The Rule of Four - Softcover

9780440241355: The Rule of Four
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
An ivy league murder, a mysterious coded manuscript, and the secrets of a Renaissance prince collide memorably in The Rule of Four—a brilliant work of fiction that weaves together suspense and scholarship, high art and unimaginable treachery.

It's Easter at Princeton. Seniors are scrambling to finish their theses. And two students, Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris, are a hair's breadth from solving the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili—a renowned text attributed to an Italian nobleman, a work that has baffled scholars since its publication in 1499. For Tom, their research has been a link to his family's past—and an obstacle to the woman he loves. For Paul, it has become an obsession, the very reason for living. But as their deadline looms, research has stalled—until a long-lost diary surfaces with a vital clue. And when a fellow researcher is murdered just hours later, Tom and Paul realize that they are not the first to glimpse the Hypnerotomachia 's secrets.

Suddenly the stakes are raised, and as the two friends sift through the codes and riddles at the heart of the text, they are beginnning to see the manuscript in a new light—not simply as a story of faith, eroticism and pedantry, but as a bizarre, coded mathematical maze. And as they come closer and closer to deciphering the final puzzle of a book that has shattered careers, friendships and families, they know that their own lives are in mortal danger. Because at least one person has been killed for knowing too much. And they know even more.

From the streets of fifteenth-century Rome to the rarified realm of the Ivy League, from a shocking 500 year-old murder scene to the drama of a young man's coming of age, The Rule of Four takes us on an entertaining, illuminating tour of history—as it builds to a pinnacle of nearly unbearable suspense.
From the Hardcover edition.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:
"Caldwell and Thomason have created a stunning first novel; a perfect blend of suspense and a sensitive coming of age story. If Scott Fitzgerald, Umberto Eco, and Dan Brown teamed up to write a novel, the result would be THE RULE OF FOUR. An extraordinary and brilliant accomplishment - a must read."

--Nelson DeMille

"This debut packs all the esoteric information of The Da Vinci Code ... with lovely writing reminiscent of Donna Tartt's The Secret History.... A compulsively readable novel." --People, Critic's Choice/4 stars

"As much a blazingly good yarn as it is an exceptional piece of scholarship ... a smart, swift, multitextured tale that both entertains and informs."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Profoundly erudite ... the ultimate puzzle book."
--The New York Times Book Review

"[An] intriguing intellectual suspense novel."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"If you have a taste for puzzle-solving ... you'll be rewarded."
--San Jose Mercury News

"An impressive debut, a coming-of-age novel in the guise of a thriller, packed with history (real and invented) and intellectual excitement."
--Booklist

"Astonishingly good ... intricate, erudite, and intensely pleasurable." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Riveting, poignant, and intensely intimate, THE RULE OF FOUR is a thinking person's thriller of the highest order." --Bookpage

About the Author:
Ian Caldwell attended Princeton University, where he studied history. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1998.

Dustin Thomason attended Harvard University, where he studied anthropology and medicine. He won the Hoopes Prize for undergraduate writing, and graduated in 1998. Thomason also received his M.D. and MBA from Columbia University in 2003.
From the Hardcover edition.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherDell
  • Publication date2005
  • ISBN 10 0440241359
  • ISBN 13 9780440241355
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages464
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780385337120: The Rule of Four: A Novel

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780385337120
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback, 2012
Softcover

  • 9780385337113: The Rule of Four

    The Di..., 2004
    Hardcover

  • 9780099557487: RULE OF FOUR, THE

    Corner..., 2013
    Softcover

  • 9780099451952: The Rule of Four

    Arrow ..., 1994
    Softcover

  • 9781844130054: The Rule of Four

    Century, 2004
    Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian; Thomason, Dustin
Published by Dell (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0440241359

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 4.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian; Thomason, Dustin
Published by Dell (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New Mass Market Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Your Online Bookstore
(Houston, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Mass Market Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 0440241359-11-13050599

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 9.15
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian; Thomason, Dustin
Published by Dell (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Unplugged
(Amherst, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0440241359xvz189zvxnew

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 11.45
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian
Published by Dell (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New mass_market Quantity: 1
Seller:
THEVILLAGEBOOKSTORE
(Fall River, MA, U.S.A.)

Book Description mass_market. Condition: New. MM. Seller Inventory # 53MS90000099

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 7.49
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian; Thomason, Dustin
Published by Dell (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book Deals
(Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0440241359-new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.96
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian & Thomason, Dustin
Published by A Dell Book (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
POQUETTE'S BOOKS
(DEWITT, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # mon0000155409

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 11.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian
Published by Dell (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0440241359

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 13.62
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Caldwell, Ian; Thomason, Dustin
Published by Dell (2005)
ISBN 10: 0440241359 ISBN 13: 9780440241355
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
BennettBooksLtd
(LOS ANGELES, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.25. Seller Inventory # Q-0440241359

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 57.17
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.13
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds