James Bond First Editions

Saint Errant.

CHARTERIS, Leslie (1907-1993).

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1949. [Thriller] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.253; [1], advert. Elegantly hand-bound in half brown calf over matching cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with traditional raised bands, original cloth spine preserved at rear. Contents clean with some light spotting to first and final leaves, exterior as new. A near fine copy in an attractive recent leather binding. Short stories covering the suave hero's deadly escapades with the opposite sex, including 'Judith aka The Naughty Niece', 'Jeannine aka The Lovely Sinner' and 'Luella aka The Saint and the Double Badger'. According to Paul Simpson (The Rough Guide to James Bond, p.47), 'The Saint' is a literary ancestor of 007, the debonair Simon Templar being a gentleman adventurer whose parallels with Bond are obvious. Item #67202

Steinbrunner & Penzler, pp.349-351. See also Gilbert, p.616.

Price: £175.00