--- product_id: 19079130 title: "A Burnable Book: A Novel" price: "¥6463" currency: JPY in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/19079130-a-burnable-book-a-novel store_origin: JP region: Japan --- # A Burnable Book: A Novel **Price:** ¥6463 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Burnable Book: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** ¥6463 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/19079130-a-burnable-book-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description *WINNER OF THE JOHN HURT FISHER PRIZE *SHORT-LISTED FOR THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS'S YEAR'S BEST IN CRIME FICTION In Chaucer's London, betrayal, murder, royal intrigue, mystery, and dangerous politics swirl around the existence of a prophetic book that foretells the deaths of England's kings. Bruce Holsinger's A Burnable Book is an irresistible historical thriller reminiscent of the classics An Instance of the Fingerpost, The Name of the Rose, and The Crimson Petal and the White. London, 1385. Surrounded by ruthless courtiers--including his powerful uncle, John of Gaunt, and Gaunt's artful mistress, Katherine Swynford--England's young, still untested king, Richard II, is in mortal peril, and the danger is only beginning. Songs are heard across London--catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the end of England's kings--and among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination. Only a few powerful men know that the cryptic lines derive from a "burnable book," a seditious work that threatens the stability of the realm. To find the manuscript, wily bureaucrat Geoffrey Chaucer turns to fellow poet John Gower, a professional trader in information with connections high and low. Gower discovers that the book and incriminating evidence about its author have fallen into the unwitting hands of innocents, who will be drawn into a labyrinthine conspiracy that reaches from the king's court to London's slums and stews--and potentially implicates his own son. As the intrigue deepens, it becomes clear that Gower, a man with secrets of his own, may be the last hope to save a king from a terrible fate. Medieval scholar Bruce Holsinger draws on his vast knowledge of the period to add colorful, authentic detail--on everything from poetry and bookbinding to court intrigues and brothels--to this highly entertaining and brilliantly constructed epic literary mystery that brings medieval England gloriously to life. Review: Very Entertaining Historical - What do you get when you combine historical late 14th century London (and Italy), a bunch of historical characters (Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, King Richard II), and MANY others, including several ladies of the night (and day), with a treasonable book of prophecy filled with cryptic prophecies concerning the death of the past 12 Kings AND the current King. Well, you get a whole lot of plotting and treachery and detective work, AND A REALLY FINE READ. It is rather long. It is not light reading. But it is lots of fun and very interesting. I happen to really like historical novels. I happen to really like detailed books. I happen to really like stories of investigation. And I most especially like novels with a few totally unexpected twists (or swerves). (Who wants boring?) I was not surprised to discover some ladies of the night in this book. I was a bit surprised to find how significant a role they played. And I was totally surprised to find that one of them was actually a guy. If you too like complicated historical novels with some unexpected twists, you will love this book. Review: Not My Usual Genre, but I Enjoyed It - Although I'm not usually a reader of mysteries, historical or otherwise, I was intrigued by the appearance of poet John Gower as the main character and his friend, Geoffrey Chaucer, as a secondary character. Holsinger creates a detailed and fascinating portrait at medieval London (or, as he would have it, three cities: London, Westminster, and Southwark), from the court of Richard II to the stews of Gropecunt Lane. The first chapter is designed to draw the reader in, and that it did. A young woman, Agnes Fonteyn, is hiding in the bushes, watching a horrific scene. Another young woman, this one dressed in rich attire, has just shoved a book into Agnes's hands as her pursuer approaches. Viciously beating the stranger, he keeps asking a question that Agnes does not understand--"Doovray libroo?"--before brutally killing her with a hammer. And thus the mystery begins. Gower, a lawyer as well as a part-time poet, hears rumors of a mysterious book full of cryptic prophecies that describe the deaths of thirteen kings of England, the last being the current young king, Richard II. The book, and cloth that covers it, point towards the king's uncle, John of Gaunt, as the mastermind of the assassination plot. Gower's search for the book and his efforts to unravel its secrets take him from the Inns of Court to the remote libraries of Oxford, from the royal court to the brothels of Southwark. And he is not the only one interested in the book. His friend Chaucer has asked him to find it, and Agnes, her sister Millicent, and their friend, a transvestite prostitute named Edgar/Elinor, at first ponder its mysteries but then decide to seek a buyer. And there are many interested in this burnable book. Along the way, Holsinger provides plenty of subplots. There's Gower's relationship with his estranged son Simon; Elinor's attempts to save her butcher's apprentice brother Gerald from his brutal master; the power and pull of Kathryn Swynford, Gaunt's mistress; Simon's service to an English mercenary in Italy; and the sad story of the murdered young woman. So with all this going on, why did my interest start to wane about 2/3 through the book? I can only attribute it to my lack of interest in the mystery genre. Regular readers of historical mysteries will undoubtedly find it more appealing. The book is very well written and the world it creates fully fleshed out; the characters are each, in their own ways, fascinating and sympathetic; and the books structure, a series of short chapters moving amongst the various characters, works well. But I'm just not a fan of the genre and will likely pass on the sequel. