Berkeley

1966 · rif. 5841 — London United Kingdom: Collins 1966. First Edition. hardcover. Very Good. Barbara Walton. Publication: London Collins 1966 Formatting: 8vo pp. 192. Condition Report: Very Good. The book is tightly bound in its original textured maroon cloth remaining square and robust with only minor bruising to the spine extremities and sharp corners. The gilt lettering on the spine is distinctly bright and unoxidised demonstrating it has been shielded from excessive light. Internally the text block is clean and free from foxing though the closed page edges exhibit some mild age-commensurate flecking typical for the paper stock of this era. The original vibrant dust jacket is exceptionally well-preserved and unclipped retaining the '13s 6d net' price on the front flap; it shows only trivial rubbing along the top edge and spine ends with no significant chips tears or fading ensuring this copy remains a highly attractive and displayable example. Catalogue Note: This is a true First Edition of Berkeley Gray’s thrilling 1966 novel Curtains for Conquest. The book is beautifully enhanced by a striking dust jacket featuring original artwork. As the penultimate novel in the long-running Norman Conquest series published posthumously following the death of author Edwy Searles Brooks in 1965 this title occupies a notable place in the canon of mid-century British crime fiction. Copies of this late-stage Norman Conquest title are scarce on the open market today particularly in such highly collectible condition with an intact unclipped wrapper. When an aggressive young nuclear scientist causes a nation-wide security alarm by refusing protection the swashbuckling adventurer Norman Conquest finds himself wrongly arrested by Scotland Yard. Incensed by this officious blunder Conquest sets out on a breakneck one-man crusade alongside his wife Joy and his loyal ex-tramp Man Friday. The trail leads him straight into a deadly confrontation with a shipload of enemies masterminded by the sinister Maximilian Zagora. What begins as a seemingly inescapable trap soon becomes a stage for Conquest’s ingenious methods delivering a fast-paced racy thriller full of unique twists and non-stop action. Collins hardcover