First edition, ninth printing. 462pp. Red cloth-covered boards, gilt titles on spine. Lightly bumped spine ends. Page margins starting to tan. Signed by author on title page. Internally neat, clean and tight. Dust jacket, price unclipped. 8vo. Full of dangerous Humour, combining wit, adventure and harrowing historical detail in a mesmerizing display of storytelling. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize and winner of the Whitbread Novel Prize and the overall Whitbread Prize for book of the year.