480p cloth with blue jacket, very good condition
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C. S. Godshalk's first novel is an adventure story in which the excitement is as much mental as physical. In 1838, Gideon Barr sets sails for Borneo, the land he intends to rule. We first see this empire builder through relatives' letters, and he emerges as singularly unbalanced yet singularly driven. He is also, it appears, almost infallible, applying more subtle techniques than the usual smash-and-grab. Gideon is no less forceful in his personal life: he is the sort who will return to England to wed his cousin but bring back her daughter instead--not out of love or attraction, but out of Darwinian common sense.
This flawed hero is only the first in an endless procession of brilliantly drawn men who blend civility with violence, innocence with calm brutality. Some go to Borneo to obliterate their English past; others never had one, having been out to sea at 8 or 9. And the natives are as contradictory as their imperial masters: "Honest, gentle, respectful of even their smallest children, cherishing their lore and tales, and at the same time methodically preparing for their gory celebrations, refining torture, training infants to perform these abominations."
Later come the missionaries and, finally, the Englishwomen, on whom the tropics take a heavy toll. Plotting her return to England with her only surviving child, Gideon's wife writes to her mother: "We have slipped into an unnatural attitude here. We regard the children we lose as necessary casualties, as replaceable." This is a world in which social rounds are riddled with danger, literally.
Kalimantaan is a huge achievement, ambitious in scope, style, thought, historical imagination, and humor. Here Godshalk describes a group of Dutch colonists: "What breed are they? From what planet?... They are the most inappropriate form of life ever to take up residence in the tropics. Everything about them is wrong, their clothes, their religion, their food. A Dutch meal on the equator--sausage, pickles, schnapps--should kill you outright, yet they pile it in for breakfast. Their women deliver babes through withering heat and monsoon rot like rolls from an oven, and these slough off dengue fever as if it were summer complaint. They will break. But it is usually under some vague malaise of the soul..." Kalimantaan demands your total attention and immersion. Yet Godshalk's tale must be read for its romance, extraordinary populace, and anatomy of colonialism, and if you give in to its lush language, it will offer you an inimitable dose of death and desire, magic and malaria dreams.
A hundred and fifty years ago, a young Englishman founded a private raj on the coast of Borneo -- a jungle-covered land of headhunting Dyaks, mercurial Malays, and subversive overseas Chinese. The world he created, boasting stone quays, great swaths of lawn, three Christian churches, and musical levees, eventually encompassed a territory the size of England. Within this historical framework, C.S. Godshalk constructs an epic novel of vast imagination, beauty and drama. It is the story of Gideon Barr, the White Rajah, and his Ranee, two people whose perverse genius it was to miss every opportunity offered them to connect through love. In a world filled with pirates and adventurers, with headhunters, rogues, and religious madmen, Godshalk paints a vivid portrait of bravery and cowardice, and of a desire for order amid the curse of wildness.
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Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 1850 and a young Englishman, Gideon Barr, arrives in Borneo; within ten years he has conquered an area the size of England and Wales, ruling through armies of tribal headhunters. But the personal cost is enormous and Gideon's wife must return home to ensure the safety of their surviving child. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002963097
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Kalimantaan This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780316645737
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: Goldstone Books, Llandybie, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. All orders are dispatched within one working day from our UK warehouse. We've been selling books online since 2004! We have over 750,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0003892004
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780316645737
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 2. Seller Inventory # 0316645737-2-3
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: The Glass Key, Montmorillon, France
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: near fine. First UK edition. First printing. Red cloth boards stamped in gilt on the spine. A clean, unmarked copy in a tight binding and bright, unclipped dust jacket. Seller Inventory # 94351
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Seller: Aardvark Rare Books, Bucknell, SHROP, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Seller Inventory # mon0000071383
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Seller: Beach Hut Books, Lingfield, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Dustwrapper is protected by a layer of clear, non adhesive plastic. Seller Inventory # 050281
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Seller: As The Story Was Told, York, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First edition, nr fine in nr fine unclipped dw. Appears unread with no inscriptions and minimal shelf-wear. Seller Inventory # H10-16
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Seller: Books@Ruawai, Kaipara District, New Zealand
Hardcover. Condition: Good - Some Wear. First. A heavy book; extra postage may apply. Seller Inventory # 076754
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