The Adventures of Tintin•The Secret of the Unicorn•Hergé • First Uk Edition 1959

Description: The Adventures Of TintinThe Secret Of The UnicornbyHergéFirst English Edition 1959 ___________________________________________________________ SYNOPSISWhile browsing on the Brussels Voddenmarkt/Marché aux puces at the Vossenplein in the Marollen, Tintin purchases an antique model ship which he intends to give to his friend, Captain Haddock. Two strangers, model ship collector Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine and antique-scout Barnaby, independently try and fail to persuade Tintin to sell the model to them. Tintin also meets detectives Thomson and Thompson on a secret mission looking out for a pickpocket; however, both their wallets are repeatedly stolen throughout the story. At Tintin's flat, Snowy accidentally knocks the model over and breaks its mainmast. Having shown the ship to Haddock, Tintin discovers that the ship is named the Unicorn, after a ship commanded by Haddock's own ancestor. While Tintin is out, the ship is stolen from his apartment. In the following investigation, he discovers that Sakharine owns an identical model, also named the Unicorn. At home, Tintin discovers a miniature scroll, and realises that it must have been hidden inside the mast of the model. Written on the parchment is a riddle: "Three brothers joined. Three Unicorns in company sailing in the noonday sunne will speak. For 'tis from the light that light will dawn, and then shines forth the Eagle's cross".Captain Haddock vividly recounts the tale of the Unicorn, a 17th-century warship captained by his ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock, but seized by a pirate band led by Red Rackham. In a retold flashback, it is shown how Francis' ship is attacked by Red Rackham and his crew. At first the pirates raise the black Jolly Roger, indicating that quarter (safe conduct) is offered in exchange for peaceful surrender, but when Francis refuses to strike his flag and bombards the pirates with cannon fire, the pirates instead "hoists fresh colors" and raise the "red pennant" (a bloody flag, French: pavillon sans quartier), signaling no quarter (no mercy, no prisoners), after which they board Francis' ship and massacre his crew. The only one of his crew to survive the boarding, Sir Francis killed Red Rackham in single combat and scuttled the Unicorn; he later built three models, which he left to his sons. Tintin deduces that each of the models contains a scroll, which united lead to the location of Red Rackham's treasure. Tintin and Haddock try to get the three scrolls but they are out of luck: Tintin's wallet (with the first scroll) is stolen, while Sakharine is found drugged, and the scroll inside his own Unicorn missing. Meanwhile, Barnaby requests a meeting with Tintin, but is gunned down on Tintin's doorstep before he can speak, and points to sparrows as a cryptic clue to the identity of his assailant before falling unconscious. A few days later, Tintin is kidnapped by the perpetrators of the shooting: the Bird brothers, two unscrupulous antique dealers who own the third model of the Unicorn. They are behind the theft of Tintin's model and have also stolen Sakharine's parchment, knowing that only by possessing all three parchments can the location of Red Rackham's treasure be found. Tintin escapes from the cellars of the Bird brothers' country estate, Marlinspike Hall, while the Captain arrives with Thomson and Thompson to arrest them. It is revealed that the Bird Brothers have only one of the parchments, as two were lost when their wallet was stolen. It is also revealed that Barnaby survived and has made a full recovery, much to Max Bird's enragement. The Bird brothers are arrested. Tintin and Thomson and Thompson track down the pickpocket, Aristides Silk, a kleptomaniac who has a penchant for collecting wallets, and obtain the Bird Brothers' wallet, containing the missing two parchments. By combining the three parchments and holding them to light, Tintin and Haddock discover the coordinates (20°37'42.0" N 70°52'15.0" W, 82 km north of the Dominican Republic) of the lost treasure and plan an expedition to find it ABOUT THIS BOOK Hardback in very good condition - the book block is stitched, tight, square and well bound with no noticeable printing / publishing imperfections. Please check pictures and don't hesitate to ask if you have any queries! S38

Price: 210 AUD

Location: Weston, ACT

End Time: 2024-09-15T04:05:33.000Z

Shipping Cost: 27.92 AUD