R. F. Kuang's instant #1 New York Times bestselling novel is now available as a stunning Deluxe Collector's Edition featuring a stamped faux-leather case with gold foil, beautiful illustrated endpapers, bookmark ribbon, designed edges, and intricate interior black-and-white illustrations from Nico Delort. Babel is a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.

Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

About the Author

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, Yellowface, and Katabasis. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. A Marshall Scholar, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Sinophone literature, and Asian American literature.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Established in 1994, we are a large new and used general interest bookstore located in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. Visit our online bookstore, www.magersandquinn.com, where we have over 500,000 new, used, and rare titles.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Magers and Quinn Booksellers
3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, 55408, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Purchase will be shipped upon receipt of payment including any additional shipping costs. MN residents add appropriate sales tax. We guarantee the condition of every book as it�s described on the Abebooks web sites. If you�re dissatisfied (Incorrect Item/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn�t arrived by the latest estimated delivery date, you�re eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. Please contact us for any other return inquiries, and we�ll respond withi...

More Information

Shipping Terms

Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 lbs or less, or 1 kg. Heavy or oversized books may require additional shipping charges.

Domestic shipping: Under 2.2 lbs
Media Mail $4.00
Priority Mail $7.00

International shipping: Rates depend on weight and destination of package.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 14 business days	3 to 6 business days
First item	US$ 3.99	US$ 12.99

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.