5 h 56 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 56 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the remnants of a lost world hold the power to shape what people believe?
In The Jewels of Aptor, travelers cross water toward a strange land in search of precious stones. Around them lies a world broken by catastrophe, where the remains of old technology survive as rumor and something close to magic. The jewels are bound up with power and belief, giving the journey stakes beyond the search itself.
Samuel R. Delany brings science fiction and fantasy together in an adventure driven by ancient secrets and the hunger for knowledge. Beneath the quest lies a struggle over how people use belief to gain power. His first novel pairs the energy of adventure fiction with prose that reaches for vivid imagery and rhythm.
What you’ll discover
- A world after catastrophe Explore a broken landscape where people live among the remnants of a lost age.
- The journey toward Aptor Follow travelers across water in pursuit of jewels tied to power and belief.
- Technology close to magic Encounter old powers that survive through rumor, blurring the boundary between knowledge and mystery.
- Belief as a weapon Consider how faith becomes a means of power rather than a quiet private matter.
- An ambitious early voice Discover Delany’s youthful energy in prose alive to imagery, rhythm, and the possibilities of adventure.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love sea voyages, lost civilizations and strange creatures, and anyone who enjoys poems, riddles and old rituals woven into an adventure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A poet and a giant meet a priestess
- A silent boy speaks inside their minds
- Urson tells how he earned three gold coins
- A shared dream, a dead man, and the sea
- The beach of Aptor and the first night
- A ruined temple and a dead city
- A white monastery that heals and hides
- Trust is hard when every friend may be a spy
- Power over minds corrupts those who hold it
- Dreams, poems, and riddles carry the story
Who’s who
- GeoA young poet and student of old rituals who joins the voyage for work and learns more than he wants about power.
- UrsonA giant sailor with a hot temper and a haunted past, fiercely loyal to Geo and carrying three gold coins.
- SnakeA silent four-armed boy and a skilled thief who speaks into minds and wants to be understood.
- ArgoA veiled high priestess and the living goddess of Leptar, she sails to Aptor to find her kidnapped sister.
- JorddeThe tall first mate who holds a grudge against Urson and seems to want Snake and certain sailors silenced.
- IimmiA sailor and fellow student of rituals who survives the sea and offers a simple rule for judging the facts.
- The CaptainA weary, honest ship's master who obeys the priestess and worries about his lost crew.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
I gioielli di Aptor
by Samuel R. Delany · 1962
A poet, a giant sailor and a four-armed thief sail for Aptor to steal a jewel from a dark god's statue.
Easy read2–5 hours to readItaliano
Learn a language with easy classicsSpagnoloFranceseTedescoItalianoGiapponesePortogheseIngleseHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
A girl sits on a beach, sick at heart from a film of a four-armed boy being hurt, and a man in a dark robe tells her to look around and learn why people do such things. That scene opens The Jewels of Aptor, and it sets the question the whole book follows: why do people act as they do?
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A poet and a giant meet a priestess
The story begins at a harbor in Leptar at evening. The captain and his mate, Jordde, talk quietly about the ten men they lost at Aptor. They wonder about the veiled woman who gave the order to sail there and came back without a scratch.
On the same docks, two friends argue. Geo is a young poet who has run out of money. Urson is a huge sailor who wants wine. In their scuffle a small figure snatches Geo's purse and bolts. The thief is a boy with four arms. A cold, clear voice calls for him to stop, and he freezes, then walks back like a puppet.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1962
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 3 h 50 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Delany, Samuel R. The Jewels of Aptor. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor.
Delany, S. R. (2026). The jewels of Aptor. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor (Original work published 1962)
Delany, Samuel R. The Jewels of Aptor. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor.
@book{delany2026jewels,
author = {Delany, Samuel R.},
title = {The Jewels of Aptor},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-jewels-of-aptor},
note = {First published 1962}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about I gioielli di Aptor
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Jewels of Aptor about?
A poet, a giant sailor and a four-armed boy sail with a priestess to the island of Aptor. They must steal a jewel from a dark god's statue and rescue a kidnapped sister, and strange dangers meet them on the way.
Who is Snake in The Jewels of Aptor?
Snake is a silent boy with four arms and a gift for hearing thoughts. A thief at the start, he speaks into minds in broken words and becomes a key friend and a source of doubt.
What are the jewels in The Jewels of Aptor?
They are three glowing stones of old science. They can burn things and fog or steer people's thoughts, and the characters fear them. Their power tempts everyone who holds them.
The author
Samuel R. Delany
1942–? · American science fiction writer
Samuel R. Delany is an American science fiction writer and critic, among the most honored figures in the field, with multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards to his name. The Jewels of Aptor, his first published novel, announced a startlingly original young talent.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
