THE LIFE OF THOMAS MORE. [Author SIGNED copy.]

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn.FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn,but author's neat,blue ink signature - without dedication - to title page, and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour pictorial subject illustrated upper wrap with black+gold woodcut illustrated rear wrap; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top edge lightly dust-soiled with some miniscule foxing/spotting; fore-edges lightly and sporadically spotted/ foxed - less so than the top edge - but generally bright and clean. Contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - an unread copy? Bright,clean,sharp-cornered - apart from lightly bumped top, upper board's corner,publisher's original, plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/ backstrip and immaculate plain,dark green endpapers.UK,thickish 8vo HB+dw/dj, SIGNED,1st edn,xi+1-434pp [paginated] includes list of illustrations,33 chapters,16pp b/w+colour contemporary illus/plates in 2 blocks of 8pp apiece between pp148/9 (all b/w) and pp276/7 (majority colour - and 3 in b/w),source notes/biblio,and an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title,author SIGNED title page,a dedication, contents list/table,acknowledgements,and last page of index unpaginated. Thomas More is one of the great figures in English history,but his life and career bear little resemblance to the myth of the saint or of the 'man for all seasons'.In this remarkable new biography Peter Ackroyd reveals a man more troubled and more perplexing than that of any previous account.More was the most brilliant Englishman of his age,but one who remained guarded and silent in the matters that most concerned him.He was an eminent lawyer who wore a hair shirt and who,in the privacy of his library,whipped himself.More was a man of the Renaissance,the author of 'Utopia' and a supporter of the new learning; but he was also a profound traditionalist who gave his life in the service of the old faith.He was a man of great spirituality and deep piety; yet he was an ambitious and successful careerist who,as Lord Chancellor,dominated the court of Henry VIII. A magnificent achievement,'The Life of Thomas More' brings us closer to a man who has remained an enigma for 500 years.It offers a portrait as decisive as Holbein's famous drawing,while also brilliantly recreating the conditions of Catholic England at the end of the fifteenth century. Please contact seller @ rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the heavier weight and value of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.