" It is a man's duty to have books. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessaries of life. "
— Henry Ward Beecher
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.
Fighter. The True Story of the Battle of Britain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1977. [Military history] FIRST EDITION, first impression. 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..... More
Fighter. The True Story of the Battle of Britain.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1977. [Military history] FIRST EDITION, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO HIS PUBLISHER. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.304. Blue cloth lettered in gilt to spine, red endpapers, top edge red, illustrated dust-jacket priced at £4.95. With many photographic plates. With presentation note to title page; To Tom and..... More
![Item #75380 ABC of French Food [together with] Basic French Cookery Course. Len DEIGHTON, born 1929](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/75380.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1781021687)
ABC of French Food [together with] Basic French Cookery Course.
London: Century, 1989-1990. [Cookery] FIRST EDITIONS THUS. Two volumes, octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.248; pp.223;[1]. Illustrated throughout with cook-strips. Publisher's red and blue cloth hardcovers blocked in gilt, photographic dust-jackets. An excellent pair. Clean and fresh throughout. The definitive edition of Deighton's work on French cookery, being a revised and..... 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. Near fine. 'This Jackdaw — originally published in England in 1967 before the facts could become blurred or adjusted..... 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=1696868764)
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
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 (red text variant). Bookseller's label to front pastedown. Light..... More
Billion Dollar Brain.
London: Penguin Books, 1966. [Cold-war spy thriller] FIRST UK PAPERBACK EDITION, first impression. Octavo (18 x 11cm), pp.255; [2], blank. Publisher's metallic effect softcovers with promotional still from the 1967 film directed by Ken Russell, priced at 5s. Cheap paper toned as expected, no ink names, wear to foot of..... 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 (blue text variant). Contents clean, no inscriptions, light toning..... More
Blitzkrieg. From the Rise of Hitler to the Fall of Dunkirk.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1979. [Military history] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.319; [1], blank. With photographic plates. Publisher's hardback cloth, diagrammatic yellow endpapers and top edge tinted red, in a pictorial dust-wrapper designed by Ray Hawkey (uncredited). Top edge sunned else fine in a near fine p/c jacket with..... 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, first impression. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.494 [2]. Publisher's navy blue cloth with silver titles to spine, black endpapers, and top edge red. With the dust-jacket designed by Raymond Hawkey, based on a painting by J.M.W. Turner. Internally clean, no inscriptions, edges..... 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
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, top edge red. A clean, fresh copy of the book (gentle sunning to top edge), jacket with minor rubbing at crown. Not a particularly scarce book, but fine..... More
Close-Up.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1972. [Modern Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.381; [1]. Publisher's cloth lettered in silver, black endpapers, dust-wrapper priced '£1.95 net in UK only', top edge red. No inscriptions, edges clean, top edge a little sunned, jacket with minor rubbing and wear at crown, some fading..... More
Close-Up.
New York: Atheneum, 1972. [Modern Fiction] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (24 x 15cm), pp.381; [1]. Publisher's black cloth lettered in silver and blue, red endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper, top edge tinted yellow. Contents clean, discreet owner label (small) to endpaper, fore edge lightly spotted, jacket a little rubbed, one soft fold/crease..... More
Declarations of War.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1971. [Short Stories] FIRST EDITION, first impression. 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..... More
Declarations of War.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1971. [Short Stories] FIRST EDITION, first impression. 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..... More
Declarations of War.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1971. [Short Stories] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY of the FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.205; [3], blank. Bound in printed yellow covers. Provisional price £1.50 and publication month 'October' to half title. With the proof-only red jacket, with an entirely different design to the published jacket, and..... More
Eleven Declarations of War.
New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971. [Short War Stories] FIRST US EDITION, first impression. 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..... More
An Expensive Place to Die
Jonathan Cape, London, 1967. [Spy Thriller] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo. Includes the original loose 'In Transit Docket', designed by Raymond Hawkey. Publisher's cloth in original dust-wrapper. Near fine, with a slight lean to book and jacket sunned to backstrip. Cold War-era spy thriller, set in Paris. HUBIN; CRIME FICTION..... More
An Expensive Place to Die.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1967. [Cold War spy thriller] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY in oversized PROOF-ONLY dust-jacket. 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-jacket. 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. [Spy Thriller] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.254. Publisher's black cloth in original pictorial dust-jacket, priced at 21 shillings, with the original loose 'In Transit Docket', designed by Raymond Hawkey. A crisp, fine copy of the book in a near fine, slightly sunned..... More
An Expensive Place to Die.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1967. [Spy Thriller] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.254. Publisher's black cloth in original pictorial dust-jacket, priced at 21 shillings, with the original loose 'In Transit Docket', designed by Raymond Hawkey. Minor creases to half title else a crisp, fine copy of the book..... More
An Expensive Place to Die.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1967. [Espionage] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.254 [2]. Publisher's black cloth, gilt titles to spine. With the photographic dust-jacket priced at 21s to front flap. Decorative black and white endpapers. Internally pristine. Spotting/dustiness to top edge. Jacket spine mildly sunned. Near fine. An..... More