Edition: 2nd impression
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Putnam, New York
Date Published: 1953
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Small very light stain on front cover, DJ has 3/8" closed tear and crease at top of back, tips of spine have light wear and botton back inner corner is crumpled at edge. 374 p. 23 cm. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York
Date Published: 1953
Description: Very Good in Good jacket. Book Very Good in Good jacket 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Waltari's novel of the Fall of Constantinople follows the diary of his character John Angelos, a man with a foot in both the Christian and Muslim camps. Pages are clean and tightly bound. DJ has small ships at spine and shows small tears along top edge, otherwise has brilliant colors and original sheen. read more
Description: Very Good. B0000CINYI Gently Used Hardcover ~ First Edition, Putnam, 1953 ~ ex-library with protective mylar cover and the usual markings ~ minor shelf-wear, otherwise Neat & Tight, ~ We would ship within 24 Hours, reply to customer emails ASAP, accept returns and offer 100% satisfaction guarantee! read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Cardinal, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1963
Description: Good in Pictorial Cover jacket. Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Clean and tight. Modest shelfwear, primarily on edges of cover but there are some rubbed spots as well; light foxing (tanning due to age) in margins; old price label on front cover. Nice condition. read more
Edition: First Edition-First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Date Published: 1953
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Nice looking copy. Hinted edge wear and sharp corners. Very minor fade to spine-letering still clear and distinct. NOT ex-library. PO's name is blacked out on front end paper. Well bound and otherwise spotless text. 1953. First Edition-First Printing. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York
Date Published: 1953
Description: Very Good in Good Inplastic Cover jacket. 8vo. There is some edgewear to the dust jacket. This could be a book club edition. Illustrated end papers. This is signed by the author on front blank endpaper. read more
"Mika Waltari’s The Egyptian is one of the best historical novels ever written. It combines a strong story line and real character development with excellent research. In its imaginative Cretan sequence it anticipates the Latin American magical realism movement. It also contains one of the most sensitive and subtle portrayals of depression in fiction. It is a disappointment that Waltari’s other novels never quite reach the level of his first.
I had heard good things about Waltari’s Byzantine novels, especially Dark Angel. It is worth reading, but it is understandable that it has fallen into obscurity, except in Waltari’s native Finland. Dark Angel employs some of the same devices as The Egyptian and The Etruscan, including a first person narrator with a mysterious and noble past. Unlike The Egyptian and The Etruscan, which cover sweeps of many years, Dark Angel’s action occurs in less than six months, during the 1453 siege of Constantinople. Because the outcome is known, Waltari’s task is to sustain the reader’s interest through his handling of details.
Although the novel is well-crafted in many respects, I found my attention wandering. The reconstruction of military events is handled with considerable skill. Perhaps a reader more interested in medieval warfare would find the book compelling. There is an engaging love story, too. It centers on the fictional alter ego of a real woman, Anna Notaras. In life Anna Notaras had a very different fate than she does in the book. What if she hadn’t walked onto that ship? With the character of Anna, Waltari pioneers the counter-factual novel. Dark Angel is solid historical fiction that will continue to entertain readers, but I am left with the nagging feeling that it does not achieve its promise."
"This novel describes the seige and fall of Constantinople in 1453, more specifically about the story of Jean Angelos. As is often the case with Waltari's books, the story has much to do with questions of religion and faith as they do with the historical milleu. Frequently Waltari's protagonists have a secret in their past, and this one is no exception, but as usual, it leads to a fascinating conclusion. I recommend this booki to anybody who likes a good historical novel set in an unusual setting."
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