"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. "
— Oscar Wilde
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.
Results 1 - 14 (of 14)
The Darkwater Hall Mystery.
Edinburgh: The Tragara Press, 1978. Limited edition. Number 67 of 165 copies. 8vo. Illustrated by Elspeth Sojka. Bound in publisher's original marbled card wraps. Fine with trifling edgewear. Internally clean and bright, a very pretty copy of a scarce piece of Sherlockiana. More
The Book Of Bond, Or Every Man His Own 007 (Writing as Bill Tanner).
London: Pan Books, 1966. [Bond reference] FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.111; [9], endmatter and advertisements. Bound in pictorial card covers designed by Raymond Hawkey, priced at 3/6. Usual page toning, covers lightly worn; near fine. Bill Tanner is a fictional character in the James Bond novel series..... More
The James Bond Dossier
London: Jonathan Cape. 1965. FIRST EDITION. THE AUTHOR'S COPY, in a bespoke quarter leather binding of half red morocco, gilt, commissioned by the publisher for presentation to Amis. Obviously a unique copy, this was likely bound by Ian Fleming's own binder Arthur Last, the style matching closely the author's copies..... More
The James Bond Dossier.
New York, NY: Signet Books, 1966. [Bond reference /critique] FIRST U.S. PAPERBACK. Pp.127 + [1], advertisement. Publisher's illustrated softcovers priced at 60c, all edges red. Cheap paper stock browned as usual, covers slightly rubbed. Near fine. Now a rather elusive paperback, published in the same year as the UK Pan..... More
The Anti-Death League. A Novel.
London: Victor Gollancz, 1966. [Modern Literature] FIRST 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 30/- net. Some spotting to preliminaries and offset toning to endpapers. Some spotting to top edge, edges toned. Light sunning..... 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 IN PROOF JACKET. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.159; [1], blank. Publisher's paper covers, with pictorial proof dust-wrapper, based on the familiar 'trompe l'oeil' designs which decorated the Ian Fleming first editions. Edges dusty else book is fine. Oversized jacket with minor..... 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
Colonel Sun.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1968. [Spy thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255; [1], blank. Illustrated map endpapers. The rarer variant with a dropped quad mark to the date on the copyright page (rather in the same manner as 'The Spy Who Loved Me' variant - see Gilbert). Publisher's hardcovers..... More
The James Bond Dossier. Pre-publication Publicity File
London: To be Published by Jonathan Cape at 16s. on May 27th, no date [1965]. [James Bond] The complete pack, comprising a colour promotional poster for the book designed by Jan Pienkowski (52cm x 76cm), an 'Obituary of Commander James Bond' (35cm x 52cm), a cross-section and information regarding the..... More
Colonel Sun. A James Bond Adventure.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1968. FIRST EDITION, Uncorrected Proof Copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255; [1], blank. Publisher's lime green softcovers with 'greek urn' device repeated in white, titles printed in black. Contents clean, some wrinkling to spine, covers a little dusty and soiled, showing some general light handling; very good..... More
Colonel Sun. A James Bond Adventure.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1968. FIRST EDITION, Uncorrected Proof Copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255; [1], blank. Publisher's lime green softcovers with 'greek urn' device repeated in white, titles printed in black. Edges of text block toned, some wrinkling to spine, covers a little dusty and soiled, moderately handled. Very good..... More
Results 1 - 14 (of 14)