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A Dance to the Music of Time.: 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
by POWELL, Anthony
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: William Heinemann Ltd,, 1951-75. The English Proust First editions, first impressions, of the complete set of the author's celebrated novel sequence, likened by Evelyn Waugh to "a continuous frieze in high relief, deep cut and detailed" (Waugh, p. 548). Covering more than 50 years in the life of Nicholas Jenkins, the novel "is less about Jenkins than about the world he belongs to, in which the more raffish elements of the establishment commingle with the upper echelons of bohemia, the usual catalysts being their wives, mistresses, and lovers. Observing how these incoherent bodies interact, and the bizarre unions that result, Jenkins discerns a pattern dictated by the rhythm of life - hence the theme of the novel, which is that its characters, like the Seasons in Poussin's painting, are engaged in a ritual dance to the music of time" (ODNB). Twelve volumes, octavo. Attractively bound in recent burgundy morocco, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, covers ruled in gilt, marbled endpapers, edges gilt. The occasional minor blemish and light scattered foxing, else an excellent set. Evelyn Waugh, The Essays, Articles and Reviews, 1983.
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.
Read More: Identifying first editions of A Dance to the Music of Time.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 146436
- Title
- A Dance to the Music of Time.
- Author
- POWELL, Anthony
- Book Condition
- Used
- Place of Publication
- London: William Heinemann Ltd,
- Date Published
- 1951-75
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- 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...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
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