In these two "astonishing" novellas (The New Yorker), the Booker Prize-winning author of Possession returns to the landscape of Victorian England, where science and spiritualism are popular manias, and domestic decorum coexists with brutality and perversion. Beautifully written, the first story Morpho Eugenia concerns an explorer who realises that the behaviour of the people around him is alarmingly similar to that of the insects he studies. In The Conjugal Angel, curious individuals - some fictional, others drawn from history - gather to connect with the spirit world. Throughout both, Byatt examines the eccentricities of the Victorian era, weaving fact and fiction, reality and romance, science and faith into a sumptuous, magical tapestry. Includes a special message from Byatt not available in the trade edition, the novella was the basis for a movie with Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas and Patsy Kensit. Franklin Center, Pennsylvania Franklin Library 1993. Book accented in 22kt gold. Printed on archival paper with gilded edges. The endsheets are of moire fabric with a silk ribbon page marker. Smyth sewing and concealed muslin joints to ensure the highest quality binding. This book is in full leather with hubbed spines. Signed by author A. S. Byatt. Sealed in publisher's shrink wrap, never opened. Current rare book retail price:
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