Skip to content

LAND OF MARVELS

LAND OF MARVELS

Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Click for full-size.

LAND OF MARVELS

by Unsworth, Barry

  • Used
  • as new
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
As New/Fine
ISBN 10
0385520077
ISBN 13
9780385520072
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Los Angeles, California, United States
Item Price
A$31.01
Or just A$27.91 with a
Bibliophiles Club Membership
A$5.43 Shipping to USA
Standard delivery: 7 to 14 days

More Shipping Options

Payment Methods Accepted

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Discover
  • PayPal

About This Item

New York, New York, U.S.A: Nan A. Talese, 2009. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. As New/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. A thriller set in 1914 as the Western nations are making a grab for political power and oil in the Middle East, by a writer with an 'almost magical capacity for literary time travel' (The New York Times Book Review). Somerville, a British archaeologist, is excavating a long-buried Assyrian palace. The site lies directly in the path of a new railroad to Baghdad, and he watches nervously as the construction progresses, threatening to destroy his discovery. The expedition party includes Somerville's beautiful, bored wife, Christine; Patricia, a smart young graduate student; and Jehar, an Arab man-of-all-duties whose subservient manner belies his intelligence and ambitions. Posing as an archaeologist, an American geologist from an oil company arrives one day and insinuates himself into the group. But he's not the only one working undercover to stake a claim on Iraq's rich oil fields. As new,first edition, first printing, in fine, mylar-protected dust jacket. [Not remainder-marked or price-clipped] MLBS1

Synopsis

Barry Unsworth, a writer with an "almost magical capacity for literary time travel" (New York Times Book Review) has the extraordinary ability to re-create the past and make it relevant to contemporary readers. In Land of Marvels, a thriller set in 1914, he brings to life the schemes and double-dealings of Western nations grappling for a foothold in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire.Somerville, a British archaeologist, is excavating a long-buried Assyrian palace. The site lies directly in the path of a new railroad to Baghdad, and he watches nervously as the construction progresses, threatening to destroy his discovery. The expedition party includes Somerville's beautiful, bored wife, Edith; Patricia, a smart young graduate student; and Jehar, an Arab man-of-all-duties whose subservient manner belies his intelligence and ambitions. Posing as an archaeologist, an American geologist from an oil company arrives one day and insinuates himself into the group. But he's not the only one working undercover to stake a claim on Iraq's rich oil fields. Historical fiction at its finest, Land of Marvels opens a window on the past and reveals its lasting impact.

Reviews

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

You’re rating the book as a work, not the seller or the specific copy you purchased!

Details

Bookseller
Joe Staats, Bookseller US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
019858
Title
LAND OF MARVELS
Author
Unsworth, Barry
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
New As New
Jacket Condition
Fine
Quantity Available
1
Edition
1st Edition 1st Printing
ISBN 10
0385520077
ISBN 13
9780385520072
Publisher
Nan A. Talese
Place of Publication
New York, New York, U.S.A
Date Published
2009
Pages
287
Size
8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾
Product_type
2

Terms of Sale

Joe Staats, Bookseller

Books shipped in secure packaging via USPS Media Mail, Priority Mail or Global Priority Mail, upon receipt of payment, unless customer requests another method of delivery. Shipping is within 24 hrs. of receipt of payment for money orders, and after three business days for personal checks. All book jackets are protected in mylar covers from Brodart. Customers have three business days within which to contact us with complaints about merchandise by e-mail. Returns must be approved, in original packaging material, and in the same condition as when shipped. Because we make every effort to have the best possible merchandise in the best condition, to describe it accurately and to package it securely, we will in most cases accept approved returns. Approved returns will be cheerfully refunded, or credit given toward other books. Our aim is to please, and to earn your return business with superior service and prompt delivery.

About the Seller

Joe Staats, Bookseller

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2003
Los Angeles, California

About Joe Staats, Bookseller

Modern Literature, Mysteries, and More!
We specialize in collectible, contemporary signed first editions. First edition means the first printing. (Later printings of the first edition are typically not printed on acid-free paper, and should be avoided by collectors.) Signatures are obtained by us in person. Inscribed books sold by us may contain a line, a phrase, or a sketch that the author has chosen to add. Our signed books are not dedicated to anybody in particular (not to your grandmother, your Aunt Gladys, your ex-lover or your former cellmate), except in the rare case of a presentation copy from an author to a noteworthy person. All our books are hardcover, unless the book is an Advance Reading Copy, Uncorrected Proof, or PBO. You can expect that the books we send you will be as described, and in a physical condition worthy of the author’s having signed them. We do not sell remainder-marked books, signed or otherwise

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Jacket
Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...

Frequently asked questions

tracking-