Historical Fiction

ACCORDING TO HELEN (Historical Fiction)
by Florence Wallin. Condition: NEW 1997 Pine Tree Press Trade Paperback, no printing given. Content: Reviewer: "Archeologists refuse to state categorically that the Trojan War described by Homer actually occurred. Nevertheless it is a durable myth and ancient Troy is a a real place (in Turkey). Most of us have some notion that Helen of Troy was the Cleopatra of her time, and caused the Trojan War and all the tragic events that ensued. Wallin brings the famous Helen to life and lets her explain that her role in this story is quite misrepresented. Helen is not some sultry temptress but the true Queen, in her own right, of (what became) Sparta. She represents queenship a worship of the Goddess in an age when matriarchal power was changing to worchip of Zeus and Patriarchal power. Her visit to Troy was a diplomatic mission (though the story does not deny her the passionate affair with the Trojan Prince, Paris). This is a fascinating novel by someone who has been to many of the places described and brings fictional imagination and learning to our most famous semi-historical myth." [1 copy available]
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AND ALL OUR WOUNDS FORGIVEN: A Novel About the Civil Rights Movement (Historical Fiction)
by Julius Lester. Condition: NEW 1996 Harvest Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: Veteran novelist Lester here takes on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in a story that resonates with anguish and authenticity. The author uses flashbacks and a range of voices to tell the tale of his King stand-in, John Calvin Marshall, and to comment on the current state of the civil rights movement. After an introductory monologue by Marshall, the narrative jumps to the present as Marshall's white mistress, Lisa Adams, speaks to the slain leader's widow, Andrea, who's lying comatose in a hospital bed. Lisa provides poignant memories of her long affair with Marshall, while Bobby Card, a militant Marshall colleague who was tortured by a white Southern sheriff in the '60s, vents his anger and his own racial chauvinism. The unconscious Andrea, meanwhile, offers in response an interior monologue on her fear of losing her husband and on the irony of knowing about his white lover. For all the power of the other voices, though, Marshall's is the most stirring of all, musing on the forces of history, the strengths and weaknesses of those closest to him and his chilling conversations with LBJ, Malcolm X, the Kennedys and other political luminaries of the time. Lester's emotionally wrenching novel brings the civil rights movement full circle, and few readers will finish the book without a new perspective on the racial divisiveness that plagues America today. [1 copy available]
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THE ANUBIS GATES (Historical Fantasy)
by Tim Powers. Beautiful cover art by Jean-Francois Poevin. Condition: NEW 1997 Ace Trade Paperback, 5th printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: The colonization of Egypt by western European powers is the launch point for power plays and machinations. Steeping together in this time-warp stew are such characters as an unassuming Coleridge scholar, ancient gods, wizards, the Knights Templar, werewolves, and other quasi-mortals, all wrapped in the organizing fabric of Egyptian mythology. In the best of fantasy traditions, the reluctant heroes fight for survival against an evil that lurks beneath the surface of their everyday lives. Reviewer: "This book takes you back to the early nineteenth century in London, with a quick jaunt to the mid-1600s in the middle of the book. The main character, Brendan Doyle, is a scholar who is researching the biography of the poet William Ashbless, hired to accompany a group of paying passengers back in time from 1983 to see a lecture by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I was very curious to see how Powers handled the paradox of changing a history that had already happened - and, to be honest, a bit skeptical that he would be able to satisfy me. I was pleasantly surprised. The paradoxes resolve themselves so neatly that it made me pause and think, "maybe this *is* what happened". The thread of Egyptian mythology that ties the story together makes the suspension of disbelief easy, since Powers isn't trying to convince you that the technology for time-travel actually existed in 1983, rather he is relying on a mysticism that has been around for millenia. And the ending was just perfect." [2 copies available]
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ARREST SITTING BULL & A CREEK CALLED WOUNDED KNEE (Historical Fiction)
by Douglas C. Jones. Condition and Content: Arrest Sitting Bull: UNREAD 1978 Charles Scribner's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Light tanning to white cover edges but none to interior pages. In 1890, at the camps of the Teton Sioux, frenzied braves perform the Ghost Dance. The aged, venerated Sitting Bull is their leader in this, their last, most desperate attempt to oust the white man from their land. Panic-stricken white ranchers and farmers call upon the Indian Agent to maintain the peace he has patiently established. Relations have improved between the two races under his careful supervision — but will officials in the East let the trouble be settled peaceably? Or will their soldiers march in to enforce the power of the mighty against the vanquished? A Creek Called Wounded Knee: Gently pre-read 1978 Charles Scribner's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Remainder. Custer is dead. Sitting Bull is dead. And the famous 7th Cavalry is on the march. Then came the Ghost Dance, a spiritual call of Indian resistance, that spread like a dry fire among the Lakota Sioux. When the army commanders sent the murderous orders through, it became a matter of Sioux defiance to oppose them. Although the tragic outcome was clear, not a man changed his mind. Both books are great historical fiction - well-researched. Questions welcome. [1 set available]
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BAUDOLINO: A Novel
by Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose). Translated by Wiliam Weaver. Condition: NEW 2000 Harcourt Brace large Trade Paprback, first printing. Content: It is April 1204, and Constantinople, the splendid capital of the Byzantine Empire, is being sacked and burned by the knights of the Fourth Crusade. Amid the carnage and confusion, one Baudolino saves a historian and high court official from certain death at the hands of the crusading warriors and proceeds to tell his own fantastical story. Born a simple peasant in northern Italy, Baudolino has two major gifts--a talent for learning languages and a skill in telling lies. When still a boy he meets a foreign commander in the woods, charming him with his quick wit and lively mind. The commander--who proves to be Emperor Frederick Barbarossa--adopts Baudolino and sends him to the university in Paris, where he makes a number of fearless, adventurous friends. Spurred on by myths and their own reveries, this merry band sets out in search of Prester John, a legendary priest-king said to rule over a vast kingdom in the East--a phantasmagorical land of strange creatures with eyes on their shoulders and mouths on their stomachs, of eunuchs, unicorns, and lovely maidens. As always with Eco, this abundant novel includes dazzling digressions, outrageous tricks, extraordinary feeling, and vicarious reflections on our postmodern age. This is Eco the storyteller at his brilliant best. [1 copy available]
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BLACK ULYSSES
by Daniel Panger. B&W detailed maps document the journey. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1982 Ohio University Press Trade Paperback, no printing given. Very light hinge crease with light edge wear. Interior perfect. Content: An incredible journey as seen through the eyes of the proud Black slave, Estevan; a journey towards the amazing and mysterious sense of grace which illuminates the darkest moments of the human condition. Corretta Scott King said- A fascinating and valuable book. It dramatizes the little-known role of a Black man in the early exploration of America in a way that is both entertaining and enlightening. Fascinating! [1 copy available]
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THE BLOOD COUNTESS: A Novel
by Andrei Godrescu. Condition: Gently pre-read, if at all, 1995 Simon & Schuster hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), second printing. Tiny edgewear bottom DJ edge. Content: A folk belief that on bitter cold nights the stars come down to mate with wolves. An adolescent boy, sexually aroused by an "iron maiden" torture device. The smell of paprika and boiled chicken served with Tokay wine. These and other vivid images of Hungary in the 16th century, and Hungary today, swirl together amid scenes of luxury and barbarity and talk of Martin Luther's Christianity and post-Communist ideals in this gloriously gruesome novel inspired by the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory. They say she killed 650 virgin girls in order to rejuvenate herself with their blood. Reviewer: "This reminds me something of an uncensored Grimm's Fairy Tales, though far more graphic in nature (and without all the bothersome morality). No disgusting, bloody, pornographic detail was spared. More historical facts would have been nice, but let's face it: if Elizabeth Bathory wasn't such a disturbed and sadistic killer, no one would have ever bothered to research her life at all. The supporting characters (From Countess Bathory's time, at least) are truly fascnating and seem well researched. Her uncle, George Thurzo for instance, the magistrate who invented or improved upon several torture devices, can only be of the line of Thurzos at Emperor Sigmund's court during the mid-1400's. Here mentor, the Friar Silvestri, is equally interesting, though many of his exploits are obviously exagerated from hearsay." [1 copy available]
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CAESAR DIES (Time-Lost Series)
by Talbot Mundy. Frank Brunner cover art. Condition: UNREAD 1973 Centaur Press paperback, no printing given. Pale foxing fore edges. Interior clean & tight - no tanning. Content: A novel of ancient Antioch and Rome in the days of the warrior-emperor, Commodus - whose fanatical whims and paranoid dreads are a threat to every citizen. [1 copy available]
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CHANG AND ENG (Historical Fiction/Biographical Novel)
by Darin Strauss. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 2000 Dutton Trade Paperback, 8th printing. Diagonal shelf wear diagonal crease bottom front cover. Light rubbings front cover. Interior perfect. Content: Chang and Eng Bunker were born in the early 1800s in a rainy village on the shores of the Mekong Delta. Achieving instant fame as the "Siamese double boy," they toured freak shows throughout China, Europe, and North America. Eventually they settled in North Carolina (of all places), married a pair of sisters, and fathered 21 children between them. This fictionalized version of their story is narrated by the stronger, more circumspect twin, Eng, who must continually urge Chang to restrain his tears, his burning sexual desires, and his fear of the King of Siam (who has promised to "kill the double-child, the bad omen"). From the beginning, Strauss masterfully delineates the brothers' differences. Yet it's the porous nature of their relationship that will fascinate readers even more. The twins, after all, must always sleep face to face, connected by a fleshy band and the knowledge of their shared monstrosity. The fact that they are neither "he" nor "we" allows the author myriad opportunities for wordplay and psychological riddles. Does Chang love his brother, or does he love himself? When he hates his brother, is it only a piece of himself he is hating? Might the connecting band be its own entity, a pet that the brothers must tend to and feed? The novel's agile prose is like a smooth, strong current, pulling the twins away from their awkward lives. To his great credit, Strauss spends very little time dwelling on Chang and Eng as monsters, and their freak-show existence surfaces only in short, painful flashbacks--a jeering interlude that the narrator would sooner forget. And Eng's voice is a compelling one, full of quips, insecurities, and jealousy. Indeed, at some moments he seems like a standard-issue Renaissance man, reading Shakespeare in the afternoon, dreaming about pretty women, recounting his extensive travels. Yet the tragic fact remains: no matter how many countries this cosmopolitan visits, he will never have a room to himself. [1 copy available]
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COUGAR WOMAN (Unabridged Edition)
by Jane E. Hartman. B&W drawings illustrate but no credit given. Condition: NEW 1998 Aquarian Trade Paperback, Unabridged Edition, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: Captured at the age of ten, the fearless rider with the long black hair was keenly attuned to the forces of nature and to her adopted tribe's struggle for survival. Later guided by a vision quest, she found the courage and wisdom needed to defend her rights, protect herh people, and in time, become their leader. This story recounts the trials and triumps of this 19th-century Absaroke (Crow) warrior and chief. Historically accurate descriptions. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
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The COURT MARTIAL OF ROBERT E. LEE (A Novel) (Historical Fiction)
by Duglas Savage. Condition: Very good 1995 Warner Books Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edgewear top cover and rubbing on the front hinge; pale spine crease. Interior tight & clean. Content: An intriguing blend of fact and fiction, this engrossing novel explores the question: What if the Confederacy called Robert E. Lee to account for his tragic failure at Gettysburg? Using a court-martial trial as the novel's centerpiece, Savage weaves an intimate portrait of Lee as a man free of the myths of history. [1 copy available]
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THE DAUGHTER OF TIME (Historical Fiction)
by Josephine Tey. Condition: NEW 1988 Collier Books paperback edition, 11th printing. Tiny edgewear. Content: Josephine Tey is often referred to as the mystery writer for people who don't like mysteries. Her skills at character development and mood setting, and her tendency to focus on themes not usually touched upon by mystery writers, have earned her a vast and appreciative audience. In Daughter of Time, Tey focuses on the legend of Richard III, the evil hunchback of British history accused of murdering his young nephews. While at a London hospital recuperating from a fall, Inspector Alan Grant becomes fascinated by a portrait of King Richard. A student of human faces, Grant cannot believe that the man in the picture would kill his own nephews. With an American researcher's help, Grant delves into his country's history to discover just what kind of man Richard Plantagenet was and who really killed the little princes. "Did Josephine Tey, near the close of her authorial career, delve into some of the lost nooks and crannies of English history in an effort to recover "the real Richard?" [1 copy available]
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THE DELIGHT MAKERS: A novel of prehistoric Pueblo Indians
by Adolf F. Bandelier. Intro by Stefan Jovanovich. Condition: NEW 1971 Harvest Trade Paper edition, 13th printing (c. 1990-2000). Tiny edge wear. Content: The author, an archaeologist who spent eight years among the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico, provides in fictional form an invaluable reconstruction of prehistoric Indian culture of the Southwest. Bandelier was born in Bern, Switzerland. When a youth he emigrated to the United States. After 1880 he devoted himself to archaeological and ethnological work among the Indians of the southwestern United States, Mexico and South America. Beginning his studies in Sonora (Mexico), Arizona and New Mexico, he made himself the leading authority on the history of this region, and - with F. H. Cushing and his successors - one of the leading authorities on its prehistoric civilization. Bandelier tells the story of the ancestors of the modern Pueblos, the Queres, who are dominated by a powerful secret society called the Koshare or "Delight Makers." Rivalry between clans and a conspiracy to accuse a woman of sorcery touch of war with a neighboring tribe, the Tehuas, and lead to the destruction of the Queres settlement. Bandelier wrote the book "to make the 'Truth about the Pueblo Indians' moe accessible and perhaps more acceptable to the public in general." Questions welcome. [2 copies available]
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DEUS LO VOLT!: Chronicle of the Crusades (Historical Fiction)
by Evan S. Connell (Son of the Morning Star. Cover art by John Clare and Charles Best - Knights in Armor. Condition: NEW 2000 Counterpoint large Trade Paperback, 6th printing. Content: Arraying himself wholly in a medieval mindset for this difficult, ungainly but rewarding novel, Connell writes a massive, determinedly archaic history of the crusades from the point of view of a French knight. Jean Joinville, a participant in the disastrous second crusade under Louis IX, begins his chronicle with the first crusade, in 1095, and ends with the taking of Acre in 1290 by the forces of Ashraf Khalil, which effectively ended the mad attempt to make Palestine a Christian protectorate. In assuming Joinville's persona, Connell embraces both the man's style and his conceptual limits, giving the reader no handhold in the form of an introduction or explanatory notes. As presented by Connell, the medieval mind is a promiscuous mix of piety and brutality. By the knight's account, the first crusadeAwhich prompts pogroms against Jews in Germany, involves intricate treachery among the Christian hosts in Asia Minor and culminates in the horrific sack of JerusalemAis taken to express God's miraculous design. The second crusade pits Saladin against Richard the Lionhearted. Joinville's depiction of the English king captures his inconsistent character, while Saladin evokes some rare passages of nonpartisan admiration. The book ends with Joinville's account of captivity at the hands of infidels in Egypt, of being ransomed with Louis IX and of Louis's homecoming. Connell's antiquarian "forgery," which is in the line of novels like Yourcenar's Memoirs of Hadrian, is a great feat of historic empathy. Or to quote Joinville: "What adventures they recounted left us agape as if we heard some ancient epic, or looked upon some tapestry of days half remembered." [1 copy available]
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DREAMERS (Book 1, Legacies of the Ancient River)
by Angela Elwell Hunt. Beautiful wrap-around cover art - but no credit given. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Bethany House hardcover and DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. DJ shows light edge ear. Content: Tuya came as a teenaged slave to Potiphar's household, a personal gift from the mighty Pharaoah. Tall and slender, the young girl knew nothing of her past except that she had always been a slave. Another young slave came to Potiphar, purchased from traveling Midianites. If harnessed properly, Potiphar envisioned that this Joseph would pull more than his share of the work load. In the household of the captain of Pharaoh's guard, Tuya and Joseph come to share their dreams of better things, freedom, and love. But as quickly as their destinies seem to entwine, they are torn apart. Will the dreams they share destroy them both? [1 copy available]
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DRUIDS
by Morgan Llywelyn. B&W maps. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1993 Ballantine-Ivy paperback, fist printing. Shelf wear diagonal crease top back cover corner. Content: As every Latin student knows, ancient Gaul was divided into three parts, all conquered by Caesar. Llywelyn tells of that conquest from the viewpoint of the defeated Gauls. Her story is told by the Druid Ainvar, whose"soul friend" Vercingetorix leads the Gauls in their doomed defense of freedom. Llywelyn is most successful in her evocation of Celtic culture and Druidic beliefs, based on harmony with nature. Once Caesar and Vercingetorix join battle, however, the story bogs down in endless marches, raids, and battles. The characters serve the needs of the plot admirably. Less successful than Llywelyn's earlier novels, this one is still likely to please those who enjoy meticulously crafted historical fiction. [1 copy available]
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THE EGYPTIAN: A Novel
by Mika Waltari. Translated by Naomi Walford. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1949 - 1950 Putnam's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), Book Club Edition. Deckled edges. NO tanning. The DJ has, at some point, been folded and there is a light crease. Interior clean & tight. Content: There actually was a physician named Sinehu who left some of his life on papyrus - I have yet to find a book or site that details this true story, however. Perhaps the Author had knowledge of this artifact or had read it. Reviewer: "The book is set in the Amarna period of Ancient Egypt during the reigns of the pharaohs Amunhotep III, Akhenaten and Horemheb, covering the concluding years of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom (1386 - 1293 BC), an era in Egyptian history that was marked by significant religious and political upheaval. The Egyptian is Sinuhe, a physician of unknown birth origin who was wrapped and cradled in a reed boat floating down the Nile. As he narrates his life story, which transcended years of warfare, plague, and fierce battle between gods. On the outside The Egyptian delineates the history of Egypt through its inveterate religious devotion to many gods. At the core of the novel finds one man's lifelong journey through many countries, like Babylon, Crete, and Mitannia, to knowledge. Sinehu possessed such lonely idealism that motivated him to devote his life searching for something so intangible yet greater than he beyond his understanding did. He was not ready to merely worship the gods - in fact, he insisted on questioning traditions and thus marked him as an outsider of his own culture." The 1954 movie was directed by Michael Curtiz and starred Victor Mature, Jean Simmons, Michael Wilding, Gene Tierney, Peter Ustinov, and Edmund Purdom. This is one of my favorite old movie even though I think the acting is weak (everyone) and the screenplay is limp. But the novel is fabulous! [1 copy available] [1 copy available]
