Days of Ashes 1945 -1949: Chapters 1 - 3 Summary

Having fallen into the book's spell, Daniel is determined to find the complete works of author, Julian Carax. He is surprised to find that he finds no mention of the author's name in any of his father's book catalogues and the publishing house had been closed down years ago. Therefore he seeks out Gustavo Barceló, a colleague of his father's who is renowned for his expertise on rare book editions. He meets Barceló at a popular café, a well-known haunt of book lovers. The businessman offers to buy the book off Daniel at a huge price, which the boy turns down. The other book enthusiasts present in the café view the exchange with interest and curiosity. On seeing that Daniel will not part from his precious book, he offers to tell Daniel what...