Synopsis
The stories of Karl, the apprentice; Dr. Kalmenius, his nefarious “savior”; Gretl, the brave daughter of the town innkeeper; and a young prince whose clockwork heart is in danger of winding down come together in surprising and magical ways in a story that has the relentless urgency of a ticking clock.
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Review
While Philip Pullman's greatest popularity is as a creator of novel-length magical realism for young adults, such as The Golden Compass, he continues to explore and stretch the limits of other children's and young adult genres. Clockwork is no exception. With its inspiration lying solidly in the German romantic tradition of E.T.A. Hoffmann and the Brothers Grimm, the story begins, as all good fairy tales do, with someone whose human weakness sets events inescapably in motion. As the townspeople of Glockenheim gather in the White Horse Tavern on the eve of the unveiling of a new figure for their great town clock, Karl, the clockmaker's apprentice, reveals to Fritz, a young storyteller, that he has not been able to construct the figure. A new clock figure is expected of all apprentices, and Karl is the first in hundreds of years to fail. Fritz, in his turn, has the beginnings of a new story to tell, and as it rolls off his tongue, its dark antagonist materializes and offers Karl his dearest wish. Not surprisingly, Karl's Faustian pact brings him destruction, but an innocent child is the deus ex machina that saves another child and the spirit of the town from seemingly ineluctable oblivion. With its eerie black-and-white illustrations by Leonid Gore and its happily-ever-after ending to some thrilling suspense, Clockwork is a fine fairy tale for younger children and a thought-provoking twist on the art of narrative for older ones. --Barrie Trinkle
From the Back Cover
An apprentice clockmaker. A sinister doctor. An inn-keeper's daughter. A prince who is not-quite human, and a statue who is not quite...not. All of these characters are brought together in a masterpiece of suspense that keeps the heart thumping to the very last page, and the mind whirring long afterward.
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Clockwork
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hardcover. Condition: Good. Our good condition books are generally good for reading but not for gifting or collecting. They could have imperfections such as creasing, fanning, inscriptions, margin notes, yellowing, staining on edge or cover or pages, bumps, scuffs, etc etc (sometimes multiple of these). It's a wide category that encompasses anything that isn't almost-new down to anything that is slightly better than poor. We would NOT recommend gifting Good books - these should be considered reading copies. Our books are dispatched from a Yorkshire former cotton mill. We list via barcode/ISBN so please note that the images are stock images and may not be the exact copy you receive, furthermore the details about edition and year might not be accurate as many publishers reuse the same ISBN for multiple editions and as we simply scan a barcode or enter an ISBN we do not check the validity of the edition data when listing. If you're looking for an exact edition please don't order (at least not without checking with us first, although we don't always have time to check). We aim to dispatch prompty, the service used will depend on order value and book size. We can ship to most countries, see our shipping policies. Payment is via Abe only. Seller Inventory # L-BFF01231-RAG-20250515-G
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Clockwork or All Wound Up
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ISBN 10: 0385407556
ISBN 13: 9780385407557
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Clockwork
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ISBN 13: 9780385407557
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Clockwork or All Wound Up
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Hard Cover. Condition: VG. Bailey, Peter (illustrator). First Edition. First UK printing (no statement of later print). Light soil to outer edges. Pictorial boards have edge/rub wear, bump wear and a slight overall curve. Actual book for sale pictured. 15.5 x 21.8 x 1.3cm, wt400g Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 017161
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Clockwork or All Wound Up
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Original Cloth. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Signed by the author on the title page with a dedication. Light bumping to the bottom corners and very slight surface wear to the boards. First printing. No jacket as published. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 006152
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Clockwork - proof copy signed by author and illustrator
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Seller: Peter Pan books, Haltwhistle, United Kingdom
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Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Signed, with dedication, by Philip Pullman and illustrator Peter Bailey on title page. Paperback proof copy in very good condition, spine not creased or cracked, light creasing to top corner of back cover. Language: eng. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # ABE-1505141663344
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