Aquest lloc utilitza galetes per a oferir els nostres serveis, millorar el desenvolupament, per a anàlisis i (si no has iniciat la sessió) per a publicitat. Utilitzant LibraryThing acceptes que has llegit i entès els nostres Termes de servei i política de privacitat. L'ús que facis del lloc i dels seus serveis està subjecte a aquestes polítiques i termes.
Responding to a cryptic summons to a remote country house, London bookseller Isaac Inchbold finds himself responsible for restoring a magnificent library pillaged during the English Civil War, and in the process slipping from the surface of 1660s London into an underworld of spies and smugglers, ciphers and forgeries. As he assembles the fragments of a complex historical mystery, Inchbold learns how Sir Ambrose Plessington, founder of the library, escaped from Bohemia on the eve of the Thirty Years War with plunder from the Imperial Library. Inchbold's hunt for one of these stolen volumes - a lost Hermetic text - soon casts him into an elaborate intrigue; his fortunes hang on the discovery of the missing manuscript but his search reveals that the elusive volume is not what it seems and that he has been made an unwitting player in a treacherous game.… (més)
P_S_Patrick: These books have some common themes, so may be enjoyed by the same people, but where Ex Libris is more of a "biblio-mystery", The Island of The Day Before is more of a general novel. Both books focus to a certain degree on the Age of Discovery, in the 17th Century, and the Longitude problem. They feature the historical conflicts, ships, and sailing, but this is perhaps where the similarities end. The Island of The Day before is better written, but whether you prefer the plot of one or the other will be due to personal preference. If you have an interest in the period, and enjoyed reading one, then I could recommend the other as a potential future read.… (més)
P_S_Patrick: The common themes between these books include long voyages on ships, the historical disputes between England and Europe, books, intrigue, spying, and conspiracy, where the protagonist is wrapped up in a series of events beyond his control, which he does not understand. So, if you enjoy one, you should enjoy the other. But, what Ex Libris does, Lempriere's Dictionary does better, there is more intrigue, bigger and better conspiracies, a better plot, and overall it is better written. Ex Libris is shorter, and easier going due to its not being as dense, it also focuses more on books, and is set a bit earlier, so may appeal more to some people for these reasons, for example if you struggled with Lempriere's Dictionary.… (més)
Neben der Beschreibung der Stationen des 30jährigen Krieges dient der Roman vorzüglich als Einführung in das Geistesleben des 17. Jahrhunderts. Anhand damals tatsächlich existierenden Schriftguts führt Inchbold nicht nur in die Auseinandersetzung der Kirche mit Galilei und anderen vermeintlichen Ketzern ein, er liefert auch eine kleine Bibliographie zu verschiedenen Lebensbereichen. Er zitiert Werke der Geographie, Navigation und des Okkultismus. Eine Geheimschrift wird so unter Zuhilfenahme des "systeme Vigenere" geknackt, nachdem "Caesars Alphabet" Inchbold nicht weiterbringt.
Insgesamt ein wunderbarer Roman über die Welt des Buches.
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Me, poor man, my library was dukedom large enough... Shakespeare, The Tempest
Dedicatòria
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For Lynn
Primeres paraules
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Anyone wishing to purchase a book in London in the year 1660 had a choice of four areas.
Citacions
Darreres paraules
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I thought I heard yet another scream, but I must have been mistaken: it was only the sound of tortured iron and splintering beams, the last fragments of Pontifex Hall tumbling into the voracious water.
Responding to a cryptic summons to a remote country house, London bookseller Isaac Inchbold finds himself responsible for restoring a magnificent library pillaged during the English Civil War, and in the process slipping from the surface of 1660s London into an underworld of spies and smugglers, ciphers and forgeries. As he assembles the fragments of a complex historical mystery, Inchbold learns how Sir Ambrose Plessington, founder of the library, escaped from Bohemia on the eve of the Thirty Years War with plunder from the Imperial Library. Inchbold's hunt for one of these stolen volumes - a lost Hermetic text - soon casts him into an elaborate intrigue; his fortunes hang on the discovery of the missing manuscript but his search reveals that the elusive volume is not what it seems and that he has been made an unwitting player in a treacherous game.
Biblioaprenent | Sep 20, 2012 | 
Google Books — S'està carregant…
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