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jonathan stroud - When are the Bartimaeus books set?



Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, consisting of The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate, is set in a version of our world (mainly London, with some scenes in Prague and the English countryside) in which magic and demons are real and the government and upper class consists entirely of magicians. Besides these facts, the setting is remarkably similar to the real world, and even certain real historical figures, most notably William Gladstone, also exist in this world.


Given this, it should be possible to get a ballpark figure for the year in which the series is set. Certainly after Gladstone's time (the late 19th century), but is it meant to be 'the present day' - the books were published in the early 2000s - or perhaps earlier or even later?


What information do we have on when the Bartimaeus books were set?



Answer



The events of the Bartimaeus trilogy happened in the then present day.


I would base this on the following from the second book:



"In all honesty, little girl, does Mr. Gladstone look alive to you?" "Er—not really." "'Not really...' The answer's no! No, he doesn't. Why? you ask. Because he's dead. A hundred and ten years dead and rotting in his grave.



Gladstone died in 1898. So 1898+110=2008.



This does not correspond exactly with the publishing date. But even if we take rounding into account the trilogy should have take place in the 2000s. Or if we are exact from 2000-2011.


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