The Beginning of Spring
Language: English
Published by Flamingo, London, 1988
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used

Seller: Arapiles Mountain Books - Mount of Alex, Castlemaine, VIC, AustraliaArapiles Mountain Books - Mount of Alex
AbeBooks seller since August 13, 2001
Condition: Used
US$ 53.75
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
F-/F-. 8vo. original greenboards gilt (a trifle rubbed, leaf edges slightly marked, faintly canted, else clean & bright throughout) in dustwrapper (price-clipped, slightly rubbed); pp. [ii (last blank)], 188 (last blank). A near fine copy.
Seller Inventory # 025939
- Title
- The Beginning of Spring
- Author
- Fitzgerald, Penelope
- Publisher
- Flamingo, London
- Publication year
- 1988
- Condition
- F-
- Dust jacket
- F-
- Binding
- Hard Cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0002232618
- ISBN 13
- 9780002232616
- Edition
- First Edition.
- Seller catalogs
- Literature - Modern
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
In Penelope Fitzgerald's fiction, affection and remorse are all too often allied, and desire and design seem never to meet. Frank wants little more than a quiet, confident life--something for which he is deeply unsuited, and which Russia certainly will not go out of her way to provide. The Beginning of Spring is filled with echoes of past wrongs and whispers of the revolution to come, even if the author evokes these with abrupt comic brio. (In one disturbance, "A great many shots had hit people for whom they were not intended.") As ever, Fitzgerald makes us care for--and want to know ever more about--her characters, even the minor players. Her two-page description of Frank's chief type compositor, for instance, is a miracle of precision and humor, sympathy and mystery. And the accountant Selwyn Crane--a Tolstoy devotée, self-published poet, and expert at making others feel guilty--is a sublime creation. His appetite for do-gooding is insatiable. After one fit of apparent altriusm, "Selwyn subsided. Now that he saw everything was going well, his mind was turning to his next charitable enterprise. With the terrible aimlessness of the benevolent, he was casting round for a new misfortune." As she evokes her household of tears and laughter, Fitzgerald's prose is as witty as ever, rendering the past present and the modern timeless. --Kerry Fried
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Arapiles Mountain Books - Mount of Alex
Castlemaine, VIC, Australia
Shipping rates from Australia to U.S.A.
| Item | 21 to 40 business days | 10 to 20 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | US$ 35.00 | US$ 48.00 |
Payment methods
Store description
Established in 2001, Arapiles Mountain Books is the only specialist mountaineering bookseller in Australia. We carry a large stock of fine, rare and out of print mountaineering and adventurous travel books, with a particular emphasis on British, Australian, New Zealand and Himalayan climbing narratives and guides. We have an especially wide selection of early - mid 20th travel books in dustwrapper, signed books and expedition memorabilia. On-line catalogues can be browsed on this website. The proprietor, Andrew Long, has climbed the world over since 1980, and has spent much of his time over the (last few) years, collecting and reading climbing and travel narratives by more intrepid writers. He will be happy to answer any queries or provide advice on condition, approximate value, rarity or just plain readability free of charge. A booksearch service is available. Although we are a mail order store, visitors are most welcome to browse our stock by making an appointment. I have a bricks and mortar bookshop in Central Victoria ('Mount of Alex', 273 Barker Street, Castlemaine), which is open 11am - 5pm Saturday and Sundays (excluding public holidays). Note that internet listed books are not stored in the shop, but can be brought in by request. Appointments to view the stock may be made by calling Andrew on +61 410 650 923 or by email to araps@alassoc.com.au.…
Specialty
Climbing Books and Guides, Mountaineering, African Travel, Mountain Travel, The Alps, Himalayan Travel, Polar Travel, Travel and Exploration in Remote Regions, Middle Eastern Travel, Desert TravelAssociation member
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Arapiles Mountain Books - Mount of Alex
VIC, Australia
Terms of sale
Payment may be made freely by cash, bank deposit, Mastercard, Visa, cheques in Australian dollars or UK sterling. Books may be returned within 7 days if incorrectly described, though please notify us first before mailing the book back to Australia.
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Orders usually ship within 5 business days. Shipping costs are based on packages weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.