Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden
- Used
- near fine
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/No Jacket
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Seller
-
WINFIELD, Kansas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher , 1997 Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, New York. 1997. Softcover/Trade Wraps. Stated First Edition. Book is tight, square, and unmarked. Book Condition: Near Fine; scant rubbing to panels. No DJ. Pictorial card stock wraps. Wraps are not bent or folded; spine is not creased or split; text is secure in binding. 434 pp 8vo. A book of historical fiction told in first person perspective, tells the story of a fictional geisha (based on interviews with a real long-time Geisha) working in Kyoto, Japan, before, during and after World War II and ends with her being relocated to New York City. A clean very presentable copy.
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
- Walnut Valley Books/Books by White (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 008938
- Title
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- Author
- Arthur Golden
- Format/Binding
- Soft cover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- No Jacket
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 0375400117
- ISBN 13
- 9780375400117
- Publisher
- Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher
- Place of Publication
- New York, NY
- Date Published
- 1997
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾
- Keywords
- Japanese novel, Geisha, historical fiction, Geisha Girl, Japanese culture, Geisha House, World War II, Kyoto Japan, geisha culture,
Terms of Sale
Walnut Valley Books/Books by White
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or in the unfortunate event, damaged. All books are packed and wrapped with care to avoid shifting during shipment and edge/tip strikes during the mailing process.
About the Seller
Walnut Valley Books/Books by White
Biblio member since 2018
WINFIELD, Kansas
About Walnut Valley Books/Books by White
Walnut Valley Books is a small independent home-based business with the bulk of my holdings being of an American military nature covering everything from the Revolutionary War to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I also have holdings of books on the Middle East, the southwestern United States (New Mexico especially, Kansas related titles, Oklahoma related titles, and other regionally specialized books. All of my holdings are hand-selected to be good quality books of interest to the reader, historian, or the collector. In addition to the above, you will also find a wide range of other topics such as Medical, US History, autobiographical, biographical, sports, women's studies, and many other eclectic topics.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- 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....
- 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...