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The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0062502174
- ISBN 13
- 9780062502179
- Seller
-
Singapore, Singapore
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1993.
Dust jacket design by Michele Wetherbee.
First edition in English of Coelho's classic work, which has been translated into over 70 languages. Octavo, original half cloth. Near Fine in a Fine dust jacket. Beautifully inscripted. Translated by Alan R. Clarke.
Paulo Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks in 1987. He explained he was able to write at this pace because the story was "already written in [his] soul." The book's main theme is about finding one's destiny. It tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams. Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever.
Synopsis
The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho that tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago who dreams of a treasure hidden in the Egyptian pyramids. The book follows Santiago's journey as he sets out to pursue this treasure, encountering a series of obstacles and learning valuable lessons along the way. Santiago meets various characters who guide him on his journey, including an alchemist who teaches him the secrets of the universe.The novel explores themes of destiny, personal legend, and the power of following one's dreams. First published in Portuguese by a small press in Brazil, the first print run of the Alchemist was 900 copies and did not sell out. After a year the publisher returned the rights to Coelho. Believing in his own destiny as a writer and the message of following your dreams portrayed in the book, Coehlo continued to search for publishing opportunities, and in 1993 HarperCollins published the first English translation of the book. It quickly became a best-seller, and since that publication The Alchemist has sold over 65 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 80 languages, making it one of the bestselling books in history.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Alchemist
Reviews
On Apr 22 2012, Wshaikh22 said:
It is a very nice book and worth reading. It describes the struggle of a Sheppard and how successfully he achieved his dreams.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Darryl Rare Books
(SG)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 5
- Title
- The Alchemist
- Author
- Paulo Coelho
- Format/Binding
- Binding is tight
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition, First Printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0062502174
- ISBN 13
- 9780062502179
- Publisher
- Harpersanfrancisco
- Place of Publication
- San Francisco
- Date Published
- 1993
- Keywords
- The Alchemist First Edition First Printing Hardcover 1993
Terms of Sale
Darryl Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Darryl Rare Books
Biblio member since 2023
Singapore
About Darryl Rare Books
DarrylRareBooks specializes in bringing you the rarest most sought after first edition vintage antiquarian books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
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