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
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
May 2009 : Hardback
| Title: People of the Book (Charnwood) Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 1-84782-646-6 / 9781847826466 (UK edition) Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
April 2009 : Library Binding
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 1-4395-9868-1 / 978-1-4395-9868-9 Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
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: A Novel Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-670-01821-X / 978-0-670-01821-5 (USA, AU, or UK edition) Publisher: Viking Adult 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 Amazon CA More details... |
2007 : Hardback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks Publisher: Viking Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 1969 : Hardback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): GERALDINE BROOKS Publisher: Viking/ Penguin Group Availability: Amazon More details... |
Paperback Editions
July 2010 : 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 Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
October 2009 : Paperback
| Title: People Of The Bk Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 9868461456 / 9789868461451 Publisher: Tsai Fong Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA 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... |
November 2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-00-731063-3 / 978-0-00-731063-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Harper Perennial Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
October 2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-14-311454-9 / 978-0-14-311454-3 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Availability: Amazon 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: Harper Perennial Availability: Amazon Amazon UK 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: Harper Perennial Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA 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 Amazon CA 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... |
2008 : Paperback
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-7394-9857-6 / 978-0-7394-9857-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Viking Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 2000 : Paperback
| Title: PEOPLE OF THE BOOK Author(s): BROOKS GERALDINE Publisher: PENGUIN Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
Audio Editions
2009 : Audio CD
| Title: People of the Book (An Unabridged Production)[10-CD Set] Author(s): Geraldine (Author); Brooks Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon More details... |
January 2008 : MP3 CD
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 1-4332-1270-6 / 978-1-4332-1270-3 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Availability: Amazon Amazon UK 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 UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 2008 : Audio Cassette
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks, Edwina Wren ISBN: 1-4332-1268-4 / 978-1-4332-1268-0 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 2008 : Audio CD
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 0-14-314298-4 / 978-0-14-314298-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Other Editions
July 2011 : Kindle edition
| Title: People of the Book Author(s): Geraldine Brooks Publisher: Harper Perennial Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
December 2008 : Kindle edition
| Title: People of the Book: A Novel Author(s): Geraldine Brooks Publisher: Penguin Availability: Amazon More details... |
December 2008 : Unknown
| Title: People of the Book [With Headphones] Author(s): Geraldine Brooks ISBN: 1-4332-6864-7 / 978-1-4332-6864-9 Publisher: Playaway Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
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