Spartacus
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Spartacus
£275.00
Spartacus
By Howard Fast
First edition, first impression, published The Bodley Head in 1952 and the basis for the classic 1960 film adaptation.
Original coral cloth with lettering to spine in gilt. A very good book with a hint of spotting and dustiness to edges, in a very good, unclipped dust jacket featuring striking cover art by James Boswell. A few tears to edges with moderate edge wear and light soiling in places, primarily to lower panel, otherwise very good.
1 in stock
Spartacus
By Howard Fast
First Edition
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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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The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams, First Edition, Modern First Editions, Science Fiction, Showcase, Signed First Editions
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
By Douglas Adams
First paperback edition, first impression. Inscribed by the author to the inside front cover: 'Best Wishes, Douglas Adams'. The paperback is the true first edition and precedes the hardback which was issued later in the same year.
Edges toned, as usual. Slight rubbing to extremities of wraps with the odd scratch to edges, otherwise an excellent example.
Adam's enduring iconic work based on the radio series of the same name. Rare with these attributes.
£1,750.00
New
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The Demolished Man
First Edition, Modern First Editions, Science Fiction
The Demolished Man
By Alfred Bester
First edition, first impression. The first ever winner of the Hugo Award in 1953.
Original red cloth with lettering to spine in gilt. A little dustiness to top edge with slight evidence of knocking to corners and a black dot to spine. Otherwise very good, in the original and unclipped dust jacket with some chipping to spine head, several tears to edges and moderate sunning to spine panel.
£165.00
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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
