Kingsley Amis | First Editions
1922 - 1995
Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. Amis produced more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, and also dabbled in social and literary criticism.
Amis' biographer,, Zachary Leader, has described the author as "the finest English comic novelist of the second half of the twentieth century." Moreover, Amis lectured in science fiction (a passion since boyhood), and is responsible for coining the term "comic inferno" to describe 'humorous dystopias'. Amis is the focus of international literary acclaim; in 2008, The Times ranked Kingsley Amis ninth on their list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.
See below our stock of Kingsley Amis First Editions, fine bindings, and signed copies.
The Egyptologists.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.254 [2]. Publisher's grey cloth with gilt titles to spine. Top edge pink. With the dust-jacket designed by Jan Pienkowski, priced at 18s. Some toning and marking to edges, one small tear to jacket top edge, and just..... More
The Book Of Bond, Or Every Man His Own 007 (Writing as Bill Tanner).
New York: Viking, 1965. [Bondiana] FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (18 x 14cm). Publisher's white glossy hardcovers, red endpapers. Illustrated throughout. With Raymond Hawkey-designed book-jacket priced at $2.50. A fine copy in clean, bright jacket. An unusual piece of Bondiana. Bill Tanner is a fictional character in the James Bond novel..... More
The Book Of Bond, Or Every Man His Own 007 (Writing as Bill Tanner).
New York: Viking, 1965. [Bondiana] FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (18 x 14cm), pp.111 [5]. Publisher's white glossy hardcovers, red endpapers. Illustrated throughout. With Raymond Hawkey-designed book-jacket priced at $2.50. Discreet initials to flyleaf, light soil to covers and jacket; near fine. An unusual piece of Bondiana. Bill Tanner is a...... More
The Book Of Bond, Or Every Man His Own 007 (Writing as Bill Tanner).
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond] FIRST EDITION, bibliographer's copy. Small octavo (18 x 14cm), pp.111; [1]. Publisher's black cloth, gilt endpapers. Illustrated throughout. With Raymond Hawkey-designed 'reversible' book-jacket for work in the field; the pictorial dust-wrapper can be rapidly disguised as a bible. Price clipped, else a clean, fine..... More
The Book Of Bond, Or Every Man His Own 007 (Writing as Bill Tanner).
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond] FIRST EDITION, First Impression. Small octavo (18 x 14cm), pp.111; [1]. Publisher's black cloth, gilt endpapers. Illustrated throughout. With Raymond Hawkey-designed 'reversible' book-jacket for work in the field; the pictorial dust-wrapper can be rapidly disguised as a bible. Ink ownership to endpaper, small patch..... More
The Book Of Bond, Or Every Man His Own 007 (Writing as Bill Tanner).
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond] FIRST EDITION, First Impression. Small octavo (18 x 14cm), pp.111; [1]. Attractively bound in half deep red oasis morocco, titled and ruled in gilt to the spine, raised bands, matching cloth sides, original gold endpapers bound in at the rear. A fine copy. An..... More
The Book Of Bond, Or Every Man His Own 007 (Writing as Bill Tanner).
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (18 x 14cm). Publisher's black cloth, gilt endpapers. Illustrated throughout. With Raymond Hawkey-designed 'reversible' book-jacket for work in the field; the pictorial dust-wrapper can be rapidly disguised as a bible. A fine copy in clean, bright jacket, with a couple of faint..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond Reference] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.159 [1]. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, with gilt titles to spine, and the pictorial dust-wrapper, based on the familiar Chopping 'trompe l'oeil' designs from the Ian Fleming first editions. Priced at 16s. to flap. A...... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond Reference] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.159 [1]. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, with gilt titles to spine, and the pictorial dust-wrapper, based on the familiar Chopping 'trompe l'oeil' designs from the Ian Fleming first editions. Contents clean, page edges toned, some..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond Reference] FIRST EDITION, ASSOCIATION COPY. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.159 [1]. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, with gilt titles to spine, and the pictorial dust-wrapper, based on the familiar Chopping 'trompe l'oeil' designs from the Ian Fleming first editions. Decorative bookplate, SIGNED by..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond Reference] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.159 [1]. Handsomely bound in half red oasis morocco, titled and decorated in gilt to the spine, raised bands, matching cloth sides, top edge gilt. Contents clean, but for a few light spots/reading marks, exterior as new. A...... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond Reference] FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY on behalf of Kingsley Amis. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.159 [1]. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, with gilt titles to spine, and the pictorial dust-wrapper, based on the familiar Chopping 'trompe l'oeil' designs from the Ian Fleming first..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [James Bond] FIRST EDITION. Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean's copy, with a printed label loosely inserted. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.159 [1]. Publisher's hardcover in pictorial dust-wrapper, based on the familiar Chopping 'trompe l'oeil' designs from the Ian Fleming first editions. Contents clean, no inscriptions, some trivial wear..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
New York, NY: Signet Books, 1966. [Bond reference /critique] FIRST U.S. PAPERBACK. Octavo (18 x 11cm), pp.127 [1], advertisement. Publisher's illustrated softcovers priced at 60c, all edges red. Owner's rubber stamp to margin, cheap paper stock toned as expected else a clean, fine copy. Now a rather elusive paperback, published..... More
The Anti-Death League. A Novel.
