Acastos
View cart “The Sea, The Sea” has been added to your cart.
£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.
1 in stock
Product added!
Browse Wishlist
The product is already in the wishlist!
Browse Wishlist
Categories: First Edition, Iris Murdoch, Modern First Editions, Signed First Editions
Acastos: Two Platonic Dialogues
By Iris Murdoch
Inscribed First US Edition


Quickview
The Dead Zone
First Edition, Modern First Editions, Science Fiction, Stephen King
The Dead Zone
By Stephen King
First UK edition, first impression. Nominated for the 1980 Locus Award and the first of the author's stories to be set in the fictional town of Castle Rock.
Original black cloth with lettering to spine in gilt and white endpapers and paste-downs. Some spotting to top edge, a couple of minor knocks to corners and a little rubbing to top edge of boards, otherwise very good indeed.
The price-clipped dust jacket has some moderate edge wear and fading to spine panel with a minuscule nick to bottom edge and some spotting to verso, primarily to top edge, else very good. A rare edition.
£265.00
New


Quickview
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


Quickview
The Mars Trilogy: Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars
First Edition, Modern First Editions, Science Fiction
The Mars Trilogy
By Kim Stanley Robinson
A set of first editions, first impressions of the three books comprising 'The Mars Trilogy'. 'Red Mars' received the BSFA Award in 1992 and the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1993. 'Green Mars' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 1994, and 'Blue Mars' was given the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1997.
'The Mars Trilogy' explores humanity's ambitious project to terraform Mars. Spanning nearly two centuries, the series contrasts a utopian vision of Martian society marked by egalitarianism and scientific innovation with a dystopian Earth grappling with overpopulation and environmental collapse.
Publisher's original cloth. Some toning to edges of 'Blue Mars' with a few faint spots to the top edge of 'Green Mars', else near fine. A little edge wear to the bottom edge of the original and unclipped dust jackets, with a very small nick to the bottom edge of 'Red Mars', otherwise near fine.
£600.00
New


Quickview
The Master & Margarita
First Edition, Modern First Editions
The Master & Margarita
by Mikhail Bulgakov
First UK edition, first impression, published by Collins in 1967 and translated by Michael Glenny. Written between 1928 to 1940 in the Soviet Union and initially published in Russian in serial form in 1966-1967, though this had a portion of the original text removed due to its criticism of the Russian government. The first edition in Russian was issued in France by YMCA Press in 1967. The complete version of the novel was not published in Russia until 1973. Widely viewed as one of the most important novels of the 20th Century.
Original green cloth with lettering to spine in gilt. A few faint spots to edges and a moderate bump to top corner of lower board. A little cracking to rear hinge, but holding very firm.
The original and unclipped dust jacket is in fine condition, but for a few very faint instances of soiling to rear panel and a few light spots to rear panel verso. An exceedingly bright, near fine copy.
£525.00