The exquisitely-researched standalone prequel series to Dorothy Dunnett's revered Lymond Chronicles, following the ancestors of Francis Crawford of Lymond in Continental Europe.

Scales of Gold is Book Four in The House of Niccolo series.

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'You know what is drawing him? He is going to the market no white men attend. He is going to sail up the River of Gold.'

In the Spring of 1464 Nicholas vander Poele returns to Venice in time to witness a plot to wipe out Casa de Niccolo - his own bank. Near-ruined, he secures a ship, a crew and sails for the one place he is confident none of his rivals would dare follow - Africa.

Yet Nicholas is disconcerted to find he is racing against another vessel as they head for the fabled lands of Prester John and his fountains of gold, where strangers and plunderers alike are treated with suspicion.

But nothing will turn Nicholas away from the glittering prize he seeks - Timbuktu, the legendary city by the desert edge . . .

'A glorious panorama of medieval times. The historical research is impeccable' Sunday Express

About the Author
Frequently described as the finest historical fiction writer of her time, Dorothy Dunnett earned worldwide acclaim for her blend of scholarship and imagination. She is best known for her two superb series of historical fiction - The Lymond Chronicles and The House of Niccolo - set in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and ranging across Europe and the Mediterranean, and for King Hereafter, the eleventh-century story of Earl Thorfinn of Orkney whom Dorothy believed was also King Macbeth. In 1992, Dorothy Dunnett was awarded the OBE for her services to literature, and in 2014 Dunnett's most enduring hero, Francis Crawford of Lymond, was voted Scotland's favourite literary character - beating the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and Ivanhoe. Dunnett died 9 November 2001, having sold half a million copies internationally.

Reviews
Praise for Dorothy Dunnett -- - * - *

A storyteller who could teach Scheherazade a thing or two about pace, suspense and imaginative invention

-- - * New York Times *

Marvellous, breathtaking

-- - * The Times *
A masterpiece of historical fiction -- - * Washington Post *
One of the greatest tale-spinners since Dumas -- - * Cleveland Plain Dealer *

Lashings of excitement, colour and subtlety

-- - * The Times *
Vivid, engaging, densely plotted - are almost certainly destined to be counted among the classics of popular fiction -- - * New York Times *
'A glorious panorama of medieval times . . . The historical research is impeccable' -- - * Sunday Express *



Book Information
ISBN 9780140112665
Author Dorothy Dunnett
Format Paperback
Page Count 736
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 500g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 35mm