A Twist of Sand.

JENKINS, Geoffrey (1920-2001).

London: Collins, 1959. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 13cm), pp.320. Publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in pictorial dust-wrapper illustrated by John Rose, with a reference to Jenkins' journalist colleague Ian Fleming on the rear flap. A fine copy of the book, which appears unread, in a bright and fresh jacket with a touch of wear to the crown and few neat, short tears. An attractive copy, and a terrific read. Geoffrey Jenkins was a South African thriller writer of the 'Ian Fleming school' whose adventure novels often involved smuggling and Royal Navy Commandos; Fleming gave a glowing review of his debut novel A Twist of Sand (1959) and he also reviewed Jenkins' third novel A Grue of Ice (1962). As a young journalist, Jenkins had won the Lord Kemsley Commonwealth Journalistic Scholarship, which brought him, as a junior, to Fleet Street, where he spent the Second World War as a correspondent. Jenkins progressed to the Foreign Department of Kemsley House, and befriended Ian Fleming (the Foreign Manager) and journalist John Pearson (Fleming's assistant and biographer). Around 1957 Jenkins collaborated with Fleming on an outline for a James Bond adventure set in South Africa, which he continued with after Fleming's death; the full novel Per Fine Ounce was submitted to Glidrose Productions as the first 007 continuation novel in early 1967. It was not published, however, and shortly after Glidrose ran with Kingsley Amis's Colonel Sun (Cape, 1968). Item #60270

Gilbert, Jon; Ian Fleming: The Bibliography, pages 556-7, see also Appendix A, page 646.

Price: £65.00