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THE EGYPTIAN: A Novel
by Mika Waltari. . Condition: Good only, 1965 Pocket paperback, second printing. A binding error has caused the back one-third of the book to be "out-of-line" with the front two-thirds of the book. Moderate tanning. Content: Reviewer: "The book is set in the Amarna period of Ancient Egypt during the reigns of the pharaohs Amunhotep III, Akhenaten and Horemheb, covering the concluding years of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom (1386 - 1293 BC), an era in Egyptian history that was marked by significant religious and political upheaval. The Egyptian is Sinuhe, a physician of unknown birth origin who was wrapped and cradled in a reed boat floating down the Nile. As he narrates his life story, which transcended years of warfare, plague, and fierce battle between gods. On the outside The Egyptian delineates the history of Egypt through its inveterate religious devotion to many gods. At the core of the novel finds one man's lifelong journey through many countries, like Babylon, Crete, and Mitannia, to knowledge. Sinehu possessed such lonely idealism that motivated him to devote his life searching for something so intangible yet greater than he beyond his understanding did. He was not ready to merely worship the gods - in fact, he insisted on questioning traditions and thus marked him as an outsider of his own culture." There actually was a physician named Sinehu who left some of his life on papyrus - I have yet to find a book or site that details this true story, however. Perhaps the Author had knowledge of this artifact or had read it. The 1954 movie was directed by Michael Curtiz and starred Victor Mature, Jean Simmons, Michael Wilding, Gene Tierney, Peter Ustinov, and Edmund Purdom. This is one of my favorite old movie even though I think the acting is weak (everyone) and the screenplay is limp. But the novel is fabulous! [1 copy available]
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A FACE TURNED BACKWARD: A Mystery of Ancient Egypt (Historical Mystery)
by Lauren Haney. Raised cover art. Condition: NEW 1999 Avon Twilight paperback, first printing. Content: Lieutenant Bak and his Medjay police at Buhen fortress?southern Egypt during the 18th Dynasaty?are called in to investigate the stabbing of farmer Penhet. The likely suspect, according to the wife, is Penhet's neighbor, Netermose, who swears his innocence. While at the crime scene, Bak and his second, Imsiba, are summoned to Commandant Thuty's office. Goods are moving up the Nile without the appropriate fees being paid, and a large ivory tusk has disappeared. Bak and his men must inspect all incoming and outgoing shipments. The stew thickens when the investigators discover an abandoned, cargoless ship and hear rumors of sightings of a headless man. The plot is fairly simple and, as all good detectives throughout the ages, Bak solves his case with wits and careful investigation. Haney (The Right Hand of Amon) makes up for what is otherwise a fairly routine story with colorful characters and glimpses of daily life and romance in this ancient world. [1 copy available]
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FLASHMAN AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
by George MacDonald Fraser. B&W maps. Condition: UNREAD ex-library book (a rarity), 1995 Alfred Knopf hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first American edition. Has all library markings and band bottom front mylar jacket. Interior clean & tight. Content: Roving British Army colonel Sir Harry Flashman, roisterous scoundrel and witty cynic, was a reluctant hero in exploits ranging from the Crimean War to China's Taiping Rebellion in nine previous volumes of Fraser's Flashman Papers. In this latest installment, a mesmerizing mix of high adventure, outrageous humor and audacious drama, the cowardly Flashman is kidnapped in Cape Town, South Africa, and sails to Baltimore before being conscripted into abolitionist John Brown's doomed, bloody 1859 raid on a federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Va. U.S. government agents enlist Flashman as a spy to dissuade or forcibly prevent Brown from carrying out the raid, fearing that it might trigger civil war. Meanwhile, a band of hooded white supremacists abduct Flashman and order him to abet John Brown's attack, which they believe will unite the South and divide the North. Combining wild imagination, sardonic commentary on American mores and meticulous historical research, Fraser tells a masterful historical tale and presents a magnificent portrait of John Brown as a fearless, autocratic, murderous iron-willed zealot-"a fanatic, yes; a man driven by one burning idea... but never a madman." Questions encouraged. [1 copy available]
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FLASHMAN AND THE DRAGON
by George MacDonald Fraser. B&W maps. Condition: Gently pre-read 1987 Plume Trade Paperback, 7th printing. Pale spine crease, small diagonal crease bottom front cover tip. Interior clean & tight. Content: The delightful cad Flashman stalks again, now through China's 19th-century Taiping Rebellion, in this eighth and perhaps most sparkling volume of his "memoirs." Though a little longer in the tooth, Colonel Flashman, V.C., has lost none of his dash, cunning, amorous propensity or cowardice. His adventures begin when he accompanies a consignment of "opium" (actually guns) to Canton on behalf of a British missionary. Thereafter, as Ambassador Elgin's chief intelligence officer, he gets into a succession of dire scrapes which include being attacked by pirates and falling into the hands first of the ferocious but disciplined Taipings, then of the equally ferocious but decadent Manchu imperialists. At one point he comes within a hair's breadth of having his poltroonery exposed; at other points he finds himself the sexual partner of a Chinese Amazon and, more plaything than partner, of the formidable Imperial Concubine Yi, later empress, to whose treacherous court intrigues he becomes privy. He winds up witnessing Elgin's destruction of Peking's Summer Palace, an act of vengeance described with horrifying vividness. There's a deal of shrewd observation in Flashman, and a deal of solid history in his flamboyant memoirs, factors that add weight to their dazzle. Questions encouraged. [1 copy available]
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THE FOOL'S TALE
by Nicole Galland. B&W maps. Condition: UNREAD 2005 William Morrow-HarperCollins hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), stated first edition, first printing. Content: It is Wales, in the year 1198, and King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, better known to his people as Noble, is fighting to keep his kingdom from falling to the English. To create an alliance, Noble weds Isabel Mortimer, the niece of the English baron Roger Mortimer, who years earlier killed Noble's father. Isabel has no easy time of it as Noble flaunts his mistresses in her face and allows Gwirion, Noble's oldest friend, to ridicule her without reproach. Gwirion, of unknown birth, holds the highest honor in Noble's court but has no real power. His sole purpose is to amuse the king, who gives him the affectionate title of "fool." But as threats of war from the English consume Noble, Gwirion and Isabel come to a truce, and their new relationship may also threaten Noble's crown. Galland's first novel is an entertaining saga adeptly weaving together political intrigue and deceit, love that both unifies and divides, loyalty that teeters on treason, and the desire for freedom, which comes with a hefty price. [1 copy available]
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GHOST WOMAN
by Lawrence Thornton. B&W maps. Condition: NEW 1999 Univ. of California Press Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edge wear to front cover fore edge. Content: In the late 1700s, a young native woman jumps from a sailing ship to rescue her child, left behind when a group of island people are taken by Europeans to a new and harsh life at a California mission settlement. Ten years later, an ambitious friar arranges to have the woman captured and brought to the mainland to serve as an example of Christian salvation. Sent to live with a sea captain and his lonely wife, she is raped by her brutish host, setting in motion a relentless process of violence, retribution, and death that will inflict suffering for two generations. The cinematic narrative employs several points of view, surrounding the reader with period flavors and settings as the tragedy unfolds. The book's impact lies in its wider implications: Thornton's depiction of the injustice inflicted on Native Americans, much of it in the name of religion, and its lasting damage. [1 copy available]
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GRANT OF KINGDOM
by Harvey Fergusson. Intro by William Pilkington. Condition: Good + 1975 Univ. of NM Press Trade Paperback, first printing. Binder's glue string down spine and small edgewear bottom cover/interior tight but there are several pages with underlining. Content: Historical fiction of the fabled and fabulous Maxwell Land Grant of New Mexico which hosted everyone from the Spanish to the Apache to Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. The history of the Maxwell family is one of the most interesting in Southwest history. [1 copy available]
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THE GREENLANDERS
by Jane Smiley. Condition: NEW 1989 Ballantine paperback, first printing. Light edge wear. Content: In this vast, intricately patterned novel, Smiley accurately captures the voice of the medieval sagas. Understated, scattered with dreams and warnings, darkened by the brooding sense of unavoidable disasters to come, it is the tale of a Scandinavian settlement that lasted perhaps 500 years. With a meticulous attention to detail, the novel brings daily activities to lifefrom cheese making to hunting walruswhile examining the passions of a people under stress. The action centers on the family of Gunnar Asgeirsson. Gunnar's sister Margret is married off to Olaf, but he fails to consummate the marriage, and Margret begins a clandestine affair with a Norwegian sailor, Skuli Gudmundsson, who has stayed on in Greenland as a household retainer. Violence and tragedy ensue, and as Margret's unhappiness increases, her character hardens, and she offers her labor as an itinerant servingwoman. Although Margret is not always onstage, the novel spans the years of her long life. A foil to Margret, but no luckier, is Gunnar's wife, Birgitta, who is gifted with second sight. It is she who sums up the overriding sense of futility: "We have come to the ending of the world, for in Greenland the world must end as it goes on, that is with hunger and storms and freezing." Like the original Norse sagas, The Greenlanders roves restlessly from one folk group to another. Many of their destinies interlock, and certain exterior forces prey upon them all: the harsh climate; the marauding "skraelings," aboriginal Eskimos regarded as demons; outbreaks of bubonic plague and famine. Compulsive feuding, a witchcraft craze and a willingness to heed the apocalyptic prophecies of the madman Larus help to tear the society apart. As in her previous fiction, this novel reveals Smiley's skill in delineating the behavior of individuals confined within a group. Her depiction of an isolated medieval folk battling for survival has a modern relevance. [1 copy available]
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HARBORS AND HIGH SEAS: An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian
by Dean King with John B. Hattendorf. B&W maps by William Clipson and Adam Merton Cooper. B&W era drawings, as well. Condition: UNREAD Henry Holt soft cover, first edition, first printing. Content: One of the great pleasures for fans of O'Brian's immensely popular novels is following their heroes, Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, to exotic locales around the world. Now the author of the highly successful O'Brian lexicon A Sea of Words offers fans the ultimate geographic guide, containing maps created exclusively for the book which identify all the routes, ports of call, battles, crossings, and storms relevant to the story. 65 maps; 20 illustrations. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
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THE IDES OF MARCH (Historical Fiction)
by Thornton Wilder (Our Town). Condition: Gently pre-read, IF at all, 1950 Harper & Brothers Trade Paperback, no printing given. Binder's glue strings down spine with edge wear. Interior clean with light tanning. Well, it is a 60 year-old book. Content: the last days of Julius Caesar in a vivid reconstruction that provides an intimate view of the man and his world. This is is a brilliant epistolary novel set in Julius Caesar's Rome. Thornton Wilder called it "a fantasia on certain events and persons of the last days of the Roman republic." Through vividly imagined letters and documents, Wilder brings to life a dramatic period of world history and one of history's most magnetic, elusive personalities. In this inventive narrative, the Caesar of history becomes Caesar the human being. Wilder also resurrects the controversial figures surrounding Caesar -- Cleopatra, Catullus, Cicero, and others. All Rome comes crowding through these pages -- the Rome of villas and slums, beautiful women and brawling youths, spies and assassins. [1 copy available]
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JERUSALEM (Historical Fiction)
by Cecelia Holland. Greg Call cover art. Condition: UNREAD 1996 Forge hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: If you are a fan of the movie Kingdom of Heaven, you'll love this book. It is as if that movie were lifted out of these pages. There is both mystery and mysticism in any account of the colorful order of Knights Templer. A strong, fabulously wealthy group of Christian warrior monks, they rose to power during the Crusades as defenders of Jerusalem. Their riches and persistent rumors of secret masses and esoteric practices prompted suppression of the order in 1291. This historical novel sees the early downturn of Templers' fortunes when Jerusalem, coveted prize of Christian and Mohammedan forces, is about to fall. Sustained by the leadership of the young leper King Baudouin, the city teeters upon his death with the problems of succession and infidel opposition. The main character, Rannulf Fitzwilliam, is known among his fellow Templers as Saint. Under vows of chastity and humility to atone for a wild early life, unpopular with his administrators, he maintains a group of supporters and commands the respect of his order and the opposing Islamic forces of Saladin. Political infighting and many bloody actual battles move the plot rapidly and the fates of Jerusalem and the hero are tragically linked. [1 copy available]
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KRIK? KRAK! (Historical Fiction) [ National Book Award Finalist]
by Edwidge Danticat. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1996 Vintage Trade Paperback, third printing. Gift inscription inside front cover. Tiny edge wear. Content: Danticat, born under Haitian dictatorship, moved to the U.S. 12 years ago. Many of the stories in this moving collection reflect the misery she has observed from afar and leave readers with a deep sadness for her native country. Survivors at sea in a too-small, leaky boat endure any indignity for the chance at escape. Selections about those remaining in Haiti have a dreamlike quality. A woman must watch her mother rot in prison for political crimes. A young father longs so much to fly that he gives his life for a few moments in the air. A prostitute plies her trade while her son sleeps. "New York Day Women" shows what life might be like in the U.S. for immigrants without resources. Through unencumbered prose, the author explores the effects of politics on people and especially the consequences of oppression on women, the themes of which figure into each of these vignettes. [1 copy available.]
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LA GUERRA (Historical Fiction, The Spanish Civil War
by Stephen D. Frances. Condition: UNREAD 1971 Dell MMPB first thus, first printing. Small edgewear & light tanning interior page edges. Content: Spain. 1936. a badly divided nation about to explode in an orgy of violence. A proud and passionate people about to know their greatest and most tragic hour. This is the finest, most enthralling novel ever written about Spain and the struggle that almost destroyed her. Its characters are men and women on both sides of the battle lines - priests and prostitutes, revolutionaries and aristocrats, star-crossed lovers and cynical degenerates. Here is the story of a conflict that seared the consciousness of a generation. Questions welcome.
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LIGHT A DISTANT FIRE
by Lucia St. Clair Robson (Ride the Wind). Beautiful wrap-around cover art by Judith York. Condition: UNREAD 1988 Ballantine Books Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edgewear with light tanning to page edges. Content: Robson powerfully recreates the mid-19th century Seminole Indian Wars and the life of Osceola, who courageously led his people against an unjust U.S. government. Robson draws the reader into her story gradually with a portrait of Osceola's youth and family, which includes a couple of wives and daughters and a feisty grandmother named Fighting in a Line. The characters are authentic and substantial, and the plot, though loosely woven and slow moving at times, supplies the requisite love, struggle, danger and betrayal. The novel picks up speed when Robson introduces Lt. John Goode, a young West Point graduate. She deftly builds a relationship between Goode and Osceola, demonstrating Goode's initial perception of the Indians as savages, his growing admiration for them and his falling in love with and marrying a Seminole woman. By volunteering for Indian raids, the Lieutenant manages to steer the militiamen away from Osceola and his family. Goode's divided loyalties ultimately bring tragedy to Osceola, but the personal bond triumphs over political enmity. Robson's clear sympathy for the Seminole Indians does not prevent her from creating fictional portraits that illuminate the complexities on both sides. [1 copy available]
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LION OF IRELAND (Historical Fiction)
by Morgan Llywelyn. Wrap-around cover art by Gregory Manchess. Condition: Gently pre-read, if at all, 1996 TOR paperback, third printing. Tiny edge wear with seveal small rubbings back cover. Interior clean & tight. Content: Probably one of the most popular historical fiction books ever written. King, warrior, and lover Brian Boru was stronger, braver, and wiser than all other men-the greatest king Ireland has ever known. Out of the mists of the country's most violent age, he merged to lead his people to the peak of their golden era. His women were as remarkable as his adventures: Fiona, the druidess with mystical powers; Deirdre, beautiful victim of a Norse invader's brutal lust; Gormlaith, six-foot, read-haired goddess of sensuality. Set against the barbaric splendors of the tenth century, this is a story rich in truth and legend in which friends become deadly enemies, bedrooms turn into battlefields, and dreams of glory are finally fulfilled. Morgan Llywelyn has written one of the greatest novels of Irish history. [1 copy available]
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THE LIVING: A Novel (Historical Mystery)
by Annie Dillard. Cover is an era photograph from the Whatcom Museum. . Decorated end pages. Condition: Good+, 1992 HarperCollins hardcover & DJ, no edition given. Shelf wear to bottom board edges and to DJ corners. An older book that has been pre-read. Content: Pulitzer Prize-winner Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek) turns her hand to fiction with this historical novel of the American Northwest in the late 19th century. Focusing on the settlement at Whatcom on Bellingham Bay (near Puget Sound), Dillard offers a compelling portrait of frontier life. The novel has a large and richly varied cast of characters, from the engaging frontiersman Clare Fishburn and Eastern socialite-turned-pioneer Minta Honer to the disturbed and violent Beal Obenchain and kleptomaniac Pearl Sharp. The Living is unflinching in its delineations of pioneer life at its worst and best--racism and brutality on the one hand and optimism and charity in adversity on the other. Dillard's view of "the living" in its many senses is a fine novel. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE LONG SHIPS
by Frans G. Bengtsson. B&W maps. Translated from the Swedish by Michael Meyer. Condition: Pre-read 1994 HarperCollins paperback, third printing. Problems: Edge wear with pale diagonal crease (shelf wear) bottom front cover panael, creses and glue strings down spine. Intereior is clean & tight. Content: This saga brings alive the world of the 10th century AD when the Vikings raided the coasts of England. Acclaimed as one of the best historical novels ever written, this engaging saga of Viking adventure in 10th century northern Europe has a very appealing young hero, Orm Tostesson, whose story we follow from inexperienced youth to adventurous old age, through slavery and adventure to a royal marriage and the search for great treasure. Viking expeditions take him to lands as far apart as England, Moorish Spain, Gaardarike (the country that was to become Russia), and the long road to Miklagard. The salt-sea spray, the swaying deck awash in slippery blood are the backdrop to fascinating stories of King Harald Blue Tooth, the Jomsvikings, attempts to convert the Northmen to Christianity, and much else. Like H. Rider Haggard, Bengtsson is a master of the epic form. The 1964 movie was directed by Jack Cardiff and starred Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Russ Tamblyn, and Rosanna Schiaffino. [1 copy available]
$ 5.79 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available.

