New York: Viking Penguin. Vg-/Vg Light Wear. A Few Turned Corners. Dj Lightly Edgeworn. Pages Clean, Binding Tight. Pages: 501.. 2013. 2nd Printing. Hardcover..

Synopsis

A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed In The Signature of All Things , Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction, inserting her inimitable voice into an enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery. Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life. Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, The Signature of All Things soars across the globe—from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters: missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who—born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution—bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. Written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time, Gilbert’s wise, deep, and spellbinding tale is certain to capture the hearts and minds of readers.

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Details

Bookseller: Vintage-Books (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: MASTER296154I
Title: Signature Of All Things
Author: Gilbert, Elizabeth
Format/Binding: Hardcover.
Book Condition: Used - Vg-/Vg Light Wear. A Few Turned Corners. Dj Lightly Edgeworn. Pages Clean, Binding Tight. Pages: 501.
Jacket Condition: Vg (See description)
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: 2nd Printing
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0670024856
ISBN 13: 9780670024858
Publisher: Viking Penguin
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 2013
Keywords: Literature, Fiction, Eat Pray Love

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About Vintage-Books

Welcome to Vintage Books, an independent family owned bookstore and mail order business. We have been serving book-lovers and auto enthusiasts for 35 years. We've always put our priority where our hearts are: the best book selection we can offer and the most knowledgeable, dedicated staff. Our staff are all passionate readers-- the diversity of our preferences can be seen on our "staff choices" shelves. We work hard to make your book buying experience easy, and treat your books with the care we would treat our own. If you were to visit our physical store, you will find us to be pretty low key. Plain pine bookcases, old rugs, old chairs and a small couch in the children's area. Blank vertical surfaces are covered with old ads, sayings, booklists and displayed books. We are unable to list our extensive selection of used paperbacks, some of the automotive items and hardbacks on-line, because our inventory changes daily.

Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.