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The Secret History
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The Secret History Paperback - 2004

by Donna Tartt

About this book

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a novel that follows the lives of a group of classics students at a small, elite college in New England. The students, led by their charismatic and eccentric professor, become obsessed with ancient Greek culture and rituals, which leads them to commit a terrible crime. The novel explores themes of guilt, obsession, and the corrupting influence of power. Tartt's masterful prose and richly drawn characters make The Secret History a compelling and thought-provoking read. It has become a beloved classic of contemporary literature since its publication in 1992.

Summary

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.

From the publisher

Donna Tartt won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for her most recent Novel. The Goldfinch Her novelsl The Secret History and The Little Friend were also international bestsellers. She was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College.

From the jacket flap

Truly deserving of the accolade a modern classic, Donna Tartt's novel is a remarkable achievement--both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.

First Edition Identification

The Secret History novel was first published in 1992 by Alfred A. Knopf. The original retail price was $23.00. “First edition” is stated on the copyright page. Pictorial boards, spine lettered in black on a white ground, acetate dust jacket with a price of $23.00, and three reviews by John Grisham, Jay McInerney, and Ruth Rendell.

There are two possible variations of the first edition, one with a yellow tone, and another with a gray tone.


Details

  • Title The Secret History
  • Author Donna Tartt
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: repri
  • Pages 576
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Vintage, New York, NY
  • Date 2004-04-13
  • ISBN 9781400031702 / 1400031702
  • Weight 0.85 lbs (0.39 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.9 x 5.1 x 1 in (20.07 x 12.95 x 2.54 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: New England
    • Topical: Coming of Age
  • Library of Congress subjects Psychological fiction, Vermont
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2004271588
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

The Secret History succeeds magnificently. . . . A remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously well-paced entertainment. . . . Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled.” --The New York Times

“An accomplished psychological thriller. . . . Absolutely chilling. . . . Tartt has a stunning command of the lyrical.” --The Village Voice

“Beautifully written, suspenseful from start to finish.” --Vogue

“A haunting, compelling, and brilliant piece of fiction. . . . Packed with literary allusion and told with a sophistication and texture that owes much more to the nineteenth century than to the twentieth.” --The Times (London)

“Her writing bewitches us. . . . The Secret History is a wonderfully beguiling book, a journey backward to the fierce and heady friendships of our school days, when all of us believed in our power to conjure up divinity and to be forgiven any sin.” --The Philadephia Inquirer

“Enthralling. . . . A remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously wll-paced entertainment. . . . Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled.” --The New York Times Book Review

“A huge, mesmerizing, galloping read, pleasurably devoured. . . . .Gorgeously written, relentlessly erudite.” –Vanity Fair


Citations

  • Entertainment Weekly, 12/05/2014, Page 73

About the author

DONNA TARTT is the author of the novels The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch. Her work has been published in forty languages and her third novel, The Goldfinch, was awarded the Carnegie Medal and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

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The Secret History
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Secret History

by Tartt, Donna

  • Used
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Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781400031702 / 1400031702
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Alfred A Knopf, 1992. Soft Cover. Very Good. Light edgewear, else tight and clean.
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The Secret History
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The Secret History

by Donna Tartt

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781400031702 / 1400031702
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The Secret History
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Secret History

by Donna Tartt

  • Used
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Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781400031702 / 1400031702
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APPLETON, Wisconsin, United States
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Random House Inc, April 2004. Trade Paperback. Used - Very Good. Shipping fee applies to first book, there is no additional shipping fee for addition books from our store. All of our books are in clean, readable condition (unless noted otherwise). Our books generally have a store sticker on the inside cover with our in store pricing. Being used books, some of them may have writing inside the cover. If you need more details about a certain book, you can always give us a call at 920-734-8908.
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SGD 10.82
SGD 6.76 shipping to USA
The Secret History
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Secret History

by Donna Tartt

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781400031702 / 1400031702
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The Secret History
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The Secret History

by Tartt, Donna

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Secret History A Read with Jenna Pick
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The Secret History A Read with Jenna Pick

by Tartt, Donna

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Alfred A Knopf. Very Good. 1992. Paperback. 1400031702 . Rubbing to edges of spine, bumping to four corners of spi me, edgea nd tip wear, creasing to wrapper near spine, ca. 10 cm diagonal crease to front wrapper, tanning to edges of pages, minor stain to bottom of text block. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY - customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery. ; 5.2 X 1.05 X 7.86 inches; 576 pages .
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The Secret History
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The Secret History: a Read with Jenna Pick
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The Secret History: a Read with Jenna Pick

by Tartt, Donna

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The Secret History: a Read with Jenna Pick
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The Secret History: a Read with Jenna Pick

by Tartt, Donna

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781400031702 / 1400031702
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The Secret History
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The Secret History

by Tartt, Donna

  • Used
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Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781400031702 / 1400031702
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