The Twits
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£325.00
The Twits
By Roald Dahl
First edition, first impression. Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
Original red cloth with lettering to spine in gilt. A near fine book with a gift inscription to front endpaper, in a near fine or better dust jacket with the slightest hint of fading to the spine panel.
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Categories: Children's Fiction, First Edition, Modern First Editions, Roald Dahl
The Twits
By Roald Dahl
First 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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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
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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 Earthsea Trilogy
First Edition, Modern First Editions, Science Fiction, Ursula Le Guin
The Earthsea Trilogy
By Ursula Le Guin
Three Volumes. First UK editions, first impressions, published between 1971 to 1973 by Victor Gollancz. A highlight series of high fantasy.
A Wizard of Earthsea:
Original brown cloth with lettering to spine in gilt with green endpapers and paste-downs. A near fine book with light spotting to edges, but contents entirely clean otherwise. The original and unclipped dust jacket is also near fine with the slightest hint of fading to the spine panel, some marginal toning to verso and a few unobtrusive marks to top fore-edges.
The Tombs of Atuan:
Original blue cloth with lettering to spine in gilt with pale green endpapers and paste-downs. Light spotting to edges with a few spots to front and rear endpapers and paste-downs, else near fine in a near fine and unclipped dust jacket with some very moderate fading to spine panel and marginal toning to verso with a hint of rubbing to spine head, else near fine.
The Farthest Shore:
Original grey cloth with lettering to spine in gilt and purple map endpapers and paste-downs. Near fine with some spotting to edges in a near fine dust jacket with minor fading to the spine panel and marginal, light spotting to verso.
A very attractive and uniquely well-preserved set.
£2,250.00