"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. "
— Oscar Wilde
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.
The Orient Flight L.Z. 127-Graf Zeppelin.
Maryland: Germany Philatelic Society, Inc. 1980. [German Postage] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Octavo. pp.135, illustrated. SIGNED 'From Len Deighton' in blue ink to half-title. Publisher's blue leather-effect boards with gilt titles to the spine and upper. A fine copy, but for a little sunning to the extremities. A collaboration between Deighton..... More
Fighter. The True Story of the Battle of Britain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1977. [Military history] FIRST EDITION, association copy. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.304. Publisher's blue cloth hardcovers lettered in gilt to the spine, red endpapers, top edge red, dust-wrapper displays a Paul Nash painting, priced at £4.95. With many photographic plates. Near fine. From the library of Deighton's..... More
Fighter. The True Story of the Battle of Britain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1977. [Military history] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.304. Publisher's blue cloth hardcovers lettered in gilt to the spine, red endpapers, top edge red, dust-wrapper displays a Paul Nash painting, priced at £4.95. With many photographic plates. Near fine. Deighton's acclaimed account of Germany's first major..... More
Action Cook Book. Len Deighton's Guide to Eating.
London: Penguin, Harper Perennial 1967 and 2009. [Gastronomy] FIRST SOFTCOVER EDITION, and HARDBACK REISSUE. Two volumes. Octavo (20 x 24cm, and 14 x 21cm). Both volumes illustrated throughout. 1967 edition in publisher's photographic covers designed by Raymond Hawkey, reissue in with same artwork, adding a four-line quote from Michael Caine..... More
The Assassination of President Kennedy.
London: Jackdaw Publications, 1967. [Historical Dossier] FIRST EDITION. A blue card wallet (23 x 36cm), complete with all 18 documentary items and the contents pamphlet. Light handling and creasing to wallet. Missing a couple of small pieces of the Dealey Plaza model. Near fine. 'This Jackdaw — originally published in..... More
Basic French Cooking. Revised and Enlarged From Ou Est Le Garlic?
London: Jonathan Cape, 1979. [Cookery] FIRST EDITION. Oblong octavo (18 x 25cm), pp.222; [2], blank. Illustrated, with fifty cook-strips. Publisher's green cloth hardcovers blocked in gilt, photographic dust-jacket by Peter Williams priced at £4.95. Contents clean, no inscriptions. A fine copy. A thoroughly revised hardcover version of Deighton's 1965 cook..... More
![Item #65131 Battle of Britain [two copies]. Len DEIGHTON, born 1929](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/65131.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1696868704)
Battle of Britain [two copies].
London: Jonathan Cape / Coward McGann & Geoghegan, 1980. [Second World War] FIRST EDITIONS, UK & US issues. Small quartos (26 x 20cm), pp.224. Illustrated throughout in colour and black and white. Publisher's blue cloth with silver titles to spine. With the illustrated dust-jackets; UK by Frank Wootton US by..... More
Billion Dollar Brain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1966. [Cold War thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.312. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine and white braille design to upper. With the metallic-effect dust-jacket designed by Raymond Hawkey, priced at 21s. Jacket shows some rubbing to edges, with a few closed tears..... More
The Billion Dollar Brain.
New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1966. [Spy Thriller] FIRST US EDITION, the true first edition. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.[2] 312 [6]. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and gilt device to upper. Fore-edge untrimmed. With the dust-jacket. Bookseller's label to front pastedown. Light toning and spotting..... More
The Billion Dollar Brain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1966. [Cold War thriller] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.312. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine and white braille design to upper. With the metallic-effect dust-jacket designed by Raymond Hawkey priced at 21s. Book shows light handling only. Lightweight fragile jacket shows..... More
Blood, Tears & Folly. In the Darkest Hour of the Second World War,
London: Jonathan Cape, 1993. [Military history] FIRST EDITION, association copy. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.653; [1]. Publisher's black cloth hardcovers lettered in gilt to the spine, cartographic endpapers, dust-wrapper priced at £20. With many photographic plates. A very good copy, slightly sunned to spine. From the library of Deighton's biographer..... 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 designed by Raymond Hawkey, based on a painting by J.M.W. Turner. A very good copy in price-clipped..... More
City of Gold.
London: Century, 1992. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 15cm), pp.[viii]; 323; [5], blank. Publisher's sand-coloured hardcover cloth blocked in black to the backstrip, cartographic endpapers, illustrated dust-jacket priced at £14.99. Lightly handled; near fine. A novel of conflict, espionage and love, set in Wartime Cairo, 1942. In the 60's..... More
The Complete Bernard Samson Series; Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match [together with] Spy Hook, Spy Line, Spy Sinker [with] Faith, Hope and Charity [and] Winter.
London: Hutchinson / Harper Collins, 1983-1996. [Cold War spy saga] FIRST EDITIONS. Ten volumes. Publisher's various coloured cloths in illustrated dust-wrappers. No ink names, no price clipping, books are clean, one jacket 'Charity' with a short tear else a fine set. Bernard Samson is a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence..... 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 larger soil mark to fore-edge. Jacket spine lightly..... 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. A fine copy of the book in a fine jacket but for the usual..... More
Eleven Declarations of War.
New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971. [Short War Stories] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[10] 180 [2]. Publisher's black quarter cloth with red titles to spine and yellow paper over boards. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at $6.95. A little spotting to top edge. Head-cap pulled. Jacket..... 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 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.
New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1965. [Spy Thriller] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.[2] 312 [6]. Publisher's black quarter cloth with grey titles to spine, cream cloth over boards, and orange endpapers. Top edge orange; fore-edge untrimmed. With the dust-jacket designed by Ben Feder. A little toned..... More
Funeral in Berlin. Secret File No.3.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. [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 spy thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.320. Publisher's hardcover, printed black endpapers, dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey. A few small marks to edges. Essentially a fresh-looking copy but with some accidental soiling to top edge (thankfully this is mostly confined to the rear..... More
Funeral in Berlin. Secret File Number 3.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. [Spy thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[1] 319 [2]. Publisher's black cloth with blue rubber-stamp motif and blind 'downgraded to unclassified' box blocked to upper board, gilt titles to spine. With the photographic dust-jacket designed by Raymond Hawkey priced at 18s. Black, pictorial endpapers..... More
Funeral in Berlin. Secret File Number 3.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. [Cold-war spy thriller] SIGNED FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[1] 319 [2]. Publisher's black cloth with blue rubber-stamp motif and blind 'downgraded to unclassified' box blocked to upper board, gilt titles to spine. With the photographic dust-jacket designed by Raymond Hawkey priced at..... More