Zafon, Carlos Ruiz (2005) ‘The Shadow of the Wind’, signed UK illustrated limited edition

Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2005) ‘The Shadow of the Wind’, UK illustrated limited edition (no. 243 of 1,000 copies), signed on the limitation page by Zafon, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. A gorgeous production which gives the appearance of an old ‘forgotten’ book. Th illustration show old photographs of Barcelona which enhance the reading experience without imposing a particular vision of the story on the reader. The endpapers show a map of Barcelona.

Condition: like new

‘Zafon’s ‘Shadow of the Wind’ was originally published in Spanish as ‘La Sombra del Viento’ (2001). The novel has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold over 15 million copies world wide. It also received numerous international awards such as the Barry Award as best debut novel. The page turner is set right after the Spanish Civil War and, besides entertaining, touches on important Spanish issues (silence of what happened during the Civil War and Franco regime). The novel also introduces the memorable ‘cemetery of forgotten book’. Zafon certainly possesses the gift of crafting captivating first sentences which stay with the reader forever and urge you to read the book from cover to cover.

‘Shadow of the Wind’ was followed by ‘The Angel’s Game’, and ‘The Prisoner of Heaven’. The fourth book, ‘The Labyrinth of Spirits’ concludes the story arc and is scheduled for 2017 in the English translation.