![[A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME; comprised of:] A Question of Upbringing; A Buyer's Market; The Acceptance World; At Lady Molly's; Casanova's Chinese Restaurant; The Kindly Ones; The Valley of Bones; The Soldier's Art; The Military Philosophers; Books do Furnish a Room; Temporary Kings; Hearing Secret Harmonies](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/468/101/1523101468.0.m.jpg)
![[A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME; comprised of:] A Question of Upbringing; A](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/468/101/1523101468.0.x.jpg)
Click for full-size.
[A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME; comprised of:] A Question of Upbringing; A Buyer's Market; The Acceptance World; At Lady Molly's; Casanova's Chinese Restaurant; The Kindly Ones; The Valley of Bones; The Soldier's Art; The Military Philosophers; Books do Furnish a Room; Temporary Kings; Hearing Secret Harmonies
by Powell Anthony
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York; London; Boston: Charles Scribner's Sons; William Heinemann, LTD; Little, Brown, and Company, 1951-1975. Together 12 volumes. All First Edition, a mixed set. Books 1, 4, 8, & 11 being first American editions and books 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, & 12 being first British editions. 8vo, Each title is in the publisher's original cloth bindings, nine of the titles are in the publisher's original colourfully decorated dustjackets, books 2, 3, and 7 without jackets. A very nice set, the text of each American edition is fresh, bright, and clean, the British issues with just a bit of the spotting common to them, primarily on the earlier novels and mostly confined to the page edges, the cloth ranging from near very good to fine, and the same can be said for the jackets. FIRST EDITION AND AN ATTRACTIVE AND COMPLETE SET OF THE AUTHOR'S BEST AND MOST FAMOUS WORK. His series of novels that comprise A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME, an undertaking that spanned three decades, have been acclaimed by such critics as A. N. Wilson and fellow writers including Evelyn Waugh and Kingsley Amis as among the finest English fiction of the twentieth century. The roman-fleuve of manners, power and passivity in English political, cultural and military life in the mid-20th century has characters (many modeled loosely on real people) who surface, vanish, and then later reappear throughout the sequence. The title of the sequence was borrowed from a painting by Poussin of the same name; full of figures who's identities are uncertain. In the first two pages of 'A Question of Upbringing' the narrator, Nicolas Jenkins, reflects on the painting which resides in the Wallace Collection.
In 2008, 'The Times' named Powell one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945, mostly on the strength of this series of novels.
In 2008, 'The Times' named Powell one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945, mostly on the strength of this series of novels.
Synopsis
A Dance to the Music of Time is a twelve-volume series of novels by Anthony Powell. One of the longest works of fiction in literature, the work is often published as four volumes of three novels each. The title, A Dance to the Music of Time, was inspired by Nicolas Poussin’s painting of the same name, which depicts the four seasons as nymphs dancing in a circle while a winged Father Time plays the harp. The epic work is narrated through the memories of Nick Jenkins, an “everyman” recalling the people he met over the previous half-century. Yet A Dance to the Music of Time is less about Jenkins and more about the metropolitan circles he inhabits. Beginning with the end of World War I and ending with the turbulence of the 1960s, the novels highlight encounters between friends and lovers who drift apart but continue to reencounter each other over time. Apart from a trip to France, some time in Ireland, and an interval in Venice, the series mainly takes place in England and is often read as a reflection of the country’s social history. In its entirety, A Dance to the Music of Time is composed of the following novels: A Question of Upbringing (1951), A Buyer's Market (1952), The Acceptance World (1955), At Lady Molly's (1957), Casanova's Chinese Restaurant (1960), The Kindly Ones (1962), The Valley of Bones (1964), The Soldier's Art (1966), The Military Philosophers (1968), Books Do Furnish a Room (1971), Temporary Kings (1973), and Hearing Secret Harmonies (1975). The books were a great success in both Britain and America upon their publication. The series is ranked 43rd on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. It is also listed on TIME’s “100 Best Novels” (since 1923) and the Telegraph’s list of the 20 best British and Irish novels of all time.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Buddenbrooks, Inc.
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 31357
- Title
- [A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME; comprised of:] A Question of Upbringing; A Buyer's Market; The Acceptance World; At Lady Molly's; Casanova's Chinese Restaurant; The Kindly Ones; The Valley of Bones; The Soldier's Art; The Military Philosophers; Books do Furnish a Room; Temporary Kings; Hearing Secret Harmonies
- Author
- Powell Anthony
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Charles Scribner's Sons; William Heinemann, LTD; Little, Brown, and Company
- Place of Publication
- New York; London; Boston
- Date Published
- 1951-1975
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Buddenbrooks, Inc.
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. But, please do contact us as soon as possible if you wish to return an item. For items that are correctly described and being returned for other reasons please contact us as soon as possible and return the book in the condition it arrived to you within 7 days. For such returns the refund of postage is at our discretion.
About the Seller
Buddenbrooks, Inc.
Biblio member since 2009
Newburyport, Massachusetts
About Buddenbrooks, Inc.
Buddenbrooks has one of the finest collections of landmark, rare books and manuscripts in the world. Our intention is to provide great books or manuscripts in excellent condition. We enjoy sharing our passion and expertise with anyone interested in fine and rare books. And we also look forward to the opportunity to meet you. We maintain premises in the heart of historic Newburyport which are reminiscent of a European style librarie. We encourage you to visit our shop where books are beautifully presented in fine library cabinets in a sophisticated environment. We are also available by appointment only to meet with clients in Boston, where we also have maintained a presence for over 40 years. If you see an item which interests you or if you would like to learn more about our offerings, please contact us via telephone, fax or e-mail.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Frequently asked questions
Collecting One Book
Instead of collecting by series, author, publisher...why not just one title? Learn more about collecting variations and editions of one book.
What did people buy in 2020?
Plague journals, escapist literature, political history: explore our year in review, where we share rare book trends and a gallery of some of the most beautiful and interesting books sold in 2020.
