yet another murder ensues, Courtine is swept up in less scholarly pursuits. As the hapless academic (a Watson without a Holmes) pursues one red herring after another, it becomes apparent that Courtine's psyche is the real mystery on hand. History, he discovers, can obscure as much as it elucidates. All these years, his obsession with an idealized past has provided an excellent refuge from the realities of his present. In the end, what he uncovers is the secret of himself--and the reader of The Unburied is treated to a fine ghost story, in which the ghosts are quite literally all in the mind. --Alix Wilber [via]
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Until Foreverby Johanna LindseyISBN 0380762595 (0-380-76259-5)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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A Very English Agentby Julian RathboneISBN 0349115087 (0-349-11508-7)
Softcover, Abacus
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Very English Agent'Book summary:[via]Dwarfish Charlie Boylan carries a loaded pistol into the House of Commons. He was a police spy for nearly forty years, and now he wants a pension and knows what will get it. Did he, between Waterloo and Wellington's funeral, cause the Peterloo riot to happen? Was it Charlie who fingered the Cato Street Conspirators? Did Shelley really drown by accident? And at the opening of the Great Exhibition was it he who saved the Queen from being blown up? With dark undertones in its revelations of the orchestrated state repression that followed the Napoleonic Wars, A Very English Agent travels through the early years of the 19th century in a rumbustious, funny novel, worthy of the times it describes.More editions of A Very English Agent:
Vindicationby Frances SherwoodISBN 0374283907 (0-374-28390-7)
Hardcover, Farrar Straus & Giroux
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The Viscountby Lyn StoneISBN 037329347X (0-373-29347-X)
Softcover, Harlequin Books
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Wet Graveby Barbara HamblyISBN 0375432744 (0-375-43274-4)
Hardcover, Random House Large Print
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Wet Grave'Book summary:In such stunning novels of crime and character as Die Upon a Kiss, Sold Down the River, and A Free Man of Color, Benjamin January tracked down killers through the sensuous, atmospheric, dangerously beautiful world of Old New Orleans. Now, in this new novel by bestselling author Barbara Hambly, he follows a trail of murder from illicit back alleys to glittering mansions to a dark place where the oldest and deadliest secrets lie buried . . .
Wet Grave
Its 1835 and the relentless glare of the late July sun has slowed New Orleans to a standstill. When Hesione LeGros--once a corsairs jeweled mistress, now a raddled hag--is found slashed to death in a shanty on the fringe of New Orleanss most lawless quarter, there are few to care. But one of them is Benjamin January, musician and teacher. He well recalls her blazing ebony beauty when she appeared, exquisitely gowned and handy with a stiletto, at a demimonde banquet years ago.
Who would want to kill this woman now--Hessy, they said, would turn a trick for a bottle of rum--had some quarrelsome customer decided to do away with her? Or could it be one of the sexual predators who roamed the dark and seedy streets? Or--as Benjamin comes to suspect--was her killer someone she knew, someone whose careful search of her shack suggests a cold-blooded crime? Someone whose boot left a chillingly distinctive print . . .
His inquiries at taverns, markets, and slave dances reveal little about Hellfire Hessy since her glory days in Barataria Bay, once the lair of gentlemen pirates. Then the murder is swept from his mind by the delivery of a crate filled with contraband rifles--and yet another telltale boot print left by its claimant. When a murder swiftly follows, Ben and Rose Vitrac, the woman he loves, fear the workings of a serpentine mind and a treacherous plot: one only they can hope to thwart in time.
All too soon they are fugitives of color in the stormy bayous and marshes of slave-stealer country, headed for smugglers haunts and sinister plantations, where one false step could be their last toward a...Wet Grave. [via]More editions of Wet Grave:
When We Were Orphansby Kazuo IshiguroISBN 0375724400 (0-375-72440-0)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'When We Were Orphans'Book summary:When 9-year-old Christopher Banks's father--a British businessman involved in the opium trade--disappears from the family home in Shanghai, the boy and his friend Akira play at being detectives: "Until in the end, after the chases, fist-fights and gun-battles around the warren-like alleys of the Chinese districts, whatever our variations and elaborations, our narratives would always conclude with a magnificent ceremony held in Jessfield Park, a ceremony that would see us, one after another, step out onto a specially erected stage ... to greet the vast cheering crowds."
But Christopher's mother also disappears, and he is sent to live in England, where he grows up in the years between the world wars to become, he claims, a famous detective. His family's fate continues to haunt him, however, and he sifts through his memories to try to make sense of his loss. Finally, in the late 1930s, he returns to Shanghai to solve the most important case of his life. But as Christopher pursues his investigation, the boundaries between fact and fantasy begin to evaporate. Is the Japanese soldier he meets really Akira? Are his parents really being held in a house in the Chinese district? And who is Mr. Grayson, the British official who seems to be planning an important celebration? "My first question, sir, before anything else, is if you're happy with the choice of Jessfield Park for the ceremony? We will, you see, require substantial space."
In When We Were Orphans Kazuo Ishiguro uses the conventions of crime fiction to create a moving portrait of a troubled mind, and of a man who cannot escape the long shadows cast by childhood trauma. Sherlock Holmes needed only fragments--a muddy shoe, cigarette ash on a sleeve--to make his deductions, but all Christopher has are fading recollections of long-ago events, and for him the truth is much harder to grasp. Ishiguro writes in the first person, but from the beginning there are cracks in Christopher's carefully restrained prose, suggestions that his version of the world may not be the most reliable. Faced with such a narrator, the reader is forced to become a detective too, chasing crumbs of truth through the labyrinth of Christopher's memory.
Ishiguro has never been one for verbal pyrotechnics, but the unruffled surface of this haunting novel only adds to its emotional power. When We Were Orphans is an extraordinary feat of sustained, perfectly controlled imagination, and in Christopher Banks the author has created one of his most memorable characters. --Simon Leake [via]
Winter Fireby Elizabeth LowellISBN 0380775832 (0-380-77583-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Winter Fire'Wolf and the Doveby Kathleen E. WoodiwissISBN 0380007789 (0-380-00778-9)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Wolf and the Dove'Book summary:When the Normans invade and sweep across Saxon England in 1066, lovely Aislinn of Darkenwald watches her father murdered outside her home. Wulfgar, the Iron Wolf of Normandy, arrives to rule Darkenwald, and one look at Aislinn leads him to claim her as his own. She hates the Norman conquering forces, but Wulfgar awakens a consuming passion in her that she can't deny. As she struggles with her growing love for Wulfgar, she does what she can to aid her conquered people and her bereaved mother. But a jealous lord conspires with Wulfgar's spoiled half-sister and Aislinn's very life is threatened before Wulfgar can admit that the woman he conquered has in truth, conquered his heart. This beloved historical romance deserves a special place on the shelves of millions of romance readers and shouldn't be missed. [via]
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