Memoirs of a Geisha
by Golden, Arthur
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Seller
-
dallas, Texas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Knopf, 1997. First Edition/First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. First state jacket. Nice, nudged at spine ends.
Synopsis
Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first-person view, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II.
Reviews
On Jan 16 2014, a reader said:
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden, is a warm, happy read. It is the story of a Japanese girl whose father sells her and her sister to strangers as her mother dies. Her older sister is sold into prostitution, and our heroine, Chiyo, only nine years old at the time, is sold to a geisha household in Kyoto, and expected to become a geisha. We discover that, at this time, becoming a geisha requires years of schooling. Chiyo studies various instruments, singing, dancing, and the tea ceremony, so that she can become an entertainer of men in tea houses. Eventually, she is adopted as a “younger sister” by Mameha, a first-rank geisha. All of this occurs before the Great Depression and the Second World War. During that terrible period, everyone in Japan underwent great hardships. The geisha profession was legally abolished. Chiyo, by now known by her geisha name of Sayuri, spent the war years sewing parachutes in a former kimono maker’s home and shop. After the war, she eventually was able to return to her geisha life. The story of her success, largely guided by Mameha, and her own desire to become worthy of a man she has fallen in love with, is very endearing. Somewhat to our surprise, she eventually comes to live in the USA, along with her lover. We suspect, although we are never told outright, that she has an American son. She tells her story verbally over a period of months to a sympathetic writer. This is a hard book to put down; the action is so real, and the writing so lyrical, that we feel we must keep reading until we know the end.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Craig Hokenson Bookseller (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 36685
- Title
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- Author
- Golden, Arthur
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition/First Printing
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Publisher
- Knopf
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1997
- Keywords
- JAPAN FICTION LARGE TYPE BOOKS HISTORICAL
- Bookseller catalogs
- MODERN FIRST EDITIONS;
Terms of Sale
Craig Hokenson Bookseller
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Craig Hokenson Bookseller
Biblio member since 2008
dallas, Texas
About Craig Hokenson Bookseller
I am internet based, and participate in several book shows a year. Visitors welcome by appointment. I specialize in modern first editions, but offer a wide range of books. I have been buying and selling books for 20 years. I buy books, and will certainly consider trades. Member of the Texas Booksellers Association.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- First State
- used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
- 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....