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THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY
by WILDER, Thornton
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- The book is slightly cocked. The dustwrapper has mild chipping to the spine tips and the upper front corner. Near Fine in a Very
- Seller
-
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1927. First Edition. Hardcover. The book is slightly cocked. The dustwrapper has mild chipping to the spine tips and the upper front corner. Near Fine in a Very Good dustwrapper. First Trade Edition, with title page printed in green and black. Preceded by the "preliminary issue" of 21 copies and the London edition by a few days. Illustrated by Amy Drevenstedt. Winner of Wilder's first of three Pulitzer Prizes, this copy is INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the half-title page to "Dr. Samuel Rosenfeld/with the regards of/Thornton Wilder" and dated "New Hope, Penn./July 1948."
Synopsis
The Bridge of San Luis Rey is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel, first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. It tells the story of several interrelated people who die in the collapse of an Inca rope-fiber suspension bridge in Peru, and the events that lead up to their being on the bridge. A friar who has witnessed the tragic accident then goes about inquiring into the lives of the victims, seeking some sort of cosmic answer to the question of why each had to die.
Read More: Identifying first editions of THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY
Reviews
On Oct 5 2010, Sergerca said:
We all have a worldview (don't we?) that influences just about everything we encounter. Literature is no exception. Perhaps that is why I thought the main point of Thornton Wilder's outstanding The Bridge of San Luis Rey was so obvious.In many of the reviews I've read, many have stated that Wilder leaves the main conclusion up to the reader. I must disagree. The final line, so quoted by many of the reviewers, makes it all very clear to me. "All those impulses of love return to the love that made them." Perhaps, had Wilder capitalized the second "love" more would have drawn the same conclusion as I. That love is, of course, the love of the Father. This short book is rooted in Christian realism -- summed up in that final page. Life and God's ways as they pertain to life, are a mystery to the believer. Seemingly saintly people die far too early in inexplicable circumstances-- a bridge that has lasted for centuries one day breaks under the weight of an old woman, a cripple, an old man, a young girl, and a young man. But the "why" is not for us to know. We all must live in the comfort that it is His will that reigns, not ours, and that the love which sustained us in this life will see us to the next. Perhaps Brother Juniper found his answer. I know I recognized mine.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Charles Agvent
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 014709
- Title
- THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY
- Author
- WILDER, Thornton
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - The book is slightly cocked. The dustwrapper has mild chipping to the spine tips and the upper front corner. Near Fine in a Very
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Albert & Charles Boni
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1927
- Keywords
- Signed, Thornton Wilder, Movie Fiction, Modern Firsts
- Bookseller catalogs
- Inscribed; Pulitzer Prize;
Terms of Sale
Charles Agvent
All books subject to prior sale. Payment with order; institutions may be billed. Postage additional: $11.00 for the first book, $6.00 each thereafter. Overseas postage billed at approximate cost. Pennsylvania residents must add 6% sales tax. Mastercard, Visa, and American Express accepted. We are also open to reasonable payment terms. A book may be returned within 7 days of receipt for any reason provided it is in the same condition as sent and prior notice is given. Please insure returns for their full value.
About the Seller
Charles Agvent
Biblio member since 2003
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
About Charles Agvent
We carry a diverse and select stock with major specialties including Modern and 19th Century Literary First Editions, Signed Books & Autographs (especially Presidential and Literary), and Limited Editions Club books. We have been in business since 1987 and are proud to be members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cocked
- Refers to a state where the spine of a book is lightly "twisted" in such a way that the front and rear boards of a book do not...
- Dustwrapper
- Also known as book jacket, dust cover, or dust wrapper, a dust jacket is a protective and decorative cover for a book that is...
- 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...
- Chipping
- A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or...
- 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...
- 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....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
Frequently asked questions
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