THE WANDERINGS OF ODYSSEUS: The Story of THE ODYSSEY. [Illustrated by Alan Lee.**]

UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn. [Complete number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2.] FINE+./NFINE. No owner inscrptn but price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,glossy laminated colour pictorial artwork by Alan Lee, illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear, bumping,creasing to edges and corners; rear top+bottom corners with miniscule rubbing and tiniest of snicks to same - no other major,tears or splits present. Inevitable but minimal, superficial scoring/indents to either panel of dw/dj but without any penetration to boards beneath and rear,top corner of inner flap of dw/dj with a couple (2) of accidental,oblique corner creases.Top+fore-edges clean; contents bright,tight and pristine.Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,unblemished,sharp-cornered, original plain dark brown cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked silver gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain dark brown endpapers.UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,illustrated 1st edn,7-119pp [paginated] includes prologue, 15 chapters, profuse part,full and double-page full-colour illustrated artwork by Alan Lee throughout the text and the book,double-page colour map of Odysseus's wanderings, a pronounciation aid to Greek names at rear,the last page having Rosemary Sutcliff's b/w facsimile signature and doodle; plus [unpaginated] half-title page,colour vignetted title page and contents list/table. Visually the exterior appearance is more than acceptable,and even internally,the book is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of it's age and nature, i.e. children's book. It is only the dw/dj faults described that prevents a slightly higher grading.Despite them,it really is still a more than acceptable copy for its cleanliness and brightness. The long seige is ended.Troy lies in ashes.The black ships of the Greek war-host set sail for home - but for King Odysseus of Ithaca,the return voyage holds hazards far greater than any he faced during the Trojan War.Buffeted by ill winds into unknown seas,Odysseus has to contend not only with the blunders of his crew,but with ever-stranger perils: the flesh-eating Cyclopes, Circe with her deadly enchantments the soul-chilling Land of the Dead. . . .and when he finally reaches the shores of Ithaca,it is to find his beloved wife Penelope beseiged by a rabble of suitor lords who must be driven out before he can reclaim her love and his long-lost kingdom. For this dramatic sequel to 'Black Ships Before Troy',Rosemary Sutcliff has transformed Homer's magnificent but complex epic poem 'The Odyssey' into an enthralling traveller's tale with a spectacular cast of men, magicians and monsters. Alan Lee evokes a golden age of mythical Greece in his portrayal of the greatest voyage of all time. Alan Lee's love of mythology and folklore has helped him win acclaim as the most exciting contemporary illustrator of fantasy books.His career took off in 1978 when he collaborated with Brian Fround on Faeries.'The Mirrorstone',written by Michael Palin,in which he introduced holograms into his illustrations, was a joint-winner of the 1986 Smarties Innovation Prize.His more recent work has included Peter Dickinson's 'Merlin Dreams', 1988,and the 1991 Centenary Edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy 'The Lord of the Rings'.As conceptual designer,he has worked on Terry Jones' film Erik the Viking and Ridley Scott's Legend.In 1993 he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal for his illustrations to 'Black Ships Before Troy'. Rosemary Sutcliff,born Surrey,1920.Widely regarded as the finest post-War English children's writer,with over 50 novels to her name.Her novel 'The Lantern Bearers' won the Carnegie Medal in 1959,while 'The Eagle of the Ninth' (1954),'Warrior Scarlet' (1958) - are of particular note - along with 'The Shield Ring' (1956),'The Silver Branch' (1957) and 'Tristan and Iseult' (1971) have all received Carnegie Medal Commendations.In 1978,'Song for a Dark Queen' won for her the Children's Rights Workshop "Other" Award.She received the U.S. Libraries Phoenix Award in 1985 and was honoured with the O.B.E in 1975,followed by the C.B.E. in 1992,for services to children's literature.Her death in 1992 was a sad loss for readers throughout the world. 'Black Ships Before Troy',was her first book for the Frances Lincoln publishers,in 1993,this is the her second - the sequel. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence, then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.