James Bond First Editions

The Saint Sees it Through.

CHARTERIS, Leslie (1907-1993).

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1947. [Crime Fiction] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's blue cloth (also issued in beige cloth), with black titles to spine and upper board. With the dust-jacket designed by Jarvis, priced at 8/6. No inscriptions, page edges a little toned, jacket with large chips to crown and top edge, some smaller nicks/tears/creases. Simon Templar, alias The Saint, fights an international dope ring. 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 #70181

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

Price: £48.00