The Shadow of the Wind
by Zafon, Carlos Ruiz
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Fine/fine
- Seller
-
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
"Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show." -- The New York Times Book Review A New York Times Bestseller Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love. “ Anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should.” -- Michael Dirda, The Washington Post " Wonderous... masterful... The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature , intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero." -- Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice) "One gorgeous read." --Stephen King
Reviews
Rarely will a novel be critically acclaimed, a huge commercial bestseller and a cult classic, yet Carlos Ruiz Zafon accomplished this literary hat trick with his novel "The Shadow of the Wind." First released in Spanish in 2001, and translated into English in 2004, The Shadow of the Wind is the first of a series of four planned novels revolving around the city of Barcelona. To date, the novel has sold 15 million copies worldwide, and the most common reaction of readers was that they were sad to see the story end. It is one of those books you wish would go on for another 500 pages, and one you buy multiple copies of to give to friends (I gave a copy to my uncle just yesterday).The novel is the story of Daniel Sempere, who at age 10 is taken by his father, a Barcelona bookseller, to the amazing Cemetery of Forgotten Books. While there he chooses a book called "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julian Carax. He is so enthralled by the novel that as he enters adulthood he sets out to find every book Carax has written, but encounters a sinister obstacle. Every copy of every book the author has written is being tracked down and burned by a disfigured man who bears a striking resemblance to a character in Carax's novel. Daniel's quest to save the remaining copies is intertwined with the story of Barcelona and its recovery from the Spanish Civil War.But "The Shadow of the Wind" is much more than a literary mystery. It is a Gothic masterpiece, filled with action, romance, mystery and, of course, books. One reviewer has called it a "love letter to books," because it examines the power of books to change our lives in ways we often don't even realize. One quote from the novel sums this up:"Every book has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens."This is not something we often consider in our electronic, Kindle e-book reader world. Books, real ink and paper books, matter. They challenge us to examine our inner selves and the world around us, and they can change us, hopefully for the better, while at the same time being a tangible creation, a contract of sorts between writer and reader. The Shadow of the Wind is such a book. It is a novel with a very strong soul, and books like this don't come around nearly often enough. It is a modern-day classic that everyone should read.
When young Daniel enters the "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" you're hooked! Intrigue, passion, murder and more whisk you through this story about a boy's literary curiosity in Barcelona, Spain. Don't read it too fast, though, as the writing is beautiful.
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Details
- Bookseller
- The First Edition Rare Books, LLC (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 15084
- Title
- The Shadow of the Wind
- Author
- Zafon, Carlos Ruiz
- Illustrator
- Signed first edition of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition, First Printing
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2004
Terms of Sale
The First Edition Rare Books, LLC
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About the Seller
The First Edition Rare Books, LLC
About The First Edition Rare Books, LLC
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- 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...
- 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....
- Copyright page
- The page in a book that describes the lineage of that book, typically including the book's author, publisher, date of...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- 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...