A MAPMAKER'S DREAM: The Meditations of Fra Mauro, Cartographer to the Court of Venice (Historical Fiction)
by James Cowan. Condition: NEW 1997 Warner Books small softcover, first printing. Content: Cowan's fantasy of a Venetian cartographer owes a large and obvious debt to Borges, with its speculations on geography as a construct of the human consciousness, its erudite references, and its tales of explorations into an imaginary world. Through the purported journals of Fra Mauro, a cloistered monk who actually lived during the 15th century and who, in Cowan's novel, has resolved to create a map of the world without ever leaving his cell, we learn of a race of men with one foot the size of an umbrella, about the Vatican emissary to the Mongol court, and about the devil worshippers of the land called Mosul. Over the course of the book, Fra Mauro creates a world of his own, composed less of geographical knowledge than of meditation, folklore, and books. [1 copy available]
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MARY, QUEEN OF FRANCE (Historical Fiction)
by Jean Plaidy. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 2003 Three Rivers Trade Paperback, 4th printing. Problem: pale (very pale) dark spot back cover which blends in with the color of the cover. Content: Legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy brings to life the story of Princess Mary Tudor, a celebrated beauty and born rebel who would defy the most powerful king in Europe—her older brother. Princess Mary Rose is the youngest sister of Henry VIII, and one of the few people whom he adores unconditionally. Known throughout Europe for her charm and good looks, Mary is the golden child of the Tudor family and is granted her every wish. Except when it comes to marriage. Henry VIII, locked in a political showdown with France, decides to offer up his pampered baby sister to secure peace between the two mighty kingdoms. Innocent, teenage Mary must become the wife of the elderly King Louis, a toothless, ailing man in his sixties. Horrified and furious, Mary has no choice but to sail for France. There she hones her political skills, bides her time, and remains secretly in love with Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. When King Louis dies, after only two years of marriage, Mary is determined not to be sold into another unhappy union. She must act quickly; if she wants to be with the man she truly loves, she must defy the laws of church and state by marrying without her brother’s permission. Together, Mary and Charles devise a scheme to outwit the most ruthless king in Europe and gain their hearts’ desire, not knowing if it will lead to marital bliss or certain death. This novel details, but is not the source, of Disney's great little 1953 movie about the Tudor-Brandon affair - directed by Ken Annakin and starring the fabulous Glynnis Johns, Richard Todd, and James Robertson Justice. A lovely movie for Young Adults+. [1 copy available]
$ 4.59 + $ 3.09 shipping.

