About the Author

Umberto Eco is a professor of semiotics at the Universityof Bologna. His other books include Foucault's Pendulum, The Island of the Day Before, and three collections of popular essays, Travels in Hyperreality, Misreadings, and How to Travel with a Salmon and Other Essays. He lives in Milan.

Reviews

“A brilliantly conceived adventure into another time, an intelligent and complex novel, a lively and well-plotted mystery.”
—SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“The novel explodes with pyrotechnic inventions, literally as well as figuratively . . . The narrative impulse that commands the story is irresistible . . . Mr. Eco’s delight in his narrative does not fail to touch the reader.”
—NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“Like the labyrinthine library at its heart, this brilliant novel has many cunning passages and secret chambers . . . Fascinating . . . Ingenious . . . Dazzling.”
—NEWSWEEK

“Whether you’re into Sherlock Holmes, Montaillou, Borges, the nouvelle critique, the Rule of St. Benedict, metaphysics, library design, or The Thing from the Crypt, you’ll love it. Who can that miss out?”
—SUNDAY TIMES (LONDON)

“[The Name of the Rose] is an example of that rare publishing phenomenon, the literary mega best seller which transcends linguistic boundaries . . . [It has] a gripping mystery, vivid characterization, an atmospheric setting, fascinating period detail, sly humour, dramatic confrontations, stunning set pieces, and a supple, eloquent prose that can shift its register to encompass the experience of faith, doubt, horror, erotic ecstasy, and despair.”
—from the Introduction by David Lodge

"A brilliantly conceived adventure into another time, an intelligent and complex novel, a lively and well-plotted mystery."
-SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"The novel explodes with pyrotechnic inventions, literally as well as figuratively . . . The narrative impulse that commands the story is irresistible . . . Mr. Eco's delight in his narrative does not fail to touch the reader."
-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"Like the labyrinthine library at its heart, this brilliant novel has many cunning passages and secret chambers . . . Fascinating . . . Ingenious . . . Dazzling."
-NEWSWEEK

"Whether you're into Sherlock Holmes, Montaillou, Borges, the nouvelle critique, the Rule of St. Benedict, metaphysics, library design, or The Thing from the Crypt, you'll love it. Who can that miss out?"
-SUNDAY TIMES (LONDON)

"[The Name of the Rose] is an example of that rare publishing phenomenon, the literary mega best seller which transcends linguistic boundaries . . . [It has] a gripping mystery, vivid characterization, an atmospheric setting, fascinating period detail, sly humour, dramatic confrontations, stunning set pieces, and a supple, eloquent prose that can shift its register to encompass the experience of faith, doubt, horror, erotic ecstasy, and despair."
-from the Introduction by David Lodge