The Name of the Rose

In 1327 the Franciscan William of Baskerville and his novice Adso of Melk arrive at a wealthy Benedictine abbey in northern Italy to help with a dispute between papal and Franciscan envoys. Monks begin to die in ways that seem to follow a pattern, and William's inquiry leads through rival orders, heresy trials, and a labyrinthine library whose books are guarded by the blind Jorge. The narrative is Adso's old-age record of seven days of argument, decoding, and pursuit. The book is a historical murder inquiry inside a monastery, not a treatise on signs.

Bound in red cloth, pattern blocked in gold and white. 8 illustrations in colour, and tailpieces by Neil Packer. Maroon on gold image printed endpapers. Black slipcase.