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Nan A. Talese
January 2009
On Sale: January 6, 2009
304 pages
ISBN: 0385520077
EAN: 9780385520072
Hardcover
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Fiction
Barry Unsworth, a writer with an “almost magical capacity
for literary time travel” (New York Times Book Review) has
the extraordinary ability to re-create the past and make it
relevant to contemporary readers. In Land of Marvels, a
thriller set in 1914, he brings to life the schemes and
double-dealings of Western nations grappling for a foothold
in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the dying days of the Ottoman
Empire. Somerville, a British archaeologist, is excavating a long-
buried Assyrian palace. The site lies directly in the path
of a new railroad to Baghdad, and he watches nervously as
the construction progresses, threatening to destroy his
discovery. The expedition party includes Somerville’s
beautiful, bored wife, Edith; Patricia, a smart young
graduate student; and Jehar, an Arab man-of-all-duties
whose subservient manner belies his intelligence and
ambitions. Posing as an archaeologist, an American
geologist from an oil company arrives one day and
insinuates himself into the group. But he’s not the only
one working undercover to stake a claim on Iraq’s rich oil
fields.
Historical fiction at its finest, Land of Marvels opens a
window on the past and reveals its lasting impact.
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