"Outside of a dog, man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
— Groucho Marx
Len Deighton (Leonard Cyril Deighton) | First Editions
1929
Leonard Cyril Deighton (born 18 February 1929), known as Len Deighton, is a British author. He is considered one of the top three spy novelists of his time (along with Ian Fleming and John le Carré), and is a highly acclaimed military historian, cookery writer, and graphic artist. His fictional works include: The ICPRESS File (1962), Funeral in Berlin (1964), Bomber (1970), Twinkle Twinkle Little Spy (1974), and others.The IPCRESS File, his first novel, was an instant bestseller and broke the mould of thriller writing. The Sunday Times dubbed him "the poet of the spy story". Deighton’s first protagonist - a nameless spy later christened Harry Palmer - was made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s films which starred Michael Caine. According to writer Anthony Masters, Deighton's interest in spy stories may have been partially inspired by the arrest of Anna Wolkoff, which he witnessed as an 11-year-old boy. Wolkoff, a British subject of Russian descent, was a Nazi spy and next door neighbour of the Deightons. She was detained on 20 May 1940 and subsequently convicted of violating the Official Secrets Act for attempting to pass secret documents to the Nazis.
See below our stock of Len Deighton First Editions and signed copies.
Airshipwreck.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1978. [Airships] FIRST EDITION. Oblong octavo (22 x 27cm), pp.72. Heavily illustrated with black and white illustrations. Also with the accompanying photographic postcard. Publisher's black cloth with silver titles to spine and upper, schematic endpapers. With the photographic dust-jacket, priced at £4.95. A fine copy. A profile..... More
Billion Dollar Brain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1966. [Cold War thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.312. Publisher's hardback cloth in a metallic-effect pictorial dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey priced at 21s. Top edge dusty else book is fine, in a lightly handled jacket with a few inevitable nicks/marks to the thin foil..... More
Bomber.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1970. [Wartime Adventure] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.494; [2], blank. Publisher's lime green wrappers, in oversized textured PROOF-ONLY dust-wrapper, marked as such to rear flap. A near fine copy of the book in similar jacket, lightly worn at crown, a...... More
Bomber.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1970. [Wartime Adventure] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.494; [2], blank. Publisher's blue cloth hardcovers lettered to the spine in silver, plain black endpapers, top edge red. Textured dust-wrapper priced at 35s / £1.75, designed by Raymond Hawkey, based on a painting by J.M.W.Turner. Discreet ink..... More
Close-Up.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1972. [Modern Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.381; [1]. Publisher's cloth, black endpapers, dust-wrapper priced at £1.95. A clean, fine copy. Not a scarce book, but fine copies without fading are somewhat elusive. Uncommon. Thriller, set within the Hollywood entertainment industry. More
Declarations of War.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1971. [Short Stories] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.205 [3]. Publisher's dark brown cloth with gilt titles to spine, and red endpapers. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Christopher Foss, priced at £1.50. Light toning to edges, with one very large spot to fore-edge. Jacket spine lightly..... More
Drinks-man-ship. Town's Album of Fine Wines and High Spirits.
London: Haymarket Press, 1964. [Literary Cocktail book] FIRST EDITION. Folio (33 x 24cm), pp.133; [1], blank. Publisher's quarter white cloth over green paper-covered sides, photographic dust-wrapper. Illustrated with photographs throughout. A very good copy in similar price-clipped wrapper with a few nicks, tears and creases. This is a superior example..... More
An Expensive Place to Die
Jonathan Cape, London, 1967. FIRST EDITION. Cold War -era spy thriller, set in Paris. 8vo. Publisher's cloth in original dust-wrapper. Near fine, with a slight lean to book and jacket sunned to backstrip. Includes the original loose 'In Transit Docket', designed by Raymond Hawkey. HUBIN; CRIME FICTION IV. Milward-Oliver; Len..... More
An Expensive Place to Die.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1967. Cold War-era spy thriller, set in Paris. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.254. Publisher's cloth in original dust-wrapper, with the original loose 'In Transit Docket', designed by Raymond Hawkey. A lightly used copy in similar edgeworn jacket, slightly sun-lightened to spine panel. HUBIN; Crime Fiction IV. Milward-Oliver; Len..... More
An Expensive Place to Die.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1967. [Cold War spy thriller] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY in oversized PROOF-ONLY dust-wrapper. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.254;[2], blank. Publisher's lime-green softcovers in jacket, with traces of the bold printed word 'ENGLISH' to extreme front edge of the flap and 'PROOF ONLY' in bold to rear with provisional..... More
An Expensive Place to Die.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1967. [Cold War spy thriller] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY in oversized PROOF-ONLY dust-wrapper. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.254;[2] blank. Publisher's lime-green softcovers in jacket, with traces of the bold printed word 'ENGLISH' to extreme front edge of the flap and 'PROOF ONLY' in bold to rear with provisional..... More
Funeral in Berlin. Secret File No.3.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. [Cold War thriller] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY in oversized PROOF-ONLY dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey, priced at 18s. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.320. Publisher's lime-green softcovers in jacket with bold 'PROOF ONLY' text to rear flap with provisional publication date printed below. Shows some expected handling, unsupported..... More
Funeral in Berlin. Secret File No.3.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. [Cold-war spy thriller] FIRST EDITION, SIGNED BY HAWKEY. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.320. Publisher's hardcover, printed black endpapers, dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey, priced at 18s. Very light wear to crown of spine else a clean, fine copy which appears unread. Autographed in blue ink by..... More
Funeral in Berlin. Secret File No.3.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. [Cold War thriller] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY in oversized PROOF-ONLY dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey, priced at 18s. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.320. Publisher's lime-green softcovers in jacket with bold 'PROOF ONLY' text to rear flap with provisional publication date printed below. Shows some expected handling, unsupported..... More
Funeral in Berlin. Secret File No.3.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. [Cold-war spy thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.320. Publisher's hardcover, printed black endpapers, dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey,. Edges a little dusty/marked, some toning to reverse of jacket which is price clipped. Overall and attractive copy in near fine condition. Basis for the classic..... More
Goodbye Mickey Mouse.
