The Book Thief
by Zusak, Markus
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Fine
- Seller
-
Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
First UK edition, first impression. Signed by the author to the title page. Precedes the first children's edition published by Bodley Head.
Original black cloth with lettering to spine in gilt. A very small and unobtrusive ding to head and foot of spine, else fine in a fine dust jacket. A fantastic example.
Synopsis
The New York Times #1 Bestseller. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down. The Book Thief is a story about the power of words and the ability of books to feed the soul. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Book Thief
Reviews
This book has won many awards and deserves them all. It is brilliant, original and enlightening. It is the best and most engrossing writing I have seen of Nazi Germany. Death, the narrator, brings a chilling but quiet humor to the ugly time.
The Book Thief is the fifth novel by Australian author, Markus Zusak. The setting is Nazi Germany just before the start of World War Two, through to 1943, and the story is narrated by Death. Death was decidedly overworked during the war, but he informs the reader that he saw young Liesel Meminger three times in those years before he finally took her much later. Liesel comes to 33 Himmel Strasse in Molchen to foster parents Rosa and Hans Hubermann, having just lost her younger brother, Werner to Death’s grasp. Cranky Rosa keeps the family fed with her washing and ironing service while kind Hans paints when it is needed, plays the accordion and teaches Liesel to read, all on the background of deprivation, anxiety and fear that is wartime Germany. The anxiety level rises when Max Vandenburg, a Jew, comes to hide in the basement. But the presence of this unassuming man also helps to expand Liesel’s experience of reading and of life. With her best friend, Rudy Steiner, Liesel embarks on a career of thievery, starting with apples but graduating, eventually, to books from the Mayor’s library, although her first books are acquired in quite a different manner. This much-awarded, best-selling novel looks at war from a different perspective: the effects it has on ordinary people trying to lead ordinary lives in an ordinary town. While the Fuhrer and Mein Kampf play integral parts, illustrating the use of words for evil, the emphasis is on the struggle of the common man (and woman) to do the right thing in a dangerous environment. Zusak’s characters have depth and appeal (even cranky Rosa): the banter between them often lifts the tension from serious moments with some quite black humour. Zusak is skilful with his imagery and wordplay: “He was teenage tall and had a long neck. Pimples gathered in peer groups on his face.” and “She imagined the sound of a police siren throwing itself forward and reeling itself in. Collecting itself.” are just two examples. The illustrations by Trudy White are a charming enhancement to the text. This novel has brutality, but it also has beauty. The narration style may take a little getting used to, but the reader who perseveres is rewarded with a wonderful experience. Very moving.
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Fine Book Cellar Ltd. (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 1476183139382
- Title
- The Book Thief
- Author
- Zusak, Markus
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Doubleday
- Date Published
- 2007
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Zusak, The Book Thief, First, Signed
- Bookseller catalogs
- Modern First Editions; Signed First Editions; Books to Film;
Terms of Sale
Fine Book Cellar Ltd.
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Fine Book Cellar Ltd.
About Fine Book Cellar Ltd.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- 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...
- 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...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- 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....
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
- Autographs & Signed Books Signed Books
- Bindings & Editions Signed First Editions
- Bindings & Editions Modern First Editions
- Fiction & Literature Fiction by Region Australian Fiction
- Fiction & Literature Contemporary Fiction
- Fiction & Literature Historical Fiction
- Fiction & Literature Science Fiction & Fantasy Science Fiction