THE MUMMY CASE: An Amelia Peabody Mystery (Historical Fiction)
by Elizabeth Peters. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 2000 Warner Books paperback, reissue, second nprinting. Tiny edge wear with shelf wear "near-crease" and thin binder's glue string down spine. Interior clean & tight. Content: Fun seems to be guaranteed whenever the prolific Peters brings Amelia Peabody (Curse of the Pharaohs, etc.) back for another 19th-century mix of archaeology, comedy, and murder-mystery. This time the Victorian Wonder Woman is in Cairo, where she finds the murdered body of antiquities dealer Abd el Affi - and catches a glimpse of a likely suspect. . . who turns up later as a worker at Nazghunah, site of the latest dig for Amelia and her Egyptologist-husband, handsome and forthright Radcliffe Emerson. Could the presence of a probable killer have a link to someone in the neighborhood? Amelia considers several possibilities: a Frenchman named De Morgan is working at the nearby Pyramids of Dashoor; a menancing Copt priest is in a neighboring village - as is a Christian missionary sect headed by fanatical, unprepossessing Brother Ezekiel (an American); and hovering in the background are a voluptuous Bavarian baroness and a monocled prince. Then, however, Amelia's chief suspect is found dead, strange things are happening with mummy cases. . . and there'll be perilous tangles before Amelia exposes all. But the sleuthing here, as usual, is a minor attraction - as Peters again comes up with witty period ambience, good-naturedly ironic comedy (featuring Amelia's small son Ramses, a lovable monster of towering erudition), and a crisp sense of style that rarely flags. [1 copy available]
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MURDER MOST ROYAL (Historical Fiction)
by Jean Plaidy (aka Victoria Holt, Eleanor Hibbert, & Philippa Carr). Cover painting by Warren Chang. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1993 Book of the Month Club hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket). Although unread, there is a gift inscription on the loose endpage and due to poor storage, there is a bit of "looseness" to the binding - not bad, but there. Content: This is the story of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard - 2 of Henry VIII's wives. One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king’s eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry’s passion was all-consuming–and fickle. Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own. Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy. Her younger cousin, Catherine Howard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry. Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her. Painted in the rich colors of Tudor England, this book is a page-turning journey into the lives of two of the wives of the tempestuous Henry VIII. [1 copy available]
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THE MYSTERIES OF OSIRIS: THE GREAT SECRET (Vol. 4)
by Christian Jacq. B&W map. Beautiful cover art by Larry Rostant. Condition: NEW 2005 Simon & Schuster large Trade Paperback, first printing. Translation by Sue Dyson. Content: Unrecognisable, the evil Herald is hiding at the very heart of Abydos, preparing to commit the supreme crime. By bringing death into the kingdom of Osiris in order to prevent his resurrection, he will at last be able to overthrow the pharoah Senusret, seize power and spread his wicked doctrine far and wide. Jacq concludes this magnificent series by revealing the Great Secret of resurrection which lay at the centre of Egyptian thought and pharaonic civilization. [1 copy available]
$ 28.59 + $ 3.19 shipping. International shipping available.