London: Hutchinson, 1982. [Wartime air adventure] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.395; [5], blank. Publisher's red cloth hardcover in illustrated dust-wrapper priced at £8.50. Near fine (top edge dusty/spotted) in near fine wrapper. A popular read and certainly not a scarce book, but increasingly uncommon in anything approaching fine..... More
Goodbye Mickey Mouse.
London: Hutchinson, 1982. [Wartime air adventure] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.395; [5], blank. Publisher's red cloth hardcover in illustrated dust-wrapper priced at £8.50. Trivial dustiness; a lovely fine copy. A popular read and certainly not a scarce book, but increasingly uncommon in anything approaching fine condition. Milward-Oliver; Len..... More
Horse Under Water. Secret File No. 2. A Novel by Len Deighton.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. [Espionage fiction] FIRST EDITION, second impression. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.255;[1] blank. Publisher's red cloth lettered in gilt to spine. Black "office stamp" motif and blind-stamped DOWNGRADED TO UNCLASSIFIED on front board. Dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey. Some spotting to edges, binding and price clipped wrapper..... More
Horse Under Water. Secret File No.2. A Novel by Len Deighton.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. [Cold War spy thriller] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255; [1]. Publisher's lime green softcovers with 'greek urn' device repeated in white, titles printed in black. Inevitable spine wrinkling else a lovely fine copy which appears unread. The author's second novel, being the first..... More
The Ipcress File.
Pennsylvania: The Franklin Library, 1988. [Cold-War thriller] FRANKLIN LIBRARY EDITION. With two illustrations by Terry Widener [front cover and frontispiece]. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.279; [1], blank; [1], Colophon; [1], blank. Publisher's black cloth hardcovers blocked in gilt, colour plate to upper, brick wall patterned endpapers, all edges gilt. Small..... More
The Ipcress File.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1962. [Cold-War thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.224. Publisher's orange cloth in original dust-wrapper (without reviews) designed by Raymond Hawkey. A couple of laminate creases, minor edge wear, some vintage tape and file number to reverse side; a bright near fine copy. Author's debut..... More
Len Deighton's Continental Dossier. A collection of cultural, culinary, historical, spooky, grim and preposterous fact compiled by Victor and Margaret Pettitt.
London: Michael Joseph, 1968. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm). Publisher's glazed photographic boards with all-over design in colour. Printed on glossy paper stock, folding cloth map at rear. A particularly fine example of an unusual 'sixties reference book, without the heavy fading to the spine that affects this title..... More
Len Deighton's Continental Dossier. A collection of cultural, culinary, historical, spooky, grim and preposterous fact compiled by Victor and Margaret Pettitt.
London: Michael Joseph, 1968. [European culture] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), unpaginated. Publisher's glazed photographic boards with all-over design in colour. Printed on glossy paper stock, folding cloth map at rear. Lightly handled, top corners bumped, some fading to spine; a very good copy. Book Collector No.287 (pp.32-62) 'The..... More
Len Deighton's London Dossier.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1967. [Counter-culture] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY in oversized PROOF-ONLY dust-wrapper. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.328. Publisher's lime-green softcovers in jacket, with 'PROOF ONLY' in bold to rear with provisional publication date below. Unlike the published jacket, the proof wrapper is not glazed. Some minor wear to unsupported/oversize areas..... More
Mamista.
London: Century, 1991. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 15cm), pp.[vi]; 360; [2], blank. Publisher's red hardcover cloth blocked in gilt to backstrip, black endpapers, illustrated dust-jacket priced at £14.99. Top edge slightly dusty else a clean, fine copy. Guerilla warfare story set in 1980s South America... More