About this book
The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho that tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago who dreams of a treasure hidden in the Egyptian pyramids. The book follows Santiago's journey as he sets out to pursue this treasure, encountering a series of obstacles and learning valuable lessons along the way. Santiago meets various characters who guide him on his journey, including an alchemist who teaches him the secrets of the universe.The novel explores themes of destiny, personal legend, and the power of following one's dreams.
First published in Portuguese by a small press in Brazil, the first print run of the Alchemist was 900 copies and did not sell out. After a year the publisher returned the rights to Coelho. Believing in his own destiny as a writer and the message of following your dreams portrayed in the book, Coehlo continued to search for publishing opportunities, and in 1993 HarperCollins published the first English translation of the book. It quickly became a best-seller, and since that publication The Alchemist has sold over 65 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 80 languages, making it one of the bestselling books in history.
From the rear cover
"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky." Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."
Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come.
The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.
The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.
First Edition Identification
The first edition of The Alchemist was published as O Alquimista in Portuguese in 1988 by Editora Rocco Ltd, a small Brazilian publishing house. The first English-language edition, The Alchemist: A Fable about Following Your Dream, was published by HarperCollins in 1993. It had an initial print run of 2,000 copies, which include a full number line to 1, and 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page.
Details
- Title The Alchemist - Gift Edition
- Author Paulo Coelho
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition SLP
- Pages 192
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher HarperOne, New York
- Date 2006-05-01
- Illustrated Yes
- ISBN 9780060887964 / 0060887966
- Weight 1.26 lbs (0.57 kg)
- Dimensions 8.9 x 6.06 x 0.94 in (22.61 x 15.39 x 2.39 cm)
- Reading level 910
- Library of Congress subjects Young men, Spain
- Dewey Decimal Code FIC
Media reviews
Citations
- Ebony, 06/01/2015, Page 28
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