War, Invasion & Spy
London, Jonathan Cape, 1964.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original pictorial boards. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
The third of Deighton's "Harry Palmer" novels, in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is revealed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage...
Modern Literature
Fielding (Gabriel, pseud. Alan Gabriel Barnsley) The Birthday King
London, Hutchinson, 1962.
First edition, first impression, signed presentation copy from the author. Some loose related ephemera. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 21s.
Signed by the author title-page, with autograph gift inscription on behalf of himself and his wife to front free endpaper.
"In 1963 he was awarded the W.H. Smith Award for The Birthday King, and for "the most outstanding contribution to English Literature over a two-year period" (1962–1963). In 1964 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the St. Thomas More Association for The Birthday King. this recognition encouraged him to keep writing while still practicing medicine." (wikipedia)
Modern Literature
Two African Journals
London, The Bodley Head, 1961.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth-backed boards. Dust-jacket, publisher's £2.50 price-sticker to inside flap.
Two African notebooks recording Greene's travels in 1959, and his stay at the Yonda leper colony in the jungle which inspired the story for A Burnt-Out Case. Convoy to West Africa describes his voyage in a cargo boat during WW2, from Liverpool to Freetown, Sierra Leone, the setting for The Heart of the Matter.
Modern Literature
London, John Lehmann, 1951.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original brown cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 10s6d.
The second novel by the author of the novella Cheerful Weather for the Wedding.
Children's Books
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1957.
First edition, second impression. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
Tolkien's whimsical medieval fable about a reluctant hero, Farmer Giles, who must confront a troublesome dragon with wit and cunning rather than traditional bravery. Baynes' illustrations were significant in fantasy fiction of the period, as she would go on to become best known for her work on C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, contributing a visual style that became iconic in mid-20th century fantasy literature.
Detective Fiction
London, Macmillan, 1997.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, priced £16.99.
"It is every mother's nightmare. Her child is missing, found murdered. Her lover is the prime suspect. It is every police officer's dread. A child murdered. A circumstantial case. It is every solicitor's dream. Twelve men and women will decide the verdict. But only you can decide if justice is done for the victim." (jacket blurb)
Detective Fiction
London, Macmillan, 1995.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, priced £15.99.
Sequel to Widows - Dolly Rawlins is free from prison. And she's only got one thing on her mind - the diamonds she stashed before the police caught her.
Hong Kong, Ye Old Printerie, 1931.
Second edition, revised & enlarged. 8vo. Original cloth-backed boards with printed spine label.
An attractive book on the former British colony and dependent territory of the UK.
Detective Fiction
London, George Newnes, 1895.
'Thirty-Third Thousand'. Royal 8vo. Original pictorial bevelled cloth.
Conan Doyle's famous collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, first published in book form by George Newnes in 1892. The stories, originally serialised in The Strand Magazine, splendidly showcase Holmes' unparalleled deductive reasoning, as well as his ability to navigate London's criminal underworld.
Historical Fiction
Lartéguy (Jean, pseud. Pierre Lucien Jean Osty) The Centurions.
Translated from the French by Xan Fielding
London, Hutchinson, 1961.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red textured cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
A gripping novel about French paratroopers who, after their experiences as PoWs in Indochina, apply counterinsurgency tactics during the Algerian War. The significance of its translation by Xan Fielding lies in Fielding's own experience as a British intelligence officer during World War II and his familiarity with guerrilla warfare, especially in occupied Crete.
Detective Fiction
Boileau (Pierre) and Thomas Narcejac. The Living and the Dead.
Translated by Geoffrey Sainsbury
London, Hutchinson, 1956.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket, priced 12/6 (i.e. second issue, with 10/6 clipped and 12/6 added).
First edition in English of this novel by Boileau & Narcejac, authors credited with creating an authentically French subgenre of crime fiction. Famously the basis for the 1958 Hitchcock film Vertigo, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1946.
First edition. 8vo. Original brown cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 8s6d.
An English country village is disturbed by the drowning of a young local girl, secretary to the woman who occupies the role of lady of the manor - the local police are baffled, leading to Inspector Arnold of the Yard being called in.