"Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon. "
— Bertolt Brecht
Graham Greene (Henry Graham Greene) | First Editions
1904 - 1991
Henry Graham Greene OM CH (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991), better known by his pen name Graham Greene, was an English novelist and author, and is regarded as one of the most popular writers of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or, as Greene referred to them, "entertainments"). His writing career spanned 67 years, in which he wrote 25 novels.
In 1967, Greene was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He has also collected several literary awards for his novels, including: the Hawthornden Prize for The Power and the Glory (1941), the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Heart of the Matter (1948), the Shakespeare Prize (1968), and the Jerusalem Prize - a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society (1981). In 1986, Greene was awarded Britain's Order of Merit. His legacy lives on through the Graham Greene International Festival - an annual four-day event of conference papers, informal talks, question and answer sessions, films, dramatised readings, music, creative writing workshops and social events.
See below our stock of Graham Greene First Editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
The Spy's Bedside Book.
London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1957. [Anthology]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Occasional illustrations. Half blue morocco with raised bands and gilt titles to spine, cloth sides. Light spotting to first and final leaves else internally clean, externally unmarked. A near fine copy in a handsome recent leather binding. An... More
![Stamboul Train [Orient Express]. Graham GREENE, 1904 - 1991.](/pictures/thumb/44606.jpg?v=1493310952)
Stamboul Train [Orient Express].
London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1932. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp. 307. Recently bound in half calf over navy cloth boards, without design or title on front or back cover, title and author's name in direct gold lettering to spine. Light brown stains on several pages. Text block very slightly spotted externally... More
![Stamboul Train [Orient Express]. Graham GREENE, 1904 - 1991.](/pictures/thumb/52886.jpg?v=1545148400)
Stamboul Train [Orient Express].
London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1932. [Espionage novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm) pp.307; [1] blank. Usual corrected state of text. Half black calf over marbled sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments, traditional raised bands, top edge gilt. This thriller was entitled 'Orient Express' in the US. Minor edge-spotting, exterior... More
A Burnt-Out Case.
London: Heinemann, 1961. [Modern Literature] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY of the first edition. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's blue paper wraps, lettered in black to spine and upper. Contents clean, covers with some toning to foot of upper, small splash to rear; very good. Greene's acclaimed novel set in the Belgian Congo. More
![One November Day [Being and Extract from The Other Man]. Graham GREENE, Marie-Francoise ALLAIN.](/images/noimage.png)
One November Day [Being and Extract from The Other Man]
London: The Bodley Head, 1983. INSCRIBED LIMITED EDITION, 225 copies. Paper self wraps. Housed in a collector's gilt-titled buckram case. Inscribed by Greene's later publisher Max Reinhardt to jazz musician George Melly. A lovely fine copy. An excerpt from The Other Man, a series of interviews conducted by Allain, who... More
The Bear Fell Free.
London: Grayson and Grayson, 1935. [Modern Literature] SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Slim octavo (22 x 15cm). One of the titles in "The Grayson Books" series, a collection of signed limited editions by notable authors. Publisher's gilt decrated green-brown cloth, illustrated endpapers, cream and blue dust-wrapper wrapper. Boards a little bowed, jacket... More
The Comedians.
London: The Bodley Head. 1966. Uncorrected Proof Copy. Octavo, pp. 313. Soft cover in pale yellow card cover. Some slight creasing and lean to the spine, a couple of small marks to the covers, otherwise a fine copy. More
The Comedians.
London: The Bodley Head, 1966. FIRST EDITION. Modern literature. Octavo (20x14cm), pp.313. Publisher's green gilt-entitled cloth in pictorial dust-wrapper with wraparound design by Ivan Lapper. Lightly handled only; jacket a shade toned to the spine; near fine. Basis for the 1967 Golden Globe nominated movie starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor... More
The Comedians.
London: The Bodley Head, 1966. [Modern literature]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.313; [5] blank. Publisher's green cloth titled in gilt to spine, pictorial dust-jacket by Ivan Lapper, priced at 25s net. Some spotting to preliminaries and edges. very discreet Harrods library blindstamp to rear pastedown. Cloth lightly handled... More
The Complaisant Lover. A Play.
London: Heinemann. 1959. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp77. Publisher's blue cloth in pale blue printed dust-jacket priced at 8/6. A fine, unread copy in similar jacket with some accidental rubbing to the edges of the front panel. A bright example of this Graham Greene comedy, the third of eight plays from... More
The Confidential Agent.
London: William Heinemann, 1939. [Espionage] FIRST EDITION. Octavo, (19 x 13cm), pp.[viii]; 286; [2]. Publisher's light blue cloth with red titles to spine. Text block appears unread. Contemporary gift note to blank following endpaper, cloth particularly fresh. A near fine copy of a scarce 'entertainment' by Greene. Government spy thriller... More
The End of the Affair.
