THE POISONWOOD BIBLE

New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Hardcover. Very Good/Good Plus to Very Good. This is the fourth and probably the best-known of Kingsolver's novels. It is the story of a Southern Baptist missionary family, the Prices, who move from Georgia to the Belgian Congo in 1959 during the Congo's struggle for independence from Belgium. The story is told in turns by the mother, Orleanna, and her four daughters, Rachel, twins Leah and Adah, and Ruth May, as the family is nearly destroyed, then re-built over the next three decades. First Edition, first printing (as stated, with complete numberline). About 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches, 546 pages bound in black paper-covered boards with brown endpapers. Gold lettering on spine with author's initials in gold in lower corner of front cover. Dustjacket's front panel and spine design set author and title against the blank end pages of an aging, opened book. Back panel shows a full-page b&w photo of Kingsolver. Boards show only light bumping at spine ends, no other noticeable damage. Front end page shows evidence of a light stain that is limited to that page. O/w only light soiling to text edges. No creasing, tearing, or highlighting. Text is complete, clean and unmarked. Dustjacket shows moderate wear at edges, corners and spine ends with a bit of chipping at top of spine. No tears or creasing. Not price-clipped. It is interesting to note that this award-winning writer has herself created and funded the Bellwether Prize For Fiction to support writers whose unpublished works support positive social change.