London: Victor Gollancz, [1966] 1972. [Modern Literature] SIGNED EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.352. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the dust-jacket designed by Raymond Hawkey, priced at £2.75. One of an unspecified small number of the second printings issued on behalf of the New Fiction Society..... More
The Green Man.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1969. [Strange tale] UNCORRECTED PROOF of the FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253. Publisher's green softcovers in proof-only pictorial dust-wrapper priced at 30s. A fine, unread copy of the book in near fine, lightly rubbed oversized jacket. A ghostly tale set in an english medieval coaching..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [Reference critique] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.159; [1], blank. Publisher's green card lettered in black. Contents clean, covers have some scuffs to upper, tear/loss to lower panel with old tape makes to inside rear. Very good. Amis' first venture into the world of..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [Reference critique] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY IN PROOF-ONLY JACKET. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.159; [1], blank. Publisher's paper covers, with pictorial proof dust-wrapper (entirely unclipped and with original setting of the text) with design based on the familiar 'trompe l'oeil' art which decorated the Ian Fleming first..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
New York, NY: New American Library, 1965. [Reference critique] FIRST US EDITION, bibliographer's copy. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.147; [1], blank. Publisher's quarter cloth with titles to spine, blue endpapers, top edge blue, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $3.95. Contents clean, no inscriptions, bright jacket with short tear at crown, red..... More
My Enemy's Enemy, Stories.
London: Victor Gollancz. 1962. First Edition. Octavo, pp. 224. Red publisher's cloth with gilt titles to spine, in strikingly restrained yellow dustwrapper. Top and fore edge slightly browned, slight bumping to head and tail caps. Some wear to the top and bottom edges of the dustjacket with some marking and..... More
The Riverside Villas Murder.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1973. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.224. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine, coloured endpapers, top edge green. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Ian Beck. Some minor dustiness to fore-edge else a fine, fresh copy. An old-fashioned whodunit, set in the 1930s... More
The Riverside Villas Murder.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1973. [Crime Mystery] UNCORRECTED PROOF. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.224. Publisher's green monogrammed card covers. Light handing to covers. Worn and a little toned to spine, with a reading lean. Very good. An old-fashioned whodunit, set in the 1930s. More
That Uncertain Feeling.
London: Victor Gollancz, 1955. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.254; [2]. Publisher's red cloth lettered in gilt to spine, typographic dust-jacket with printed price of 12/6 to front flap. Toning to edges of dust-jacket, rolling to spine, sunning to top edge of front board and crown of..... More
The Letters of Kingsley Amis.
London: Harper Collins, 2000. [Literary correspondence] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.lvi; 1208. Illustrated with four suites of eight photographic plates. Publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt, photographic jacket, showing the famous portrait of Amis adopting the pistol pose. A very good copy in like, price-clipped jacket. The letters..... More
Colonel Sun. A James Bond Adventure.
Jonathan Cape, 1968. Octavo. Original green wrappers, lettered in black, decorated with white publisher's motif. With dust jacket. Housed in custom blue quarter morocco solander case. A very good copy, spine creased and lightly stained, otherwise in good condition for a proof copy, in like dust jacket, edges rubbed and..... More