The Alchemist

San Francisco: Harper Collins, (1993). First edition, 1st printing. 8vo. 177 pp. Original quarter navy cloth over dark blue paper-covered boards, stamped in gold, in original unclipped ($16.00) dust-jacket. Light edge wear, particular to spine crown and corners. Handling and shelf wear present. Protected in archival mylar. Book is tight, square and firm. Handling wear present. Corners mostly quite sharp, with bumps to top rear corner. Light curling to spine ends with light bumps to panel edges. Gift inscription to pre-title verso, else clean and unmarked.

Dust Jacket: Near Fine

Hardcover: Near Fine

“The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho which was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there. Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks in 1987. He explained that he was able to write at this pace because the story was "already written in [his] soul."