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,107,616 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,699 in Historical Thrillers (Books) #17,213 in Literary Fiction (Books) #43,543 in Suspense Thrillers | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,024 Reviews | ## Images ![A Burnable Book: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1SB9ZZZ5qL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Entertaining Historical *by D***R on April 7, 2014* What do you get when you combine historical late 14th century London (and Italy), a bunch of historical characters (Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, King Richard II), and MANY others, including several ladies of the night (and day), with a treasonable book of prophecy filled with cryptic prophecies concerning the death of the past 12 Kings AND the current King. Well, you get a whole lot of plotting and treachery and detective work, AND A REALLY FINE READ. It is rather long. It is not light reading. But it is lots of fun and very interesting. I happen to really like historical novels. I happen to really like detailed books. I happen to really like stories of investigation. And I most especially like novels with a few totally unexpected twists (or swerves). (Who wants boring?) I was not surprised to discover some ladies of the night in this book. I was a bit surprised to find how significant a role they played. And I was totally surprised to find that one of them was actually a guy. If you too like complicated historical novels with some unexpected twists, you will love this book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not My Usual Genre, but I Enjoyed It *by C***A on June 4, 2017* Although I'm not usually a reader of mysteries, historical or otherwise, I was intrigued by the appearance of poet John Gower as the main character and his friend, Geoffrey Chaucer, as a secondary character. Holsinger creates a detailed and fascinating portrait at medieval London (or, as he would have it, three cities: London, Westminster, and Southwark), from the court of Richard II to the stews of Gropecunt Lane. The first chapter is designed to draw the reader in, and that it did. A young woman, Agnes Fonteyn, is hiding in the bushes, watching a horrific scene. Another young woman, this one dressed in rich attire, has just shoved a book into Agnes's hands as her pursuer approaches. Viciously beating the stranger, he keeps asking a question that Agnes does not understand--"Doovray libroo?"--before brutally killing her with a hammer. And thus the mystery begins. Gower, a lawyer as well as a part-time poet, hears rumors of a mysterious book full of cryptic prophecies that describe the deaths of thirteen kings of England, the last being the current young king, Richard II. The book, and cloth that covers it, point towards the king's uncle, John of Gaunt, as the mastermind of the assassination plot. Gower's search for the book and his efforts to unravel its secrets take him from the Inns of Court to the remote libraries of Oxford, from the royal court to the brothels of Southwark. And he is not the only one interested in the book. His friend Chaucer has asked him to find it, and Agnes, her sister Millicent, and their friend, a transvestite prostitute named Edgar/Elinor, at first ponder its mysteries but then decide to seek a buyer. And there are many interested in this burnable book. Along the way, Holsinger provides plenty of subplots. There's Gower's relationship with his estranged son Simon; Elinor's attempts to save her butcher's apprentice brother Gerald from his brutal master; the power and pull of Kathryn Swynford, Gaunt's mistress; Simon's service to an English mercenary in Italy; and the sad story of the murdered young woman. So with all this going on, why did my interest start to wane about 2/3 through the book? I can only attribute it to my lack of interest in the mystery genre. Regular readers of historical mysteries will undoubtedly find it more appealing. The book is very well written and the world it creates fully fleshed out; the characters are each, in their own ways, fascinating and sympathetic; and the books structure, a series of short chapters moving amongst the various characters, works well. But I'm just not a fan of the genre and will likely pass on the sequel. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Enjoyable read but too many loose ends *by J***E on September 7, 2014* This book was an entertaining read. There were some loose ends that did not ever really get tied up. In some cases it felt like in trying to get the history right the plot is sacrificed. The author is a scholar of medieval literature, and it shows in his attention to scholarly details but his character development feels a little too one dimensional by comparison. But overall I did enjoy reading this book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.jp/products/19079130-a-burnable-book-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/19079130-a-burnable-book-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Japan* *Store origin: JP* *Last updated: 2026-06-15*