San Francisco: Harper Collins, (1993). First American edition, 1st printing. 8vo. 177 pp. Original quarter navy cloth over dark blue paper-covered boards, stamped in gold, in original unclipped ($16.00) dust-jacket. Faint edge wear, mild crease to inside left flap, else very fine. Book is tight, square and firm. Signed and dated “May 29, 1993” by the author in black pen on the half-title page. This is the earliest signed date we have seen on this title. Interior is clean and unmarked. A beautiful copy.

Dust Jacket: Fine

Hardcover: Fine

“The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho which was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there. Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks in 1987. He explained that he was able to write at this pace because the story was "already written in [his] soul."