James Bond First Editions

The Saint in Europe.

CHARTERIS, Leslie (1907-1993).

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1954. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine and upper board. With the dust-jacket designed by Jarvis, priced at 10/6. Contents clean, no inscriptions, minor dustiness to edges, jacket carefully handled with a few light rubs and one neat closed tear at foot of spine. Near fine. First British book-form edition comprising seven short stories, some of which appeared in The Saint Detective Magazine, 1953. Simon Templar, alias 'The Saint', in some of the deadliest spots in Europe; follow the chilling action around the continent in the Grand Tour to danger!' 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 #72048

BARER, Burl. The Saint in Print, Radio, Film & TV, p.396. See also Gilbert, p.616.

Price: £58.00