An Embassy to China Being the Journal Kept by Lord Macartney during his Embassy to the Emperor Ch'ien-lung 1793-1794 For Sale
An Embassy to China Being the Journal Kept by Lord Macartney during his Embassy to the Emperor Ch'ien-lung 1793-1794
Macartney, Lord; Cranmer-Byng, J L (ed)
Click to view details

Chatwin, Bruce - The Songlines - ( Item 139300 )

Option 1 - Buy item for 26.40 with 1st class post TO A UK ADDRESS ONLY
Option 2 - Buy item for 25.90 with 2nd class post TO A UK ADDRESS ONLY
Option 3 - Buy item for 46.90 with Airmail TO AN ADDRESS IN USA OR CANADA
Option 4 - Buy item for 46.90 with Airmail TO AN ADDRESS IN THE REST OF THE WORLD (including the EU)

If ordering from overseas, please check any tax and import duties payable in your country, which will be additional to the costs given here.

You may prefer to order from overseas via our Ebay Listing which may give faster and cheaper postage (due to their economies of scale) and also will itemise extra costs upfront.




Chatwin, Bruce - The Songlines - ( Item 139300 )

Published in London by Folio Society. 2010. First Printing. Fine Hardback. No inscriptions or bookplates. Near Fine slipcase. Slight marks to panels of slipcase. Bound in buckram, printed and blocked with a design by Simon Pemberton. Approx. 288 pages; frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations. Size: 9 × 6.25 ins. Introduced by Nicholas Shakespeare. Illustrated by Simon Pemberton. Part fictionalised travelogue, part memoir, The Songlines was the book that crowned Bruce Chatwin's unconventional but brilliant literary career. In it, he merges stories of his childhood and of his restless wanderings around Africa, fascinating theories on early man's development – and, of course, his passionate evocation of the invisible lines that criss-cross Australia, sacred to the Aborigines and along which they passed their 'dreamings' about the world's creation. Chatwin is not sentimental or idealistic – he encounters plenty of drunkenness, poverty and hostility in his travels, as well as continuing racism and exploitation. Neither does he see himself as a saviour of Aboriginal traditions. Rather, he is exploring the issues that have haunted his life: in gaining material ease, what spiritual qualities have we lost? Which characteristic is dominant in human nature - aggression or compassion? And can we change? These are profound questions, but Chatwin handles them with an assured lightness of touch. Salman Rushdie, a friend and fellow-traveller, remembers Chatwin as 'so colossally funny, you'd be on the floor with pain'. From a Sydney art dealer almost falling off her camp stool when the Aboriginal artist she works with reveals he knows the profit she makes, to the moment when Cheekybugger Tabagee passes his songs to his tribal enemies to ensure they will not be forgotten, Chatwin mingles comedy with poignancy, and a robust faith in humanity illumines the book. He ends with the image of three elderly Aborigines who 'knew where they were going, smiling at death in the shade of a ghost-gum'. With a new introduction commissioned from Chatwin's biographer and illustrations from the brilliant young artist Simon Pemberton, this is a book to savour, ponder, and return to again and again. ISBN: B004QDGNV2 .

Price 25.90 (inc UK postage)                 Other items you may like                 Others by the same author

Safe and Secure Online Buying

To buy online, please click the appropriate button above. You will be transferred to secure pages hosted by Paypal, the largest online transaction processor in the world. You can pay with any major credit or debit card or by Paypal.

Money Back Guarantee, Secure Packaging and Fast Response

We are a major online trader with excellent feedback from satisfied customers on Ebay (over 25,000 customers). We will refund your costs for items returned within seven days for any reason. If we are at fault we will also refund your return postage. Items are sent in top grade book boxes for protection. Large items or multiple purchases may be boxed. Items will be despatched within a day of receipt of your order, usually on the same day if ordered before noon.

[Back to top]

Useful Links

Home Page
Links
Contact Us
Blog

Information

Terms and conditions
Delivery information
About Ardis Books

Policies

Returns policy
Cancellation policy

Contact

Customer services
Email Ardis Books
What our customers say