Briar Rose
New York: Tor Books, 1992.
First Edition. Hardcover. Stated first edition, September 1992, with full number line indicating first printing. 8 1/2" X 5 3/4". Presents nicely in protective archival sleeved dust jacket. Gentle bumping to extremities of unclipped dust jacket designed by Thomas Canty. Bound in purple cloth over boards, with spine lettered in gilt. Mild edgwear to binding, with bumping to head and tail of spine. Foxing and dust soiling to edges of text block. Binding is firm, tight, and sound. Pages are clean and unmarked. A highly presentable first printing of Briar Rose, Jane Yolen's powerful retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty through the historical events of the Holocaust, winner of the 1993 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, part of the Fairy Tale Series created by award-winning editor Terri Windling.
ABOUT BRIAR ROSE:
Briar Rose is a historically sensitive retelling of Sleeping Beauty set amid forests patrolled by the German army during World War II. In the heat of midsummer 1942, deep in a forest in the heart of Poland, Briar Rose arrives at a castle that has fallen into the hands of an evil army. Corrupted by dark deeds and choked by a poisonous mist, the castle will soon come to be known as Chelmno extermination camp. And in that place of death, Briar Rose is plunged into a deep sleep....Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories of Briar Rose. Becca would have sworn the stories were made up, but on her deathbed Gemma extracts from Becca a promise to fulfill three impossible requests: find the castle, find the prince, and find the spell-maker. Her vow sends Becca on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. Yolen's graceful retelling of the German folktale of “Briar Rose”—known to some as “Sleeping Beauty”—sets the story amid forests patrolled by the German army during World War II. Yolen confronts the deeply tragic events of the Holocaust with lyrical prose and rich characterizations that tell a tale of good and evil, hope and despair. The Washington Post called Briar Rose “a terrifically moving story.”. Very good / very good. Item #7418
ISBN: 0312851359
Price: $40.00