Lampedusa`s masterpiece, one of the finest works of twentieth century fiction, is set amongst an aristocratic family, facing social & political changes in the wake of Garibaldi`s invasion of Sicily in 1860. At the head of the family is the prince, Don Fabrizio. Proud & stubborn, he is accustomed to knowing his own place in the world & expects his household to run accordingly. He is aware of the changes which are rapidly making men historically obsolete but he remains attached to the old ways. His favourite nephew, Tancredi, may be an ardent supporter of Garibaldi & may later marry outside his class, but Don Fabrizio will make few accommodations for the modern world. Containing, for the first time in any language, the full original text, Tomasi di Lampedusa`s classic tale lovingly memorialises the details of a vanishing world while retaining its melancholic & ironic sense of time passing & the frailty of human emotions.