2008 Chronicles of Master Li & Number Ten Ox Signed by Author Barry Hughart

Barry Hughart

ISBN 10: 1596062002 / ISBN 13: 9781596062009

Published by Subterranean Press, 2008

About this Item

The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. Barry Hughart. An omnibus of the novels: Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, & Eight SKilled Gentlemen. Subterranean Press, 2008. First Subterranean Press Edition. Signed by author. Original dust jacket, 648 p., 9 x 6.25 , 8vo. In very good condition. Dust jacket bright and clean with some light scuffing at edges. Light pink/purple cloth boards lightly rubbed at edges and corners. Very light water or tea dampness staining found on fore-edge of text-block. Author s signature found on leaf proceeding front end-page. Text-block clean. Binding tight and intact. Please see photos. Barry Hughart (1934 2019) was an American author of fantasy novels. The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox is a series of three books about Li Kao, an ancient sage and scholar with "a slight flaw in his character", and his client, later assistant, the immensely strong peasant Number Ten Ox, who narrates the story. The series blends Chinese mythology authentic and imagined, from several eras with detective fiction and a gentle, ironic humour. The first book Bridge of Birds was published in 1984, the title derived from "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" myth. It was followed in 1988 by The Story of the Stone and in 1990 by Eight Skilled Gentlemen. No further books followed, although Hughart had planned a series of seven novels. In the last of these, Li Kao and Number Ten Ox would die facing the Great White Serpent (a conflict alluded to in Bridge of Birds). They would then become minor celestial deities who would continue to cause problems for the August Personage of Jade. An omnibus edition, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox was first published in 1998 by The Stars Our Destination Books in both hardback and trade paperback. Signed by Hughart. Gift quality. RAREA2008AFJB 08/24 - HK2057.

Seller Inventory # RAREA2008AFJB

Bibliographic Details

• Title: 2008 Chronicles of Master Li & Number Ten Ox Signed by Author Barry Hughart
• Publisher: Subterranean Press
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1596062002
• ISBN 13: 9781596062009
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Rare Book Room

About this title

Synopsis

An omnibus containing BRIDGE OF BIRDS, THE STORY OF THE STONE, and EIGHT SKILLED GENTLEMEN.

Reviews

Starred Review. Reading Hughart's endearing historical fantasy trilogy, first published almost 20 years ago, is much like wandering blindfolded through a myth devised by a maniac, in the words of Master Li, the greatest and most frequently intoxicated wise man in a colorful seventh century China that never was. Slow, strong and good-hearted peasant Number Ten Ox initially seeks Master Li's help to cure a bizarre plague and soon becomes his sidekick. Their rollicking adventures pit them against everyone from murderers and thieves to emperors and gods. Numerous Chinese legends, filtered through Ox's simple perspective, blend seamlessly into tales both lighthearted and heartrending. Hughart's many fans will welcome this modest alternative to the 1998 omnibus published by The Stars Our Destination bookstore, which commands high prices when it can be found at all. (Oct.)
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