The books in this section are usually hardcover and in decent shape, though we'll sometimes offer hard-to-find books in lesser condition at a reduced price. Though we often put images of the book with their original dust jackets, the copies here won't always (or even often) have them. If that is important to you, please call ahead or say so in the order comments!
When Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End appeared in 1953 it was acclaimed by many critics as a provocative and dramatic novel of ideas as well as a major work of contemporary science fiction. The City and the Stars, Mr. Clarke's longest and most significant novel to date, will further enhance his reputation.
The story transports us to Diaspar, an astonishing city of the future. The inhabitants, who assume that theirs is the only remaining life on earth, have long existed in self-imposed imprisonment within Diaspar. But a young man who retains the adventurous instincts of his ancestors rebels—ventures beyond the city walls, and ultimately makes a hazardous (and surprising) voyage into remote reaches of the universe.
The City and the Stars, based to some extent on the author's brief first novel, Against the Fall of Night, is an exciting and substantial work, written with humor and a lucid literateness that give it as strong an appeal for the general novel reader as for devotees of science fiction. Rooted in sound scientific research, this book is a fascinating example of Arthur C. Clarke at his best as a novelist.
—from the dust jacket
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