Tuchman, Barbara W.

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

ISBN: 0394400267
New York, NY, USA: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978. First Trade Edition. Hardcover. "The 14th century gives us back two contradictory images: on the one hand a glittering time of crusades and castles, cathedrals and chivalry and exquisitely illuminated Books of Hours; on the other, a time of ferocity and spiritual agony- a world plunged into chaos. These are the years when the Black Death struck in the great plague of 1348-50, killing more than a third of the entire population between India and Iceland, and returned four times during the rest of the century...when freebooting companies of brigands terrorized Europe with impunity...when a "hundred years' war" seemed to have no beginning and no end, and defying the belligerents' own efforts to end it, acquired a life of its own, "an epic of brutality and bravery checkered by disgrace"...when chivalry, the ideal that had formed and nurtured the nobility, was crumbling under the impact of new weapons, new tactics, and knightly follies..." (from front flap) The sweeping, riveting, wide-&-deep story of the fourteenth century by Barbara W(ertheim) Tuchman (1912-1989), the Great American historical author & journalist who was twice-awarded the Pulitzer Prize, & whose works have been making their way into enshrinement within the canonical Library of America series. This popular & definitive doorstopper was awarded the National Book Award (1980). Hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $15.95 price printed at front flap, "9/78" at rear flap), "First Trade Edition" as stated on copyright page (published concurrently with a privately limited edition as noted thereon), first printing though not explicated as such per contemporary custom of this publisher. With four sections of captioned historical photographs, the second in color. From the collection of Barbara (1935-2023) & Irving (1933-2018) Nusbaum, world travellers, connoisseurs, eminent collectors of art & books- the dearly beloved parents of this grieving writer. This volume was among the very favorites of my father, a lifelong student of history, & I fondly recall his enthusiastic readings of passages from it. On pages 113-116, he bracketed & wrote marginalia at six key paragraphs in blue ink. These texts are in regard to the persecution of Jews during the Black Plague, & his comments are "Righteous Gentiles" & "The world was crazy/ then too"- indeed, as it remains while we gaze into this "Distant Mirror." A classic, most-thoughtful & rewarding Tuchman collectible which "...anatomizes the century, revealing to us both the great rhythms of history and the grain and texture of domestic life as it was lived...," (front flap) in its quite-rarest contemporary trade form, with distinguished provenance. Book in relatively fine condition with very slight rubbing to black-cloth front, back covers & spine (copper-gilt letters at spine & front cover mostly bright & intact); a bit of wear, fading to edges & corners of same. Interior very fine with only small, faint creases where once-folded at upper corners of three leaves (pgs. 109-110, 113-114, 115-116), hand-bracketing & marginalia mentioned above, assuredly an enrichment in this case. Dust jacket (again relatively) fine with very slight rubbing, light browning to front, back covers, spine & flaps; a bit of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; one tiny chip at upper right corner of spine with miniscule loss of paper; several faint angled-vertical creases from upper edge of front flap. An extra handling fee of $1.50 will be added for shipping due to the size and weight of this item. Fine / Near Fine. [Item #6565]

Price: $150.00