Black Rose [Hardcover]

Costain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1976

Walter of Gurnie, bastard son of an English peer, is forced to flee from Oxford for his part in the university riots of 1273. Inspired by Friar Bacon, he determines to travel to China.

With his friend Tristam, he fights his way to the heart of the fabulous Mongol Empire, and returns famous, to find that he must choose between the first love he thought lost and the exotic flower that he found in the East.

"Solid in its facts, colorful and romantic...a rich and remarkable historical tapestry." (Christian Science Monitor)

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

13 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 436 pages
• Publisher: Amereon Limited (December 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084880466X
• ISBN-13: 978-0848804664
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,277,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite historical novel, bar none., October 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Black Rose (Hardcover)

I first read The Black Rose in the late sixties while still in high school. I have read it at least 4 or 5 times since. I always disliked history in school but this book and others like it make history come alive. Admittedly, as Costain notes in his forward, he meant the book to be more about Edward I and Bayan of the Hundred Eyes, but became more caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. In spite of this, it is well researched and shows good attention to detail while keeping the reader truly engrossed in the story line. All the locales are marvelously described: Oxford, medieval castles and their mores, Antioch, Cathay, Bombay, Venice, and Marseilles. This is the story of how a young man born to a privileged family comes to believe in the rights of the common man and the journey that forces this change in his beliefs. It is also the story of a great love between the unlikliest of lovers; an illegitimate young man of noble English family and the sister of a powerful merchant of Antioch. It is a good read, as are all of Costain's books. Other books by Costain that are worth exploring are Below the Salt ( a sci-fi take on the Magna Carta era a la "Back to the Future), The Silver Chalice (about Joseph of Arimathea and the Apostles), and The Darkness and the Dawn (about Attila the Hun). All are very good reads, will get you interested in history, and ready to explore more detailed books on the subject.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Read!, March 1, 2005

By 

Alina SanJuan (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Black Rose (Hardcover)

Walter is the bastard son of an English peer. Because of his involvement in the Oxford University riots of 1273, he is forced to flee England along with his friend Tristram, leaving behind the love of his live.

This book, as all Costain's novels, is well researched and thoroughly entertaining.

The reader will follow Walter's adventures in exotic places such as Antioch, Cathay, Bombay, Venice, Marseilles.

During his travels he will fall in love with another woman, and upon his return to England, he must submit to the king's decision on which of the two women he must marry: his first love, Engaine, or the "Black Rose".

I highly recommend this book.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare and wonderful piece of historical fiction!, November 27, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Black Rose (Hardcover)

At age 12, this was the first book that I read by Thomas Costain. I have since read as many as I could find. The book is filled with the rich details of life in olde England and Cathy (China). The book develops the characters to the point that you laugh and cry with them. While enjoying a love story and an adventure, you gain insight into the technical advances of ancient China and the difficulties endured on the overland trade routes to the Orient. A remarkable gem in Costain's crown of literary works.