Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
29 used & new from £0.63
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Burr (Narratives of a Golden Age)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Burr (Narratives of a Golden Age) (Paperback)

by Gore Vidal (Author) "Shortly before midnight July 1, 1833, Colonel Aaron Burr, aged seventy-seven, married Eliza Jumel, born Bowen fifty-eight years ago (more likely sixty-five but remember: she..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
Price: £10.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £4.50 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
18 new from £7.46 11 used from £0.63
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (Signed) Order it used
Paperback (New Ed) 30 used & new from £0.01
Mass Market Paperback 9 used & new from £5.07
School & Library Binding Order it used
Audio Cassette Order it used
Unknown Binding (Limited ed) Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

Burr (Narratives of a Golden Age) + Lincoln (Narratives of a Golden Age) + 1876 (Narratives of a Golden Age)
Price For All Three: £31.27

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Lincoln (Narratives of a Golden Age)

Lincoln (Narratives of a Golden Age)

by Gore Vidal
4.8 out of 5 stars (8)  £9.09
1876 (Narratives of a Golden Age)

1876 (Narratives of a Golden Age)

by Gore Vidal
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £11.69
Empire (Narratives of empire)

Empire (Narratives of empire)

by Gore Vidal
£9.09
Hollywood (Narratives of a golden age)

Hollywood (Narratives of a golden age)

by Gore Vidal
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £9.09
Washington D.C. (Narratives of a Golden Age)

Washington D.C. (Narratives of a Golden Age)

by Gore Vidal
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.69
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (2 April 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349105316
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349105314
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 161,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #13 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > V > Vidal, Gore

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
'Fascinating reading ... the story is as many-sided as the American continent itself' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Intensely readable; artfully constructed; often touching; sometimes very funny ... written with great skill, wit and elegance' OBSERVER 'Magnificent' Gabriel Garcia Marquez

OBSERVER
...sometimes very funny ... written with great skill, wit and elegance'

See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Shortly before midnight July 1, 1833, Colonel Aaron Burr, aged seventy-seven, married Eliza Jumel, born Bowen fifty-eight years ago (more likely sixty-five but remember: she is prone to litigation!). Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Burr (Narratives of a Golden Age)
80% buy the item featured on this page:
Burr (Narratives of a Golden Age) 4.2 out of 5 stars (4)
£10.49
Washington D.C. (Narratives of a Golden Age)
5% buy
Washington D.C. (Narratives of a Golden Age) 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£7.69
Empire (Narratives of empire)
5% buy
Empire (Narratives of empire)
£9.09
The Golden Age (Narratives of Empire)
5% buy
The Golden Age (Narratives of Empire) 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
£9.09
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars an awesome and illuminating novel, 28 Dec 2000
By A Customer
The only Vidal novel I had read previously to this had been Myra Breckinridge which i had not been particularly impressed with. I had heard that his historical novels were a different kettle of fish, but being a history buff I tend to avoid 'historical novels'. This one certainly might bring about a change in my reading habits. Its an absolutely brilliant book and I certainly cannot recommend it enough. Based around the interactions between an aspiring journalist in the New York of the 1830s and the aging and notorious Colonel Aaron Burr - war hero, ex-vice president, murderer of Alexander Hamilton and accused as the villian of an infamous plot to break up the united states and set himself up as king of Mexico, the novel serves to not only provide an 'alternative' look at the American War of Independence, the framing of the Constitution and the characters of several of the founding fathers, but also to illuminate the political culture of the subsequent years. It is wonderfully written, intelligent, questioning, witty, often laugh-out-loud-funny and ultimately enormously touching and sad. Mr. Vidal sticks to the facts for most of the way through - it is in the interpretation that he runs counter to the current of received history. After reading this one just cannot think of Jefferson et al with the same unquestioning hero-worship one is indoctrinated with in the classroom. Though this book was written a couple of decades ago, I have only reccently read it. It set me on a path to reading a number of Mr Vidals other historical novels. Certainly it is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Starting Place for a Burr Exploration, 1 Dec 2002
By Bruce Kendall "BEK" (Southern Pines, NC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I ignored Gore Vidal for most of my life. He was always way too media for my tastes. Especially after that encounter with Mailer on the Cavett show those many years ago. I had a friend who was in the movie version of Myra Breckenridge, so I saw that film in a Manhatten cinema and wished I hadn't. It just confirmed my prejudices towards Vidal. What I discovered after reading this book was that I'd been doing myself a disservice.

Gore Vidal is the wittiest, and thankfully, one of the least lugubriously erudite, historian we have. Burr and Schuyler come across as three-dimensional characters, much more so than Washington or Jefferson ever have.

Yes, this is biased, not to mention jaundiced, history. We must remind ourselves that it is an historical novel, not purporting to keep strictly to the facts. Washington comes across as a militarily incompetent, but poticially shrewd egomaniac. Jefferson is not treated too reverentially either.

Burr, whom we know from American History classes only because he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, comes across as a witty and urbane statesman who perhaps didn't display the greatest amount of common sense in that murky New Orleans business.

This novel opened my eyes about Vidal and I promptly went on a Vidal tear, reading five of his other books. I'd stick to the American History novels (particularly Lincoln), however. I found Creation to be a lot more contrived than his other works (and I love Byzantine/medieval history). If you want a good picture of Byzantium, stick to Procopius.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Biography but only if you know your US history, 10 May 2004
By Matthew Thorpe "matthewthorpe" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
A bit of a weighty read that I cannot help but think could have been a lot better written. Vidal chooses to write this biography through the eyes of a journalist of the time (1804) who in turn is writing a biography of Burr with the direction from his editor to get “some dirt” to discredit an opponent in a political campaign. The book is written in first person narrative of the journalist describing his relationship with Burr and further first person narrative of Burrs description of his life to the journalist. This makes it a fairly one-dimensional read over what is potentially a very big story. I also feel that Vidal expects us to know who the other characters are in the book from our knowledge of American history; well I didn’t and Vidal didn’t give a great deal away with elaboration or portrayal of these protagonists.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick review for slow brilliant book
Burr is enormous, in every sense of the word, in length, in content, in style, and the man himself. Gore Vidal is a brilliant writer, a pleasure to read, but you do have to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by V. Fowler

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

More From Gore Vidal

Creation

Creation by Gore Vidal

Vidal's historical novel set in the 5th century BC and narrated by... Read more
£14.99 £10.49

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (75)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (81)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates