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Showing 1 - 25 of
201 matches in All Departments
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Vathek (Paperback)
William Beckford
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R493
Discovery Miles 4 930
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
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Vathek (Paperback)
William Beckford
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R451
Discovery Miles 4 510
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
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Vathek (Paperback)
William Beckford; Contributions by Mint Editions
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R142
Discovery Miles 1 420
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Vathek (1786) is a novel by William Beckford. Inspired by his
travels, Beckford wrote Vathek in French before supervising its
translation into English by Reverend Samuel Henley. Recognized as
an instrumental work in the popularization of Orientalist fiction,
Vathek is an early Gothic novel that influenced such writers as
Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron, Robert Southey, and H. P. Lovecraft.
Born into a royal family, Vathek is appointed the ninth caliph of
the Abassides as a boy. Spoiled and enabled at every turn, he grows
to be an insufferably vain and vindictive ruler, unschooled in
diplomacy and always quick to anger. When a deformed stranger
arrives at his palace claiming to be a merchant from India, Vathek
purchases a set of inscribed sabers. At dinner that night, the
merchant insults the caliph with his silence and is sentenced to
prison. The next morning, the merchant escapes, killing every guard
in his path. As Vathek examines the glowing blades, he sees that
the messages inscribed on them have changed-he has been cursed, and
the only way to reverse his fate is to find the man he mistreated.
Determined to remain his own master, he sets out for the mountain
to clear his head, beginning a journey from which few return.
Immersed in Islamic mythology, Vathek is a cautionary tale of
power, faith, and desire that earned its author a reputation as a
leading young artist with a gift for fantasy. With a beautifully
designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition
of William Beckford's Vathek is a classic of British literature
reimagined for modern readers.
William Beckford's Vathek is a touchstone of eighteenth-century
Orientalism and of the Gothic novel. Beckford's later work, The
Episodes of Vathek, shares Vathek's irreverent and decadent style,
and an edition that unites the two has long been overdue. The
Broadview edition includes a newly discovered early version of the
first episode, never before in print, that centres on male-male
love, as well as the previously published version that was
re-written by Beckford as a heterosexual narrative. Based on the
1823 edition-the last one edited by the author himself-the
Broadview Edition also introduces The Episodes in the order
Beckford planned, and incorporates his final corrections.
'Woe to the rash mortal who seeks to know that of which he should
remain ignorant; and to undertake that which surpasseth his power!'
The Caliph Vathek is dissolute and debauched, and hungry for
knowledge. When the mysterious Giaour offers him boundless treasure
and unrivalled power he is willing to sacrifice his god, the lives
of innocent children, and his own soul to satisfy his obsession.
Vathek's extraordinary journey to the subterranean palace of Eblis,
and the terrifying fate that there awaits him, is a captivating
tale of magic and oriental fantasy, sudden violence and corrupted
love, whose mix of moral fable, grotesque comedy, and evocative
beauty defies classification. Originally written by Beckford in
French at the age of only 21, its dreamlike qualities have
influenced writers from Byron to H. P. Lovecraft. This new edition
reprints Beckford's authorized English text of 1816 with its
elaborate and entertaining notes. In his new introduction Thomas
Keymer examines the novel's relations to a range of literary genres
and cultural contexts. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford
World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature
from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's
commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a
wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions
by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text,
up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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