THE NAVIGATOR OF NEW YORK
by Wayne Johnston. Condition: Gently pre-read 2002 Doubleday hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket) first edition, first printing. Content: The race to get to the North Pole frames a young explorer's effort to unearth his family history in Johnston's latest, a captivating narrative that delves into both the noble and the seedier aspects of the human need to discover and explore. Devlin Stead is the orphaned protagonist raised by his aunt and uncle in Newfoundland after his physician father dies in a polar expedition under the aegis of Robert Edwin Peary and Dr. Frederick Cook. The boy's sheltered existence is shattered when he receives a series of letters from Cook that reveal the explorer-who had committed an indiscretion with Devlin's mother-to be the boy's real father. Cook invites Devlin to New York, where he takes him under his wing and makes him his assistant. Their strange relationship culminates when father and son journey to Greenland to rescue the stubborn Peary, who has become stranded while trying to reach the pole and refuses to give up and return. Devlin then becomes deeply involved in Cook's effort to beat Peary to the pole, participating in Cook's infamous 1908 attempt that was decried as a hoax. A fascinating story. [1 copy available]
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ONE TOO MANY TIMES (Historical Fantasy)
by Diana Rubino. Condition: NEW 2001 Domhan Books Trade Paperback, Review Copy. Tiny edgewear. Content: When the usual psychic can't make it to act as medium for the annual seance to summon the slain King Richard's spirit, Annie Spooner steps in. She's the longest standing member of the Richard III Society. A scholar, she's published several books about him. Rather than summoning a ghost, however, the seance has the unexpected result of the real Richard's arrival. Actually, an amulet given by his brother brings him to the twenty-first century when his life is endangered. With no way back to his own time, Richard settles into exploring his new world, from peanuts at the market to borrowed designer jeans that don't fit. Soon the Grand Wizbar sends his brothers, Ned and George, followed later by Elizabeth as she pursues Ned in a quest to fulfill true love. Richard soon learns of the filming of his story. Of course he steps in, first to correct history, but soon to rewrite it. He lands the part of himself, along with his brothers in appropriate roles. Combined with poltergeist activity, and women who shape each of three time traveling men's destinies, the result is a fabulous romp. Past, present and future fuse in a hysterically inaccurate timeline that will keep readers in stitches. This revisionist history combines wizardry, windows 2000 and wondrous impossibility in a marvelous original manner. [1 copy available]
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PEOPLE OF THE MASKS (Historical Fiction)
by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear. B&W maps and decorations. Condition: NEW 1998 Forge hardcover & DJ (in mylar jackets), first edition, first printing. Content: Set in northeastern North America in approximately A.D. 1000, this arresting 10th novel in the First North American series by the Gears (People of the Mist, etc.) focuses on the Earth Thunderer Clan, peaceful hunters and gatherers who move their small villages on a regular basis in search of subsistence. In ancient Iroquois culture, the miraculous deeds of dwarfs were the stuff of legend, so the birth of one has made Paint Rock the most feared village in the Turtle Nation. Nicknamed Rumbler by his mother, the boy, now nine but only as tall as a four-year-old, is pampered and coddled and consulted before any major clan decision is made. A precious member of the clan, Rumbler's premonition of his abduction worries the others, especially since Jumping Badger, the cruel war leader of Walksalong Clan, is known to believe Walksalong would be invincible if it had Rumbler. When Jumping Badger and his war party attack, they slaughter all in their path and take Rumbler captive. But instead of feeling empowered, the Walksalong villagers are frightened by the Power Child, and condemn him to death. Gangly, fearless 12-year-old Little Wren befriends him, and the bulk of the book is made up of their escape and flight from an enraged, insane Jumping Badger and his warriors. Though the prologue is left strangely unresolved, the book is fast-paced, fluid, rich with smoothly integrated background detail and softened by a touch of romanticism that deflects the violence and brutality. It's sure to please fans of this seamless run of works on the indigenous people of the New World. [1 copy available]
$ 8.29 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

PONTIUS PILATE: A BIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL
by Paul L. Maier. Condition: Gently pre-read 1968 Doubleday hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no ediiton given - most likely a Book Club Edition even though the DJ is price-clipped. Light shelfwear to bottom board edges. The DJ has edgewear and rubbings along "hinge." Name plate loose endpage. Actually, better than it sounds. Content: Reviewer: "Paul Maier, a nationally recognized teacher of History broke ground with this classic historical biography of Pontius Pilate. Rejecting the carelessness that dominates the genre of historical fiction, Dr. Maier created his own genre which could be called "documented historical fiction". He adopts 3 rules, 1) He doesn't invent characters and only uses names of real people 2) He uses information in the primary sources whenever possible and only speculates on plot features where the sources are lacking. 3) He includes documented footnotes for a great number of events in the life of Pilate, these not only lead you to the primary sources, they also give the author's justification for how he interprets them and incorporates them into the story. If you want to read the Christ story from a new perspective, this book will give you an eyewitness account from the eye sockets of one of the key players in Christ' life. You will understand the political background to the New Testament and gain a new appreciation for how the miraculous events in Jesus ministry were interpreted."
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PRIDE OF LIONS (Sequel To Lion of Ireland)
by Morgan Llywelyn. Larry Selman (Cover). Condition: NEW 1997 TOR paperback, first printing. Content: Lion of Ireland described the rise of High King Brian Boru after he managed to briefly unite the tribes of the Emerald Isle at the end of the 10th century. Here it's Brian's 15-year-old son, Donough, who aspires to the throne, made ambitious by a brief initial success in battle against the Vikings at Contarf, where Brian has met his death. But Donough's brother Teigue also claims the crown, and when Teigue drives Donough from the family fortress, their father's carefully crafted alliances begin to crumble. Journeying north to the Scottish kingdom of Alba, Donough seeks his own political ties, through an arranged marriage that binds him to the King of England; also traveling with him is his treacherous, manipulative mother, who hopes to use him to regain the power she lost upon Brian's death. Llywelyn tells a strong story distinguished by its psychological depth and by his knowledge of ancient Irish history. [1 copy available]
$ 4.50 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

