Title: The Name of the Rose Author: Umberto Eco Format: Paperback
Publisher: Harvest Books ISBN-10: 0156001314
Edition Description: Reprint ISBN-13: 9780156001311
Subject: Mystery, Thriller Publication Year: 1994

Language: English Condition: Very Good
Synopsis A young Benedictine novice known as Adso narrates the events of this 14th-century tale of
murder and deception, lust and greed, political intrigue and religious fervor, which
unfolds over seven days and nights at a wealthy Italian abbey renowned for its library.
Adso has come to the abbey with William of Baskerville, a Franciscan friar whose services
have been requested by the abbot. Abbo fears that suspicion will befall his abbey due to
rumors of heretical monks already in circulation and the recent mysterious death of a young
monk known for imaginative (and sometimes controversial) illuminations with which he decorates
the pages of library manuscripts. William, very much like a medieval Sherlock Holmes, uses
Aristotelian logic and the scientific philosophies of Francis Bacon as interpreted through the
religious interpretations of Thomas Aquinas to unravel the mystery, while fighting superstitious
religiosity and the cruel irrationality of the Inquisition (which eventually finds its way to the
abbey). But before William can begin to solve the first mystery another monk turns up dead in a
vat of pigs' blood, and both deaths lead back to the library, which is shrouded in mystery and
off limits to all but the initiated librarian. Integrating his work as a semiotician, philosopher,
and literary theorist, Umberto Eco molds his intelligent story-within-a-story into a case study
for his Reader Response Theory. Readers turned off by overtly academic themes, however, will not
be distracted by such details and will appreciate the vivid medieval ambiance and the gruesome
murder mystery that unfolds. A book rich in detail and humor, THE NAME OF THE ROSE can be enjoyed
on many different levels and strikes a compelling and all-too-rare balance between edification
and entertainment. Price: 6.50 Free Shipping On This Item