London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1951. FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.237. Publisher's grey cloth in printed dust-wrapper priced at 10/6, with the scarce Daily Mail "Book of the Month" band. Edges of text block a little browned, trivial age-toning to spine. A clean, near fine copy; scarce with the wraparound sash. More
The End of the Affair.
London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1951. [Modern literature] FIRST EDITION. Crown octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.237. Publisher's grey cloth in printed dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. No inscriptions, edges dusty/spotted, spine gently age-toned. Some loss to bottom quarter of same with some associated chips and tears. An inexpensive copy of the first edition. More
Getting to Know the General. The Story of an Involvement.
London: The Bodley Head, 1984. Modern History/Travel. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.224. Hardback in dust-jacket. Appears unread. A clean, fine copy. Greene was preparing for a visit to Panama in August 1981 when the news came of the death of General Omar Torrijs Herrera. His small plane had... More
The Heart of the Matter.
London: William Heinemann, 1948. [Adventure novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.297. Publisher's blue cloth with silver titles to spine, buff endpapers, red top stain, dust-jacket priced at 9s.6d. Some overall wear and soiling, jacket with a few chips/rubs, red spine colour remains strong. A used, yet very good... More
The Heart of the Matter.
London: William Heinemann, 1948. [Adventure novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.297; [1]. Elegantly hand-bound in half red oasis, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, matching cloth sides. A couple of small spots to edges, exterior unmarked. A near fine copy in an attractive recent leather binding... More
The Honorary Consul.
London: The Bodley Head, 1973. Thriller. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.335. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine, top edge tinited, in dustjacket designed by Michael Harvey. Slight reading lean; some light bruising to jacket edges. Very good indeed. 'The Honorary Consul' returns to that third world the critics call... More
Introductions to Three Novels
Stockholm 1962, FIRST EDITION. Slim 8vo. Pp49. Publisher's self-wraps, with titles printed in colour to spine and upper. Edges uncut. Slight toning to extremities else a fine copy. A curious item released by the Scandinavian publisher as 'Norstedts Christmas Gift Book for 1962', with a foreword and colophon in Swedish... More
It's A Battlefield.
William Heinemann. 1934. FIRST EDITION 8vo. 8vo. Publisher's black cloth, gilt titles to spine. Top edge dusty, cloth a little sunned and handled, gift inscription to flyleaf, neat bookseller ticket to pastedown. Very good. An early, edgy thriller from Greene which portrays the murkier areas of London where Drover, a.... More
It's A Battlefield.
William Heinemann. 1934. Thriller. FIRST EDITION 8vo. Elegantly hand-bound in half dark blue calf over cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, edges trimmed, publisher's cloth spine bound in at rear. Text block a trifle age-toned else fine. An early, edgy thriller from Greene which portrays the... More
![L'Agent Secret [The Confidential Agent]. Graham GREENE.](/pictures/thumb/47170.JPG?v=1493311014)
L'Agent Secret [The Confidential Agent].
Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1948. THE FIRST FRENCH EDITION of 'The Confidential Agent', LIMITED TO 110 COPIES. This is number 80. Octavo, pp.269. Bound in publisher's yellow card wraps with blue and white lettering to covers. Pages remain uncut. A lovely copy, very clean and bright throughout. One crease in... More
The Labyrinthine Ways
Viking, New York 1940, FIRST EDITION. Octavo. Publisher's bright yellow cloth titled in blue. Browning to endpapers, faint cup ring to upper. Very good overall. Published in the UK as 'The Power and the Glory.'. More
![The Labyrinthine Ways [aka The Power and the Glory]. Graham GREENE.](/pictures/thumb/50749.jpg?v=1542993302)
The Labyrinthine Ways [aka The Power and the Glory].
New York: Viking, 1940. FIRST EDITION. 8vo., pp.301. Publisher's bright yellow cloth titled in blue, in pictorial dust-wrapper priced $2.50. Corrected text with pp.165 and pp.256 as cancels. Usual browning to endpapers else book is near fine; pretty wrapper is lightly edgeworn, toned to spine., A very good copy indeed... More
The Living Room. A Play in Two Acts.
London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1953. FIRST EDITION: Octavo. Fine publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine (edges a little dusty), original pictorial dust jacket, slightly sunned to spine, small chip to foot. Near fine copy. becoming scarce. Graham Greene's first play, a melodrama. WOBBE, R.A, "Graham Greene - A.... More
The Living Room. A Play in Two Acts.
London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1953. FIRST EDITION: Octavo. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine, neat ownership to flyleaf. Original pictorial dust jacket; lightly worn,with a few small chips. Now rather elusive. Graham Greene's first play, a melodrama. WOBBE, R.A, "Graham Greene - A Bibliography and Guide to Research"..... More