PRIDE OF LIONS (Sequel To Lion of Ireland)
by Morgan Llywelyn. Larry Selman (Cover). Condition: NEW 1997 TOR hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Light shelf wear rubbings back DJ cover. Content: Lion of Ireland described the rise of High King Brian Boru after he managed to briefly unite the tribes of the Emerald Isle at the end of the 10th century. Here it's Brian's 15-year-old son, Donough, who aspires to the throne, made ambitious by a brief initial success in battle against the Vikings at Contarf, where Brian has met his death. But Donough's brother Teigue also claims the crown, and when Teigue drives Donough from the family fortress, their father's carefully crafted alliances begin to crumble. Journeying north to the Scottish kingdom of Alba, Donough seeks his own political ties, through an arranged marriage that binds him to the King of England; also traveling with him is his treacherous, manipulative mother, who hopes to use him to regain the power she lost upon Brian's death. Llywelyn tells a strong story distinguished by its psychological depth and by his knowledge of ancient Irish history. [1 copy available]
$ 7.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

PRIESTESS OF AVALON (Historical Fiction/Fantasy)
by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson. Condition: NEW 2001 ROC paperback, first pritning. Beautiful wrap-around cover art but no credit is given. Content: In A.D. 296, young British princess Helena goes to the Isle of Avalon to learn the path of the goddess. Helena grows in spirit and wisdom, awaiting the day when her initiation prophecy will become real and she'll meet the man of her dreams. He turns out to be Flavius Constantius Chlorus, fated to become the Roman emperor. Her aunt, High Priestess Ganeda, aims to wed a more biddable girl to the Roman power structure, but when Constantius chooses Helena, Ganeda exiles her from Avalon. Helena gives birth to Constantius's son, Constantine, and counsels her lover through the intrigues of a vast and dangerously unbalanced empire. Separated by civil demands from her family, Helena seeks the answers her troubled soul demands during a pilgrimage through the Holy Lands. The message that all religions call on the same higher power should go over well with fans of Mists. Paxson's own skill at bringing historical characters and places to vivid life enriches Helena's story. [1 copy available]
$ 5.29 + $ 3. 19 media shipping.

PRISCILLA & AQUILA: A NOVEL
by Lois Henderson and Harold Ivan Smith. Condition: UNREAD 1985 Guideposts hardcover (pictorial boards - no DJ issued), no printing given. Bookstore embossed stamp bottom title page. Content: From the cover: Henderson's final novel retells the New Testament story of the wise and courageous Priscilla. This touching story recounts the enduring love of Priscilla's marriage to Aquila, one that withstood adversity and persecution; their conversion to Christianity and encounter with the Apostle Paul; Priscilla's personal experience of Christ; and her understanding of the importance of women within the Christian community. Questions welcome. [1 copy available.]
$ 10.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

RAGTIME (Historical Fiction)
by E. L. Doctorow. Condition: UNREAD but not perfect, 1975 Random House hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), second printing. Although unread, this is still an older book with slight "dulling" (not fading) of the brown boards. The DJ has edgewear. Overall, I would still rate this as a very good copy of a great book. No price on the DJ - not clipped - just not there. Content: There is no simple or concise way to describe the storyline of "Ragtime, " E.L. Doctorow's best known work. This is a celebrated novel that combines the syncopation of ragtime and the literary sensibilities of a writer intrigued by history as literary device. Set primarily in Westchester County's New Rochelle but also in New York City and, briefly, Massachusetts, the novel follows the stories of real and fictional characters as they move from innocence to disillusionment, from peace time to the beginnings of racial conflict and World War I. [1 copy available]
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RAMSES: THE SON OF LIGHT (Volume 1) [Historical Fiction]
by Christian Jacq. B&W maps & decorations. Condition: UNREAD 1997 Warner Books Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edgewear. Shelfwear diagonal crease back cover. Interior perfect. Content: At 14, Ramses, second son of the Pharaoh Seti, must begin to pass a series of royal tests designed to build his mental and physical prowess - or break him. Is Seti planning to leave the world's most powerful empire to Ramses, and not his corrupt brother Shaanar? Before he knows it, the younger price is surrounded by enemies and turning to his friends: Moses, the brilliant young Hebrew; Setau, the snake charmer and mage; Ahmeni, the frail scholar; and Iset and Nefertari, the two beautiful somen Ramses loves. And so begins the journey of the hero the world has yet to know. [1 copy available]
$ 2.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

THE RIGHTEOUS REBEL: Adam Cloud and the Natchrz Intrigues, 1790 - 1795: A Novel [INSCRIBED COPY]
by Catherine Cloud Templeton. Condition: INSCRIBED by Author on half-title page. UNREAD 1999 Eakin Press large Trade Paperback, second printing. Content: Based on the true exploits of her ancestor, in a compelling combination of historical adventure and romance, Kittie Templeton's book delineates the travels and tribulations of Adam Cloud in the 1790's. As a young Episcopal minister he set out on a dangerous voyage down the frontier wilderness of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, to settle in Spanish Natchez, a new world outpost of the Spanish-Catholic monarchy. His courtship and marriage, friendship with the Spanish governor and the Indian chiefs, and finally his continuing struggle for religious freedom make this an unforgettable tale. [1 copy available]
$ 7.75 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE RIGHT HAND OF AMON [Historical Fiction]
by Lauren Haney. Condition: UNREAD 1997 Avon paperback, Advance Uncorrected Proof. Content: When Kings Walked As Living Gods. It is the eighteenth dynasty of Queen Maatkare Hatshepsut, divine ruler of a sun-seared realm. And blood flows as freely as the great, winding Nile that nourishes this ancient land of intrigue and danger. Lieutenant Bak is a loyal servant of the royal house of Egypt--commander of the Medjay police in the frontier fortress city of Buhen. A man of honor and ability, it is he who must oversee the corps assigned to accompany the golden idol, the god Amon, on its journey up the Nile to heal the ailing son of a powerful tribal king. But the mighty river has yielded up a sinister "treasure": the body of a brave soldier horrifically slain for reasons unknown. And only the drawings of a missing mute boy can help Bak unravel the mystery of the officer's foul death--before it leads to far greater crimes that could imperil an empire. [1 copy available]
$ 2.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

ROMAN WOMAN: Everyday Life in Hadrian's Britain (Historical Fiction)
by Lindsay Allason-Jones. Condition: Very Good + 2000 Michael O'Mara Books Ltd. (London) hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket). If this book has been read, it was very gently. No flaws & interior is very clean & tight. The DJ has small edgewear top edge. Content: Historical fiction of the highest order. Excellent historical detail. The year is AD 133 in Eboracum (York). The story is told by Senovara, a member of the Parisi tribe whose home and customs have been little changed by Roman rule, but Senovara is also the wife of Quintus, a veteran of the 6th Legion Victrix. How she meets the challenge of adjusting from tribal life to Roman life is the basis of the novel. [1 copy available]
$10.50 + shipping.

ROBERT THE BRUCE: THE STEPS TO THE EMPTY THRONE (Book 1 of the trilogy) (Historical Fiction)
by Nigel Tranter. Condition: Good+, 1972 Coronet (UK) paperback, third impression. Interior clean & tight, but there is a "ding" top cover at hinge with small edge wear-shelf wear. Content: The year is 1296 and Edward Plantagenet, King of England, is determined to hammer the rebellious Scots into submission. Bruce, despite internal clashes with that headstrong figure, William Wallace [Braveheart], and his fierce love for his antagonist's god-daughter, gives himself the task of uniting the Scots against the invaders from the South. And so begins this deadly game for national survival - with battle-scarred Scotland as the prize. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.50 + $ 2.94 media shipping.

ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON AND THE QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL
written & illuminated by Edward Hays (Father Hays). Great B&W drawings illustrate. Condition UNREAD 1998 Forest of Peace Trade Paperback, 11th pritning. Very light edge wear. The one drawback to this book is that the publisher has given us a weaker than normal binding. All of the copies are like this. Content: Once again, parable-man and storyteller Edward Hays opens the doors of the mind's magic theatre and provides a collection of mystic maps to guide readers on the path to the most fabulous of all hidden treasures--the Holy Grail. Reviewer: "Fr. Hays is a gifted storyteller. His parables find their way through cynicism and doubt, and work in the reader's heart at a profound level. Having read nearly all of Fr. Hays's books, I recommend this book as a starting place for his compassionate, loving, inclusive, and atavistic theology. It is the story of a man with a deep spiritual longing who is uncertain how to fulfill it. His mentor appears in the form of an ancient dragon offering assistance, guidance, and a slyly humorous wisdom. This is not a book to be read once and put aside, nor is it a book to be read quickly. It will seem new-age-y to some readers, but it isn't. It will appeal to those who are hurting, those who are young at heart, teenagers, and especially to those whose religious background includes ritual. Everyone embarking on, or already on, a spiritual journey will find something holy here." [1 copy available]
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SAINT PATRICK'S BATTALION
by James Alexander Thom. B&W drawings and maps by the Author. Condition NEW 2006 Ballantine hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: In June of 1845, a group of immigrant Americans—called the San Patricio's, or St. Patrick's, Battalion—deserted Gen. Zachary Taylor's army and fought on the opposite side in the Mexican-American war, under the leadership of the elusive, charismatic James Riley. Thom has taken this forgotten incident from an almost forgotten war and turned it into a stirring tale that does everything that smart historical fiction ought to do: illuminating the past while throwing new light on the present. The story of this motley band of mostly Irish and German Catholics, driven to rebellion by the endemic racism and capricious cruelty of their officers, is told from two points of view. Augustin Juvero, a Mexican soldier speaking years later, provides essential context, but most of the novel is taken up by the journal (complete with vivid pencil drawings) of Paddy Quinn, a camp boy. Guerillas, gangs of rancheros that kill Americans on sight, torture, border disputation—all are portrayed with brutal and unsentimental simplicity in Quinn's voice. Not only a striking (and often horrific) account of pre–Civil War army life, Quinn's narrative beautifully conveys the boy's coming of age against a backdrop of eerily familiar war and rebellion. The 1999 movie (not based on this book) was directed by Lance Hool and starred the great Tom Berenger, Joaquim de Almeida, Daniela Romo, Mark Moses, and, in a real turn of character for him, Stephen Tobolowsky. It's a very good movie. [1 copy available]
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A SEASON OF SWANS (The "Swan" Trilogy")
by Celeste De Blasis. Condition: UNREAD 1989 Bantam Books hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no edition given. This MAY be a BCE, but I am not sure. DJ has very light edgewear. Content: The third in the "Swan Trilogy", this final volume of a trilogy takes the Falconer family from California's Sonoma Valley to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 32.59 + $ 3.39 media shipping. International shipping available.

