LIFE OF PI -- Illustrated Edition [SIGNED & Dated 1st / 1st]

YANN MARTEL

ISBN 10: 0676978991 / ISBN 13: 9780676978995

Published by Knopf Canada, Toronto, 2007

About this Item

SIGNED on the Title Page by the Author and inscribed "To Emma Williams / Yann Martel / Dec. 6/07". This is the 1st Edition 1st Printing of the Illustrated Life of Pi with the gorgeous drawings of Tomislav Torjanac. 1st Printing of Yann Martel's Man Booker Prize winning novel with the complete number line extending to "1". A hardcover book with dark blue coloured cloth boards gilt tiles on the spine. Light shelf wear to the bottom edge, some staining to fore-edge (see photo) and two spots on the jacket (see photos), otherwise an attractive Near Fine copy. The complete Dust Jacket has the original price of $45.00 intact. The jacket has some small stains on the back which have penetrated to the front at the bottom corner front and back; one closed tear. Otherwise a very decent copy. This large heavy book may require extra postage. Email for quote. The novel upon which the Oscar winning film was based. Seller Inventory # 007333

Bibliographic Details

Title: LIFE OF PI -- Illustrated Edition [SIGNED & ...

Publisher: Knopf Canada, Toronto

Publication Date: 2007

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: Tomislav Torjanac

Condition: Near Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

In October 2005 a worldwide competition was launched to find an artist to illustrate Yann Martel’s international bestseller. Media partners included The Globe and Mail in Canada, The Times in the UK and The Age in Australia, with an international panel of judges that included Canadians Martin Levin, Books Editor of The Globe and Mail, Executive Publisher Louise Dennys and Random House of Canada Creative Director C.S. Richardson. From thousands of entries, Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac was chosen as the illustrator for this new edition of Life of Pi.

Review:

Some books defy categorisation: Life of Pi, the second novel from Canadian writer Yann Martel, is a case in point: just about the only thing you can say for certain about it is that it is fiercely and admirably unique. The plot, if that s the right word, concerns the oceanic wanderings of a lost boy, the young and eager Piscine Patel of the title (Pi). After a colourful and loving upbringing in gorgeously-hued India, the Muslim-Christian-animistic Pi sets off for a fresh start in Canada. His blissful voyage is rudely interrupted when his boat is scuppered halfway across the Pacific, and he is forced to rough it in a lifeboat with a hyena, a monkey, a whingeing zebra and a tiger called Richard. That would be bad enough, but from here on things get weirder: the animals start slaughtering each other in a veritable frenzy of allegorical bloodlust, until Richard the tiger and Pi are left alone to wander the wastes of ocean, with plenty of time to ponder their fate, the cruelty of the gods, the best way to handle storms and the various different recipes for oothappam, scrapple and coconut yam kootu. The denouement is pleasantly neat. According to the blurb, thirtysomething Yann Martel spent long years in Alaska, India, Mexico, France, Costa Rica, Turkey and Iran, before settling in Canada. All those cultures and more have been poured into this spicy, vivacious, kinetic and very entertaining fiction. --Sean Thomas