AUSTERLITZ (First edition - first impression)

First impression of the first edition in English, with the no. "1" on the printer's page. Translated from the German by Anthea Bell. With monochrome photographic illustrations throughout. This copy has the first state dustwrapper, with the price £16.99 on the lower corner of the back flap. ***Near fine in burgundy cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. Boards clean and unmarked. Slight creasing to the head of the spine, but otherwise not creased or bumped. Corners sharp. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight, without any reading creases. Top edge of page block nice and clean. ***In a very good monochrome photo-illustrated dustwrapper, that has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's price of £16.99 to the bottom corner of the back flap (first state). Please note that there is a 5cm closed tear at the top edge of the front panel near the spine. Extremities of dustwrapper slightly rubbed and creased. There is also a small patch of residue from a price sticker(now removed) on the back panel. There is some fading to the spine area, and a strip of fading to the front panel near the spine. Some uneven fading to the cream colour also on the back panel. A few small marks to the white areas (please see scans). The titles on the spine are still beautifully bright. No chips or loss. ***224mm x 146mm. 416 pages. ***In the summer of 1939, five-year-old Jacques Austerlitz is sent to England on one of the so-called Kindertransports and placed with foster parents in Wales. For reasons of their own, the childless calvinist couple erase from the boy all knowledge of his identity. Austerlitz, who eventually becomes an architectural historian, goes through life assiduously avoiding all clues that might point to his origins and to the fate of his true parents. It is only in his retirement that the past returns to haunt him and makes him explore what happened to him half a century ago'. (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper). ***A first impression of the first edition in English, complete in its original dustwrapper, which is first state i.e. priced to the back flap not the front flap. A heavy book, printed on thick photo-quality paper, and very hard to find in such near fine condition in first impression. The dustwrapper is complete, but has the above-mentioned faults. ***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.…