THE SEVENTH MESA: A Novel (Historical /Metaphysical Fiction)
by Mary Summer Rain. Beautiful Carole Bourdo cover art. Condition: NEW 994 Hampton Roads Trade Paperback, presumed first edition. Content: Is there a hidden pyramid buried beneath a Southwest mesa? Is there a guarded chamber there that holds the sacred scrolls and tablets that reveal the answers to humanity's most puzzling mysteries throughout the ages? Even the answers to our enigmatic beginnings? Is it time for us to discover the answers? Have we gained enough wisdom to know what to do with such treasured knowledge? What ageless secrets do the Old Wise Ones really know? The Seventh Mesa is the first work of fiction by an author who has a large following as a writer in the metaphysical field and has now turned her splendid talents to a fictional story which also serves to frame her metaphysical insights. [1 copy available]
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SILK ROAD: A Novel of Eight-Century China
by Jeanne Larsen. Great wrap-around cover art by fantasy artist Kinuko Craft. Condition: UNREAD 1990 Henry Holt hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), Book Club Edition. DJ shows edge wear top spine & edge. Interior perfect. Content: Fairy tale and myth entwine in this gently humorous fantasy set in ancient China. Greenpearl is seven when she is stolen by bandits and sold to a genteel house of prostitution. She escapes and embarks on a quest to rescue her mother from the realm of the Dragon Monarch in Cavegarden Lake. The goddesses and gods, behaving like celestial bureaucrats, barter favors amongst themselves to assist Greenpearl; despite their bumbling and the obscure form their aid takes, eventually she and the companions she gathers in her travels manage to fulfill their destinies in unexpected ways. The author, a translator of Chinese verse, has cleverly blended feminism, Chinese history and myth, and beautiful language in an enjoyable, exotic fantasy. [1 copy available]
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STONE OF LIGHT: NEFER THE SILENT (A Novel of Ancient Egypt, Volume 1)
by Christian Jacq. Gary Halsey beautiful cover art. Condition: NEW 2000 Pocket Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: Jacq, author of the popular Ramses quintet, introduces the first installment of his new four-volume novel set in ancient Egypt during the last years of the reign of Ramses the Great. Commissioned by the pharaoh to fashion pyramids, temples, tombs, sculptures, and paintings for the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, a select brotherhood of craftsmen dwell in a remote, self-sufficient desert village dubbed the Place of Truth. Determined to unlock the secrets of the Place of Truth and claim the powerful and closely guarded Stone of Light as his own, Mehy, a disgruntled military officer previously rejected for membership in the mystic brotherhood, hatches an insidious plot that threatens both the sanctity of the enclave and the life of the pharaoh. Joining forces to thwart Mehy are Nefer, the son of one of the village elders, and Ardent, a talented would-be craftsman dissatisfied with his lot as the son of a farmer. Another vivid portrait of ancient Egypt, teeming with intrigue, passion, and suspense. [1 copy available]
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STONE OF LIGHT: PANEB THE ARDENT (A Novel of Ancient Egypt, Volume 3)
by Christian Jacq. Gary Halsey beautiful cover art. Condition: Gently pre-read 2001 Pocket Trade Paperback, first printing. Spine crease. Interior clean & tight. Content: Corrupt officials, vengeful Libyans, assassination attempts, threats of civil war and the contemplated separation of North and South American history? Not here. Welcome to the colorful, ancient world of Upper Egypt as depicted by Egyptologist Jacq in his second series to cover the sandy region, after his five-volume Ramses project. In this third installment in a projected four-volume set, he focuses on the strife between Seti II and his son Amenmessu as each sets himself up as pharaoh. Painted against a backdrop of power struggles, women who poison the water supply out of boredom, hot desert sex, herbal medicine and superstition, Jacq's tale involves a little-known art society: the Brotherhood, made up of craftsmen of the Place of Truth, who create the magnificent tombs of the pharaohs in the sacred Valley of the Kings. It is their mission to guard the precious Stone of Light, the invaluable tool that enables them to fashion items of incomparable beauty. There is a traitor in their midst, however. Will this traitor discover the hiding place of the Stone of Light, and will he somehow threaten all of the good work of the most superior craftsman of all, the eponymous Paneb? Readers of Jacq's previous series as well as those who are familiar with the earlier two in this one will undoubtedly find satisfaction in this offering. However, there is an important murder left unresolved at the end, which works fine as a cliffhanger for loyal readers, but not for those picking this up as a stand-alone item. [1 copy available]
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STRONGBOW: The Story of Richard and Aoife (Historical Fiction/Romance)
by Morgan Llywelyn. Cover art and B&W illustrations by Ciruelo Cabral. Condition: NEW 1997 TOR paperback edition, first printing. Content: A fictionalized biography based on true events in 12th-century England and Ireland, and told in alternating chapters by the principals, Richard de Clare--Strongbow--and Aoife. Both are children of warriors who have been stripped of their titles by hostile kings. Richard and Aoife's desires to regain what has been lost bring them together in a war for control of Ireland. The events of the tale are inherently compelling. Llywelyn has created a book that, as an introduction to little-known historical incidents and people, is valuable and interesting [1 copy available]
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SUN DANCING: A Vision of Medieval Ireland (Life in a Medieval Irish Monastery And How Celtic Spirituality Influenced the World) (History & Historical Fiction)
by Geoffrey Moorhouse. Condition: NEW 1999 Harvest/Harcourt Brace Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: This is an unusual book. The first half is historical fiction - speculation on events in the monastery. The second half of the book, and the most interesting IMHO, is the actual history of monastery. Reviewer: "If you've ever stood on the rocks of Skellig Michael, or peered at them from safe ground across the tossing waves, you've thought to yourself, "only crazy people and seagulls would live there". You would be wrong - passionate maybe, maybe not crazy. This story of the monks on Skellig Michael, part history, part fiction, speaks of the loneliness and of being alone - which are not the same things - and the astonishing strength that can come from the most unexpected places when one person or a group of people who share a focus come together. Even the early pages that detail the types of ink used in the glorious illuminated manuscripts of Clanmacnoise draw you into this passion and this focus. It's an incredible story of life on a rock in the middle of nowhere that provided a continuous line of education and religion (like it or not) in a time beyond our imagination." [1 copy available]
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THRONE OF ISIS: A Novel of Cleopatra
by Judith Tarr. Donato "raised" cover art. Condition: UNREAD 1995 Forge paperback, first printing. Tiny edgewear with binder's thin glue string down spine. Interior perfect. Content: Antony and Cleopatra, whose dalliance spans a decade, meet in 41 B.C. and immediately merge passion with politics. Cleopatra wants land, Antony wants ships; both encounter complications. Antony is saddled with a vindictive wife and an ambitious co-ruler, Octavian, in Rome. Civil war looms. Although major characters remain one-dimensional (Antony, for example, is portrayed as merely a drunken lout), Cleopatra's prescient cousin, Dione, sparks the story with her exuberant personality and manages to present a unique perspective on background events. She is joined in her pessimistic reading of signs and portents by Roman augur Lucius Servilius, an engaging figure whose stiff Roman pride crumbles before Dione's charms, and the two visionaries embark on a sizzling romance. A controversial book: people either love or dislike it - I like it. [1 copy available]
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TROY: A Novel (Historical Fiction)
by Adele Geras. Erich Lessing cover art. Condition: NEW 2002 Harcourt, Inc. MMPB, 3rd printing. Tiny edgewear at corners & light wrinkling to top corner 1 page. Content: With exceptional grace and energy, Geras recreates the saga of the Trojan War by delving into the hearts and minds of the women of Troy. Suitable for Young Adults and up. [1 copy available]
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TWO FACES OF LOVE: Lust for Life and Immortal Wife (2 Novels) (Biographical Novels)
by Irving Stone. Condition: Gently pre-read c. 1950 Doubleday hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), Book Club Edition. "repaired" tear top front cover panel with moderate tanning to page edges. Content: Two of Irving Stone's best biographical novels: Lust for Life - the life of Vincent Van Gogh and Immortal Wife about Jesse Benton Fremont - the daughter of powerful Senator Thomas Hart Benton and the wife of Charles Fremont. She made radical feminism seem warm & fuzzy. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.89 + $ 3.39 media shipping.

