THE BEGINNING OF SPRING (1/2)
Language: English
Published by Collins, 8 Grafton Street, London W1, 1988
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Orlando Booksellers, Lincoln, United KingdomOrlando Booksellers
AbeBooks seller since January 11, 2000
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 18.00
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Second printing of the true first edition - Booker Prize short-listed novel. ***Very good in dark green cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The boards are clean and unmarked. Corners sharp. Head and tail of spine slightly creased. There is a slight reading lean to the binding and a light vertical reading crease to the spine. Top edge of page-block slightly marked. Fore-edge of page-block has a small indentation affecting the fore-edge of a few pages slightly. Internally also very good with no inscriptions. Interior pages clean without any foxing. No creases or tears. ***In a very good colour-illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of £10.95 net. The dustwrapper is complete with no tears or chips, just some light rubbing and creasing at the extremities. There is some fading to the sun-sensitive colour on the spine of the dustwrapper, which extends to the front and back panels near the spine (please see scans). ***223mm x145mm. 187 pages. ***Penelope Fitzgerald was born Penelope Mary Knox at the Old Bishop's Palace, Lincoln, the daughter of Edmund Knox, later editor of Punch, and Christina Hicks, daughter of Edward Hicks, the Bishop of Lincoln, and she was one of the first women students at Oxford. "The Beginning of Spring" is set in Moscow in 1913, and tells the story of a Moscow-born English-educated print shop owner whose English wife has suddenly abandoned him and their three children. The novel was shortlisted for the 1988 Booker Prize. Fitzgerald had a strong interest in Russian literature, and starting in the 1960s took courses in Russian language. She visited Moscow and environs in 1975, which included a visit to Tolstoy's house and a dacha in a birch forest. In the early 1970s, as part of her research on Edward Burne-Jones, Fitzgerald became friends with a Swiss art curator, Mary Chamot, who had been brought up in pre-revolution Russia. Chamot's family had had a greenhouse business in Moscow since the mid-1800s, and they had stayed on for a few years after the revolution. The original title of the novel was to be "The Greenhouse". Later, Fitzgerald considered "Nellie and Lisa", but her editor did not approve and suggested "The Coming of Spring" instead, an idea that the author modified for the published title.' (Wik) ***Second printing of the true first edition, complete in its original dustwrapper. Booker Prize shortlisted for 1988. A nice reading copy of the novel. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.…
Seller Inventory # 8519
- Title
- THE BEGINNING OF SPRING (1/2)
- Author
- Penelope Fitzgerald
- Publisher
- Collins, 8 Grafton Street, London W1
- Publication year
- 1988
- Condition
- Very Good
- Dust jacket
- Very Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0002232618
- ISBN 13
- 9780002232616
- Edition
- First Edition
- Printing
- Second Printing
- Seller catalogs
- First Editions, Literature
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
‘Reading a Penelope Fitzgerald novel is like being taken for a ride in a peculiar kind of car. Everything is of top quality – the engine, the coachwork and the interior all fill you with confidence. Then, after a mile or so, someone throws the steering-wheel out of the window.’ Sebastian Faulks
‘Wise and ironic, funny and humane, Fitzgerald is a wonderful, wonderful writer.’ David Nicholls
‘For the life of me I can’t decide how properly to respond to this book. Whether it contains a latent moral or allegorical message, or whether it is simply a tour de force of craft and imagination I have not the faintest idea. I only know that it is one of the most skilful and utterly fascinating novels I have read for years. I cannot imagine any kind of reader who would not get a thrill from this gloriously peculiar book.’ Jan Morris, Independent
‘Penelope Fitzgerald has produced a real Russian comedy, at once crafty and scatty. She has mastered a city, a landscape and a vanished time. She has written something remarkable, part novel, part evocation, and done so in prose that never puts a foot wrong. She is so unostentatious a writer that she needs to be read several times. What is impressive is the calm confidence behind the apparent simplicity of utterance. “The Beginning of Spring” is her best novel to date.’ Anita Arookner, Spectator
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Orlando Booksellers
Lincoln, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since January 11, 2000
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 8 to 12 business days | 6 to 8 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 20.00 | £ 25.00 |
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Store description
We specialize in 20th Century literature, and in particular, Modern First Editions. We would be interested in buying such books, whether individual items or collections. We are particularly interested in Bloomsbury writers, Beats & Counter Culture and 20th C photography monographs. Our books can be viewed as a whole on ABE, or by choosing one of a number of catalogues that we have set up for particular interests, such as Crime Fiction & True Crime, Collectable Paperbacks, Children's Literature etc.…
Specialty
Modern First Editions, Literature, Literature in Translation, Bloomsbury Group, Counter-culture, Antiquarian, Collectable Paperbacks, Art & PhotographySeller's business information
Orlando Booksellers
1 Rasen Lane
Lincoln, United Kingdom LN1 3EZ
Terms of sale
Mastercard, Visa and PayPal accepted. We also accept personal cheques for UK sales, made out to Orlando Booksellers (UK pounds). Proof of postage is obtained for all items, however, we cannot be responsible for items lost or damaged in transit. Therefore, on higher value items, we offer the option of tracked (insured) shipping which offers peace of mind for both the bookseller and the customer. [See Shipping Terms section below for more information]. We always pack our books extremely well to protect them from any possible damage. Any title found not to be as described may be returned, provided this is done within fourteen days of its receipt. We are happy to offer a 10% discount on book prices for fellow booksellers. Orlando Booksellers is a partnership - Alison Smith and Chris McKee. Our VAT Registration number is 629 3707 21.
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You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
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