Acastos
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£100.00
Acastos: Two Platonic Dialogues
By Iris Murdoch
First US edition, first impression. Signed and inscribed by the author to the artist and publisher, Rolando Pieraccini to the title page: ‘for Rolando Pierraccini with all my best wishes and greetings Iris Murdoch’.
Quarter-bound in cream cloth over light purple boards with gilt lettering to spine. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.
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Categories: First Edition, Iris Murdoch, Modern First Editions, Signed First Editions
Acastos: Two Platonic Dialogues
By Iris Murdoch
Inscribed First US Edition
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The Harry Palmer Books: Ipcress File, Horse Under Water, Funeral in Berlin, Billion Dollar Brain
Crime and Thriller, First Edition, Modern First Editions, Showcase, Signed First Editions
The Harry Palmer Books
By Len Deighton
Four Volumes. All first editions, first impressions, published between 1962-1966. Vol I is the correct first issue, without the reviews. Vol II contains the rare crossword competition insert (here blank). Volume I is inscribed by the author to the title page with the note from the author “there are not many copies of this edition!”
Orange, red, black and blue boards, consecutively; lettered in gilt to spines with publisher’s devices to foot; Vol II and III with classification stamp in colour and blind to upper board; Vol IV with white brail design to upper cover, and in the iconic silver dust jacket; all dust jackets unclipped, and designed by Raymond Hawkey; decorative endpapers in all but Vol I; the books generally very good to near-fine, clean, with some mild pushing to spine tips and marking to outer edges of the text block; small stain to p. 11 of Vol I; the wrappers with some darkening to edges and pushing to spine tips; a couple of small creases, nicks and closed tears; front flap of Vol II with paper flaw causing crease and particularly obscuring the price; Vol III a little more rubbed to spine ends, and faint spotting to inside flap; Vol IV a little more creased to the flaps, and lightly rubbed to rear panel.
Deighton’s pinnacle works, and the books which “challenged the nature of British spy fiction”. The series follows protagonist Harry Palmer through a variety of challenges and settings, which include Cold War brainwashing, atomic weapons tests, ice-melting technology, secret plots, murders, and eggs contaminated with a deadly virus.
Inspired by his experiences working for an advertising agency (when he was the only employee not to have been educated at Eton), Deighton wrote a novel based around a gritty, nameless, working-class protagonist who he later named Harry Palmer. The character proved hugely popular with the British public, the success of which the author (modestly) puts down to the fact that The Ipcress File was published in the same year as Fleming’s Dr. No. As well as this series, Palmer also featured in a series of later novels, including An Expensive Place to Die (1967) and Spy Story (1972). Of the present four books, Horse Under Water was the only one not to be adapted to film. The others all starred Michael Caine in the lead role.
Deighton famously avoids book signings, interviews and literary festivals, making signed copies of his works rare indeed.
£2,750.00
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A Town Like Alice
First Edition, Modern First Editions, Nevil Shute
A Town Like Alice
By Nevil Shute
First edition, first impression. A romance novel set in Australia and, briefly, in Malaya; published in 1950 soon after the author had settled in Australia. Adapted into a film and popular TV series in 1956 and 1981 respectively.
Original red cloth with lettering to spine in gilt and book title and author's monogram to upper cover in blind and publisher's imprint in blind to lower cover. Red top-stain. Some toning to edges and marginal, moderate browning to half-title. 'June' written in biro to front endpaper. Upper board ever-so-slightly bowed. Else a very good copy or better with the red top-stain nicely preserved and the contents nice and clean.
The original and unclipped dust jacket has several chips to spine ends and to upper panel with a few closed tears to edges, most notably to the top of lower panel. Some spotting to verso and, more faintly, to flaps.
£400.00
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Salem’s Lot
First Edition, Horror, Modern First Editions, Stephen King
Salem's Lot
By Stephen King
First UK edition, first impression. Adapted into mini-series in 1979 and 2004 with a film adaptation released in late 2024.
Original black cloth with lettering to spine in gilt. Faint off-setting to front and rear endpapers and paste-downs. A few light spots to opening few pages with the usual toning to edges.
The original dust jacket is price-clipped with the publisher's reprice sticker to the top corner of upper flap and some spotting to verso. Spine panel lettering very slightly faded.
A very good or better example of an uncommon edition of the author's second published novel.
£750.00


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Blood Meridian
First Edition, Modern First Editions
Blood Meridian
By Cormac McCarthy
First UK edition, first impression. The author's fifth novel, set in the Old West in the mid-19th century, and considered to be among the best works of American literature.
Original red cloth with white lettering to spine. A fine copy with some of the usual toning to edges in a fine dust jacket. A superior example.
£1,250.00