THE MODERN CLASSIC: OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLD

A Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick

''The real deal: one gorgeous read'' Stephen King

''This book will change your life. An instant classic'' Daily Telegraph

''A book lover''s dream'' The Times

Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ''Cemetery of Lost Books'', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out ''The Shadow of the Wind'' by Julian Carax.

But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find.

Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax''s work in order to burn them.

What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind...

''Marvellous'' Sunday Times

''A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading'' Independent

''Gripping and instantly atmospheric'' Mail on Sunday

''Irresistibly readable'' Guardian

''Diabolically good'' Elle

THE MODERN CLASSIC: OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLD

A Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick

''The real deal: one gorgeous read'' Stephen King

''This book will change your life. An instant classic'' Daily Telegraph

''A book lover''s dream'' The Times

Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ''Cemetery of Lost Books'', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out ''The Shadow of the Wind'' by Julian Carax.

But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find.

Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax''s work in order to burn them.

What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind...

''Marvellous'' Sunday Times

''A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading'' Independent

''Gripping and instantly atmospheric'' Mail on Sunday

''Irresistibly readable'' Guardian

''Diabolically good'' Elle