ZAFON, Carlos Ruiz [The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Series]: The Shadow of the Wind; The Angel’s Game; The Prisoner of Heaven; The Labyrinth of the Spirits

“I WAS RAISED AMONGST BOOKS, MAKING INVISIBLE FRIENDS IN PAGES THAT SEEMED CAST FROM DUST AND WHOSE SMELL I CARRY ON MY HANDS TO THIS DAY…”

8vos., 4 vols; red, navy, brown and black boards, respectively, each lettered and sometimes decorated in gilt and metallic red to spines with publisher’s devices; two volumes with coloured endpapers, two with photographic endpapers; a very smart set, near-fine copies all, with occasional scratches to boards and mild even toning to the text blocks; Vol III with a little light marginal spotting; the wrappers also near-fine, Vol I with price sticker to front panel, Vol II with evidence of price sticker having been removed from the front panel, and Vol III with promotional sticker; some of the wrappers with ever-so-slight wear to the edges, a little more so to the last and largest volume, still a very up-together set. 

First UK editions all of Zafon’s acclaimed Cemetery series, complete with full number lines where called for. 

Zafon’s first novel, The Prince of Mist was published in 1993, and appeared in English in 2010. A series of novels for young adults followed, before, in 2001, La sombra del viento [The Shadow of the Wind] was first released to the world. Zafon was strongly influenced by 19th century classics, crime fiction, and noir authors, and his novels echo this fact. Born in Barcelona, many of his works are set on the dark and gothic backdrops of the city, with the twisted streets and characters in his stories become synonymous with each other - interlocking storylines, mysterious fires, figures watching in the shadows, doomed and fated love, hidden libraries and much more besides. El juego del ángel, [The Angel's Game]; El prisionero del cielo, 2011 [The Prisoner of Heaven]; and El laberinto de los espíritus, [The Labyrinth of Spirits] followed Shadow in quick succession, with the stories in each of the books designed to be read in any order, with overlapping characters and story arcs across generations bringing depth and further intrigue as each was published. 

For a translator, Zafon chose Lucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves, who lends a sympathetic and highly poetic perspective to the author’s already highly evocative language. 

When Zafon died in 2018, the world lost a singularly great writer, one who has been compared to Cervantes, Dumas and Wilkie Collins in terms of influence and scope. His writing today maintains a loyal following. “If you thought the true gothic novel died with the 19th century, this will change your mind,” Stephen King wrote in one review. “Shadow is the real deal, a novel full of cheesy splendour and creaking trapdoors, a novel where even the subplots have subplots.” 

A wonderful set for the Zafon lover. Shadow of the Wind is considerably scarcer than its American counterpart. 

SKU: 1800248