ULYSSES: A NOVEL (Biographical Novel) (SIGNED COPY)
by Robert Skinin. Condition: Gently pre-read 1994 St. Martin's Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. SIGNED BY AUTHOR ON loose end page. DJ shows small edgewear bottom spine. Content: Historical novelist Skimin (whose Chikara won the Ohiana Book Award in 1984) divides this uneven but generally successful life of Ulysses S. Grant into three parts: Grant's West Point beginnings and early forays in the Mexican War, which established him as a soldier to be reckoned with; his illustrious career as a Union general; his political career, including two terms as president. While the dialogue and characterizations of Grant's colleagues, wife and family are sometimes pedestrian, Skimin keeps events moving briskly and sketches background details of the developing strains in Grant's personality. Though he adds little to existing accounts of the Civil War years, his depiction is absorbing, and the Mexican material is valuable because of its relative obscurity. The narrative really comes alive in considering Grant's later decades, however; the tales of his difficulties during Reconstruction are replete with compelling historical detail, and the final chapters, dealing with the cancer-riddled Grant's attempts to finish his biography under the tutelage of Samuel Clemens, are heart-wrenching. [1 copy available]
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VALLEY OF THE KINGS (Historical Fiction)
by Cecelia Holland. B&W decorations. Condition: NEW 1997 Forge hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: An intrepid Howard Carter struggles against the rigors of the desert and the intransigence of Egypt's Department of Antiquities while searching in the Valley of the Kings for a hidden tomb, in a fictional account of the discovery of Tutankhamen's long-lost tomb. Holland's novel Valley of the Kings deftly re-creates the Egypt of Howard Carter in the early 20th century as that single-minded archeologist searches for the tomb of King Tutankhamen.With Carter as her narrator, Holland describes the heat, dust, thievery and bureaucracy of the time. Her evocative prose is vivid and exotic allowing the reader to hear the buzz of tropical flies and feel as sweat-soaked as her characters. [1 copy available]
$ 5.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

WARRIOR QUEEN: The Story of Boudica, Celtic Queen (Historical Fiction)
by Alan Gold. Cover art by Steve Stone. Condition: NEW 2005 NAL Trade Paperback, first printing. Remainder. Content: Meticulously researched and imaginatively wrought, this is the sweeping epic of a flame-haired woman who would dare to challenge the vicious might of the Roman Empire - and whose name would echo throughout history. In 43 A.D., Boudica became the queen of a Celtic tribe - and a Roman sympathizer. But after years of loyal service to the Empire, she would find herself brutally betrayed. With the conviction of a hero and the courage of a warrior, she united the Celts against their enemy. The fury of her unleashed vengeance threw the Roman forces into chaos, made her a goddess to her own people - and carried her into the history books as a true heroine of the British people. [1 copy available]
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WHITEMAN: A Novel
by Tony D'Souza. Condition: NEW 2006 Harcourt hardcover & DJ (in mylar jackeat), first edition, first printing. Content: Jack Diaz is a young American relief worker in a Muslim village in the Ivory Coast, part of an endeavor to bring potable water to the impoverished villagers. As it becomes more and more apparent that he cannot achieve his original goal, he drifts into various projects from hunting to farming to teaching villagers about AIDS prevention to taking up ill--advised love affairs. Tensions between Muslims and Christians mount and add to the layers of cultural and political nuances that Jack struggles to understand. Christened Whiteman by the villagers, who believe him capable of magic by virtue of his white skin, Jack feels his whiteness more than he ever has in his life. As he penetrates the culture--but never achieves complete integration--he discovers a people not as simple and uncomplicated as he had thought. With war threatening to hasten the end of his three-year commitment, Jack's affection for the region and the people heightens, and he seeks forgiveness for his privilege and ineffectiveness. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE WILD COLONIAL BOY: A Novel
by James Hymes. Condition: UNREAD 2001 Picador Trade Paperback, first printing. Slight "lift" to front cover fore edge. Content: Factional strife within the Irish Republican Army is the subject of this chilling thriller. Brian Donovan, a young American from an IRA-sympathizing family in Detroit, gets caught up in the ruthless internal struggle when he agrees to transport money across the Atlantic to the IRA. Once in Ireland, his terrorist cousins, who are plotting to overthrow the IRA leadership, prevail upon him to undertake a dangerous mission across the Irish border. Brian gets romantically involved with Clare, an American student, but the affair turns tragic when the full horror of what he has been drawn into becomes known. Hynes brings the brutal world of modern terrorism, with its contempt of life and its strange code of honor, vividly to life. The hard realism is frequently terrifying, the plot is believable, and the narrative drive never slackens. [1 copy available]
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THE WHITE PATH ((The Real People Book 3)
by Robert J. Conley. Wonderful DJ wrap-around cover art by Murv Jacob. Condition: NEW 1993 Doubleday hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Content: The Spur Award-winning author of Nickajack continues the remarkable saga of the early Cherokee people and their struggle against a fierce and ancient enemy. Following the overthrow of the despotic priests, the Real People face an uncertain future, as internal feuds simmer and factions scheme for control. The other books in this series: The Cherokee People and The Way South. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
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THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN: A Novel of Galveston's Great Storm of 1900
by Ron Rozelle. Unfortunately, no photos but for the vintage Galveston photos on the wrap-around cover art. Condition: NEW 2000 Texas Review Press (part of Texas A & M Press) Trade Paperback, first edition, first printing. Content: Reviewer: "Galveston, Texas is the sight of our nation's worst natural disaster in our history. Rozelle summered in Galveston as a child and that began his fascination with the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. He was driven to tell the story in a manner that was true to history and striking enough to recreate the terror of those in the path of this storm. This book is a fictionalized account of the Galveston Hurricane of September 1900. While the weather events are factual, the people he portrays are a mixture of real people and those that Mr. Rozelle created to add depth and heart to his story. His research into the facts of the hurricane's ferocious assault of Galveston and the utter destruction of life and property is vividly portrayed. The characters bring a rawness of emotion, making the reality of the vast loss achingly real. This is a realistic and intense tale of Mother Nature in full fury." [1 copy available]
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A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE [Historical Fiction]
by Benjamin Capps. Cover art by Robert Abbett. Condition: Gently pre-read, IF at all, 1966 Duell hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), assumed first printing. The DJ has some tanning to the edges and is price-clipped. The loose end page indicates it was a gift to a favorite teacher and is signed by her students. Interior clean & tight. Content: This story of the Texas frontier dramatizes the capture by a Comanche band of a ten-year-old white girl and her five-year-old sister from the upper reaches of the Brazos River a decade before the Civil War. Although the story closely follows some of Cynthia Ann Parker's life, it is not an historical biography of her. It is original in treating Comanches as few Indians have ever been treated in fiction, neither as noble svages, nor as brutes, but as human beings who adapted themselves to a hard existence in a harsh land. Never great in numbers the Comanches dominated for a hundred and fifty years a south-plains area as large as the European lands of France or Spain, and for over a hundred years they did indeed block their expansion They were great nomads who have been called the greatest horsemen of all time, and it has been estimated that they killed more white invaders for their numbers than any other Indians. Here we see them in the last days of their glory. There is one torture scene that may not be appropriate for youngsters. [1 copy available]
$ 7.39 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE [Historical Fiction]
by Benjamin Capps. Neat raised cover art by Glenn Stock. Condition: UNREAD 1990 Univ of New Mexico Press (Zia) Trade Paperback, third printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: This story of the Texas frontier dramatizes the capture by a Comanche band of a ten-year-old white girl and her five-year-old sister from the upper reaches of the Brazos River a decade before the Civil War. Although the story closely follows some of Cynthia Ann Parker's life, it is not an historical biography of her. It is original in treating Comanches as few Indians have ever been treated in fiction, neither as noble svages, nor as brutes, but as human beings who adapted themselves to a hard existence in a harsh land. Never great in numbers the Comanches dominated for a hundred and fifty years a south-plains area as large as the European lands of France or Spain, and for over a hundred years they did indeed block their expansion They were great nomads who have been called the greatest horsemen of all time, and it has been estimated that they killed more white invaders for their numbers than any other Indians. Here we see them in the last days of their glory. There is one torture scene that may not be appropriate for youngsters. [1 copy available]
$ 5.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY
by C. J. Koch. Condition: Gently pre-read, good only, 1981 Sphere (London) paperback, first printing. Edgewear with pale spine & hinge creases. Interior clean & tight with moderate tanning to page edges. Content: One of the greatest of the political-adventure books & movies. Reviewer: "Intriguing thriller set in one of Indonesia's most turbulent times (c. 1965) follows the basic plot of most of that country's shadow puppet fables. Viz: The earthly balance of good and evil has lapsed, and the clueless but good-hearted hero finds himself aided by the unexpected attentions of a bold dwarf. There is so much going on, it's to be enjoyed on several levels. Innocence lost, cloak and daggery, true political intrigue, guy meets girl, expatriate sleaze, lessons in Indonesian culture: it's all there. Very nicely written with a perfect pace and memorable characters; Koch seems to be a great observer and decent researcher. So nicely composed was this book, the subsequent film in 1983 (featuring breathtakingly fresh performances by youngsters Sigourney Weaver and Mel Gibson) captured the best dialogue and the steamy atmosphere with apparent ease. Destined to be a classic, YLD is a story that takes hold and stays with you a long time." The 20-year ban on this book in Indonesia has recently been lifted. The movie was directed by Peter Weir (the golden age of Oz movies) and starred Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt (stunning Academy Award winning performance as Billy Kwan), Michael Murphy, Bill Kerr, and Bembol Roco. I know I've said it before, but if you haven't seen this one, dash - don't tarry - to your local Blockbuster and rent it. [1 copy available]
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