THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII-Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton 1936

Description: Another one of the great classics!! This is THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton. This 399 page hardback seems to be a 1936 edition and is NOT a modern reprint. A romantic historical novel inspired by a famous natural disaster in ancient times and archaeological evidence discovered in Pompeii, this novel was among the most popular works of literature in the nineteenth century though it’s now all but forgotten. ‘The Last Days of Pompeii’ is a love story set in that Roman town just before the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried it and most of its citizens in ash. It draws a vivid portrait of the lifestyle of the Imperial Romans, their daily baths, symposia, and gladiatorial entertainments, their religious practices and their homes while presenting a busy plot full of decadent, diabolical seducers, religious fanatics, and glutinous parasites. The novel is written in an archaic style which distances the drama while simultaneously giving it a kind of ancient dignity. It’s halfway between Shakespeare and Robert Graves and while it is off putting at first it grows on you and you come to feel that this mannered style is appropriate for a novel about ancient Romans at the peak of their decadence, just hours before their fall. The novel includes several set pieces which describe at length certain Roman customs and buildings. There are detailed architectural descriptions of several Roman houses with their household gods and peristyles, the Roman baths, temples, and the large stadium in which, in this novel, the Christians are thrown to the lions. Bulwer-Lytton proudly points out that the settings he used were in fact based on actual houses excavated in Pompeii which he visited, giving the events a tincture of authenticity despite the over-the-top nature of the story. The characters range from swooning lovers to mustache-twisting villains, giving the full range of the Victorian English imagination transplanted to the age of Imperial Rome. The main love story involves two Athenians living in Pompeii, Ione, an orphan, and Glaucus who falls in love with her at first sight. Their languid romance unfolds amid dinner parties and poetry readings, though they must face the impediment of Ione’s former guardian, Arbaces, a wealthy, conniving Egyptian skilled at manipulation with an arrogant belief in his own exemption from morality. Good old-fashioned reading in this book in acceptable condition. Clean unmarked lightly aged pages. Some light tanning on inside boards and adjacent blank pages. Rubbing and scarring on board edges and corners. Light wear on bottom of spine. Rubbing and small gouge on top of spine end. Open tear near bottom of spine where top layer worn through and goes into a little of spine edge on front board. Some small scarred spots as seen in picture with a couple on back board. Good tight binding. Great old classic you will enjoy AGAIN!! Shipping and handling 4.80 Media Mail to US destinations. Canadian residents 23.40 First Class mail. All others welcome but extra postage required and shipped entirely at your risk.

Price: 3.25 USD

Location: Milton, Florida

End Time: 2024-11-01T20:02:28.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.8 USD