Items related to The Ruins
Synopsis
Set among the spinning cogs and wheels of a lavish dinner club for the "gastronomical Elect," The Ruins is a black-eyed, Machiavellian fairy tale for adults, a gleeful cautionary discourse on ambition and ingratitude, and the penalties for disbelief in those forces within oneself.
Like all fairy tales, it turns on subjection-the increasingly comic and catastrophic subjection of "our hero, Tom," a high-minded and half-starved shoeshine boy. Tom shifts for himself in a dank and vaguely apocalyptic city where "the days come and go in a flat, lurid tide, noon and midnight like sullen twins, so indifferently does light distinguish itself from darkness."
Easily enticed from the artless squalor of his past into the dazzling and treacherous table politics of TheRuins, our hero soon finds himself at escalating odds with the diabolical proprietor, Jones, "an extravagant if charismatic crackpot." Tom's ill-fated efforts to reform The Ruins-finally and improbably rewarded at the glittering Fool's Ball-lead him on a devastating rise and illustrious tumble to humility, humanity, and practical grace.
In the tradition of Thomas Pynchon and Kurt Vonnegut, Trace Farrell delivers this highly original first novel with the arch rhetoric and insinuating charm of a seasoned carnival barker. Slyly drawing the eye to a world teeming with life, after all, no more horrid than gorgeous, The Ruins marks the arrival of a major new literary talent.
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About the Author
Trace Farrell was born and currently lives and works in Seattle, Washington.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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The Ruins
Seller: Half Price Books Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_448542930
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The Ruins
Published by
New York University Press, 1998
ISBN 10: 0814726852
ISBN 13: 9780814726853
Used
Hardcover
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0814726852I4N10
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The Ruins
Published by
NYU Press, 1998
ISBN 10: 0814726852
ISBN 13: 9780814726853
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Betterbks/ COSMOPOLITAN BOOK SHOP, Burbank, CA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. 12mo. volume. Fine in fine DJ. 267 pages. Seller Inventory # 301370A
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The Ruins
Seller: Last Word Books, Olympia, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. A used book with light to moderate shelf wear to boards and dust jacket. Thank you for supporting Last Word Books and independent bookstores. Seller Inventory # 210454119
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The Ruins
Published by
New York University Press, 1998
ISBN 10: 0814726852
ISBN 13: 9780814726853
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Tacoma Book Center, Tacoma, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Dustjacket included. First Edition. ISBN 0814726852. Hardback. First Printing. Very Good to Near Fine condition book in a Very Good to Near Fine condition dustjacket. Tight, bright, attractive copy with no markings to the book. No Signature. Seller Inventory # 9518874
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The Ruins
Published by
NYU Press, 1998
ISBN 10: 0814726852
ISBN 13: 9780814726853
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Glands of Destiny First Edition Books, Sedro Woolley, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: Like New. First Edition. Publisher: New York Uni. Press, New York, 1998. First Edition, First Printing. FINE hardcover book in FINE dust-jacket. As new. Unread. Not remainder marked. Not price-clipped. Not a book club edition. Not an ex-library copy. All of our books with dust-jackets are shipped in fresh, archival-safe mylar protective sleeves. Seller Inventory # 2103060057
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THE RUINS. [INSCRIBED by TRACE FARRELL to fellow author AMY HEMPEL].
Published by
New York and London: New York University Press, (1998). (1998)., 1998
ISBN 10: 0814726852
ISBN 13: 9780814726853
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Signed
Seller: Blue Mountain Books & Manuscripts, Ltd., Cadyville, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Fine. New York and London: New York University Press, (1998)., (1998). Fine. - Octavo, 7-1/2 inches high by 4-3/4 inches wide. Hardcover, bound in blue cloth titled in gilt on the spine in a color pictorial dust wrapper by Bascove. The rear panel of the dust wrapper is lightly rubbed. [ix] & 269 pages. Near fine. First edition of the author's first book. A nice association copy inscribed to the author Amy Hempel on the title page and signed "Farrell". Seller Inventory # 24689
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The Ruins
Published by
New York University Press, US, 1998
ISBN 10: 0814726852
ISBN 13: 9780814726853
New
Hardcover
Seller: Rarewaves USA, HEBRON, KY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback. Condition: New. Set among the spinning cogs and wheels of a lavish dinner club for the "gastronomical Elect," The Ruins is a black-eyed, Machiavellian fairy tale for adults, a gleeful cautionary discourse on ambition and ingratitude, and the penalties for disbelief in those forces within oneself. Like all fairy tales, it turns on subjection-the increasingly comic and catastrophic subjection of "our hero, Tom," a high-minded and half-starved shoeshine boy. Tom shifts for himself in a dank and vaguely apocalyptic city where "the days come and go in a flat, lurid tide, noon and midnight like sullen twins, so indifferently does light distinguish itself from darkness." Easily enticed from the artless squalor of his past into the dazzling and treacherous table politics of TheRuins, our hero soon finds himself at escalating odds with the diabolical proprietor, Jones, "an extravagant if charismatic crackpot." Tom's ill-fated efforts to reform The Ruins-finally and improbably rewarded at the glittering Fool's Ball-lead him on a devastating rise and illustrious tumble to humility, humanity, and practical grace. In the tradition of Thomas Pynchon and Kurt Vonnegut, Trace Farrell delivers this highly original first novel with the arch rhetoric and insinuating charm of a seasoned carnival barker. Slyly drawing the eye to a world teeming with life, after all, no more horrid than gorgeous, The Ruins marks the arrival of a major new literary talent. Seller Inventory # LU-9780814726853
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The Ruins (Hardback or Cased Book)
Published by
New York University Press 4/1/1998, 1998
ISBN 10: 0814726852
ISBN 13: 9780814726853
New
Hardcover
Seller: BargainBookStores, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback or Cased Book. Condition: New. The Ruins. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780814726853