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A Separate Peace
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A Separate Peace Hardcover - 1996

by John Knowles

John Knowles' beloved classic has been a bestseller for more than 30 years and is one of the most moving and accurate novels about the trials and confusions of adolescence ever written. Set at an elite boarding school for boys during World War II, A Separate Peace is the story of friendship and treachery, and how a tragic accident involving two young men forever tarnishes their innocence.


About this book

Knowles drew on his own experiences at a New England boarding school in order to write this haunting story about the friendship between Gene and Finny. Effectively polar opposites and yet fiercely devoted to each other, Gene and Finny develop a rivalry that sustains each of them. Gene especially tries to emulate Finny's positive qualities to make himself better. But their friendship takes a dark turn as a result of a rash decision that Gene makes while the two are perched on a tree branch. The fallout and ensuing tragedy haunt Gene for the rest of his life. A Separate Peace is a stirring meditation on adolescence, masculinity, guilt, and friendship. 

Knowles's classic is an uneasy coming-of-age, set at a boys' boarding school among the desperately carefree 16-year-olds of 1942: too young, still, to be drafted into the war outside; too old to evade the responsibilities and the guilt that follows from the breaking of their fraught and fragile private bonds.


From the publisher

Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. An American classic and great bestseller for over thirty years, A Separate Peace is timeless in its description of adolescence during a period when the entire country was losing its innocence to World War II. Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.

First Edition Identification

Secker & Warburg published the First UK Edition, First Printing hardcover in London, 1959. 

The Macmillan Company published the First US Edition, First Printing hardcover in New York, 1960. 


Details

  • Title A Separate Peace
  • Author John Knowles
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition Classic
  • Pages 208
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Scribner Book Company, NY
  • Date 1996-10-01
  • ISBN 9780684833668 / 0684833662
  • Weight 0.8 lbs (0.36 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 in (21.59 x 14.22 x 2.03 cm)
  • Reading level 1030
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: New England
    • Geographic Orientation: New Hampshire
    • Sex & Gender: Masculine
    • Topical: Coming of Age
    • Topical: Death/Dying
    • Topical: Friendship
  • Library of Congress subjects Death, Historical fiction
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 96025844
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • Entertainment Weekly, 06/27/2014, Page 23
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A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)

by John Knowles

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A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)
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A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)

by John Knowles

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)
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A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)

by John Knowles

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  • Hardcover
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Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780684833668 / 0684833662
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A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)
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A Separate Peace (Scribner Classics)

by John Knowles

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Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780684833668 / 0684833662
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A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780684833668 / 0684833662
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A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Scribner, 1996. Hardcover. Acceptable. Disclaimer:A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles

  • Used
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  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780684833668 / 0684833662
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Description:
Scribner, 1996. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$9.98
FREE shipping to USA
A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles

  • Used
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  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780684833668 / 0684833662
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A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780684833668 / 0684833662
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$9.98
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Show Details

Description:
Scribner, 1996. Hardcover. Acceptable. Disclaimer:A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. Pages can include considerable notes-in pen or highlighter-but the notes cannot obscure the text. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. The dust jacket is missing. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$9.98
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