The Anubis Gates

London; (1985): Chatto and Windus/The Hogarth Press. First Edition. Octavo. . First UK hardcover edition which was originally published in paperback in 1983. 387pp., (4)pp. publisher's ads. Powers is one of the most interesting modern fantasists, and is essentially a genre of one, secret histories. He looks at real events in history that happened without explanation or for mysterious reasons, and he fills in the gaps, often with supernatural antics, to explain what "really" happened. His books are often heavily researched to seamlessly meld real history with his fictional one and are very complex and cleverly written. He has won multiple awards over the (truncated) years. This was Power's breakthrough book and is considered by many fans to be his best. The plot involves time travel to Victorian London to attend a poetry reading of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Things quickly get out of hand, with magic, Egyptian sorcerers, Lord Byron, an evil clown and his band of beggars and many other characters, all colliding in this unique story. This UK edition, Power's first hard cover to be published had a small print run; allegedly about 800 copies. This is a fine copy bound in green cloth. spine lettering gilt, with only a hint of the usual toning to page edges, in a fine bright, unclipped pictorial dust jacket. An exceptional copy. (Inventory #: 023369)