1Q84 - Book One and Book Two (First UK edition - first impression)

First impression of the first UK edition, with the full-number-string sequence including the no. "1": 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 on the printer's page. Translated from the Japanese by Jay Rubin. ***A near fine copy in black paper-covered boards, with gilt titles to the spine. No discernible faults - just very light marks to the matt surface of the boards. No bumps or creases. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Page block edges clean. Internally also near fine with no inscriptions. No foxing. Pages clean. Black front and rear endpapers. ***In a near fine colour-illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of £20.00. The dustwrapper also has no discernible faults. No creases, chips or tears. No fading. Dustwrapper bright. ***623 pages plus one-page of acknowledgements at the back of the book. 242mm x 158mm. ***'The year is 1984. Aomame sits in a taxi on the expressway in Tokyo. Her work is not the kind which can be discussed in public but she is in a hurry to carry out an assignment and, with the traffic at a standstill, the driver proposes a solution. She agrees, but as a result of her actions starts to feel increasingly detached from the real world. She has been on a top-secret mission, and her next job will lead her to encounter the apparently superhuman founder of a religious cult.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***'"1Q84" is a dystopian novel written by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, first published in three volumes in Japan in 2009–10. It covers a fictionalized year of 1984 in parallel with a "real" one. The novel is a story of how a woman named Aomame begins to notice strange changes occurring in the world. She is quickly enraptured in a plot involving Sakigake, a religious cult, her childhood love, Tengo, and embarks on a journey to discover what is "real". Its first printing sold out on the day it was released and sales reached a million within a month. The English-language edition of all three volumes, with the first two volumes translated by Jay Rubin and the third by Philip Gabriel, was released in North America and the United Kingdom on October 25, 2011. (Wiki) ***First impression of the first UK edition, in its original dustwrapper, in near fine, bright and crisp condition. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.…