ACKROYD**, PETER:
THAMES: SACRED RIVER.

Imprint: LONDON.CHATTO & WINDUS,2007.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+belly band,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+belly band,1st edn.[Complete number line 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1.The companion volume to Ackroyd's ground-breaking 'London: The Biography.' which in turn,then spawned many other imitators.] FINE.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to the belly band.Bright,crisp,clean, glossy,wrap-around,paper belly band with historical woodcut colour illustration reproductions,with b/w lettering to front+spine/ backstrip and critics' b/w lettered reviews to rear panel of belly band; with negligible shelf-wear,biumping,creasing to edges an corners - no nicks,tears or splits present.Top+fore-edges slightly toned but without foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - appears unread,other than my own collation.Publisher's original,sharp-cornered,paper-covered boards montage'd with a mixture of b/w+monochrome illustration reproduction and photograph respectively,and colour illustration with black lettered colour illustrated spine/backstrip,and immaculate/ clean repeated colour scenic riverbank illustrated sets of endpapers.UK,8vo HB+belly band,1st edn,xii-xivpp+4-490pp [paginated] includes illustrations list/table,XV (14) sections comprising 45 chapters,profuse historical and contemporary b/w illus reproductions and b/w+colour photographs and b/w maps interspersed throughout the text and the book over 24pp,in 3 blocks of 8pp apiece,an Alternative topography (from source to sea),a bibliography,an index,and separate,author's jacket and picture acknowledgements.Plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,a dedication,contents list/table,Reginald Piggott's b/w maps list/table,3 double-page b/w maps (Thames from source to sea,tributaires from source to Kew and tributaries from Kew to North Sea),and each section with a b/w illustration reproduction. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional,and even internally,the book is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation.It is only the exterior toning fault described that prevent an overalla higher grading. 'Thames: Sacred River.',is about the river from source to sea.It covers history from prehistoric times to the present; the flora and fauna of the river; paintings and photographs inspired by the Thames; its geology,smells and colour; its literature, laws and landscapes; its magic and myths; its architecture,trade and weather. This book meanders gloriously,rather as the river does itself: here are Toad of Toad Hall and Julius Caesar,Henry VIII and Shelley,Turner and Three Men in a Boat.The reader learns about the fishes that swam in the river and the boats that plied on its surface; about floods and tides; hauntings and suicides; sewers,miasmas and malaria; locks,weirs and embankments; bridges,docks and palaces.All the towns and villages along the river's 215-mile length are described. Ackroyd has a genius for digging out the most surprising and entertaining details, and for writing about them in the most magisterial prose. Please contact seller,because of the weight - nearly 1Kg unpackaged - for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** This item offered P+p included.Offer available UK only,unless indicated otherwise. ** ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja1001722. ISBN: 9780701172848.

Bookseller's details and sales conditions: R. J. A. PAXTON-DENNY

£ 25.00 (approx. $US 32.54 )