From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of March, the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war
In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding—an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—she begins to unlock the book’s mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book’s journey from its salvation back to its creation.
In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city’s rising anti-Semitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah’s extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna’s investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love.
Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is at once a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity, an ambitious, electrifying work by an acclaimed and beloved author.
In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding—an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—she begins to unlock the book’s mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book’s journey from its salvation back to its creation.
In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city’s rising anti-Semitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah’s extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna’s investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love.
Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is at once a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity, an ambitious, electrifying work by an acclaimed and beloved author.
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Used availability for Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book
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Hardback Editions
February 2008 : Hardback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 1-60285-125-5 / 9781602851252 (USA edition) Publisher: Center Point Large Print Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 2008 : Hardback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-00-717743-7 / 978-0-00-717743-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Fourth Estate Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 2008 : Hardback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-670-01821-X / 978-0-670-01821-5 (USA, AU, or UK edition) Publisher: Viking Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
April 2009 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-7322-8038-9 / 978-0-7322-8038-3 (Australia edition) Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
December 2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-14-311500-6 / 978-0-14-311500-7 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
October 2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-00-717742-9 / 978-0-00-717742-4 (UK edition) Publisher: HarperPerennial Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
October 2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-00-728828-X / 978-0-00-728828-1 (UK edition) Publisher: HarperPerennial Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
February 2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-7322-8037-0 / 978-0-7322-8037-6 (Australia edition) Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-00-726503-4 / 978-0-00-726503-9 (UK edition) Publisher: Fourth Estate Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
Audio Editions
January 2008 : Audio CD
| Title: People of the Book: A Novel Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-14-314298-4 / 978-0-14-314298-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Audio Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 2008 : Audio Cassette
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 1-4332-1268-4 / 978-1-4332-1268-0 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, Inc. Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
January 2008 : Audio CD
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 1-4332-1269-2 / 978-1-4332-1269-7 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
Other Editions
January 2008 : CD-ROM
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Brooks, Geraldine ISBN: 1-4332-1270-6 / 978-1-4332-1270-3 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, Inc. Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
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