Graham Greene considered Le Carre’s 1963 masterpiece the best spy story he had ever read. Set during the height of the Cold War, it was startling at the time of publication for the novel’s opposition to the rather one sided heroes and villains of the popular spy novels of the time. Le Carre painted a bleak landscape filled with the dubious tactics of the secret intelligence world, a world in which good does not always vanquish evil. The novel was revolutionary for its portrayal of Western espionage methods, which more often than not, were morally inconsistent with Western democracy and values. The novel for the first time showed the intelligence services of both the Eastern and Western nations as engaging in the same expedient amorality… all in the name of national security.

The author’s breakthrough third novel firmly established Le Carre’s literary career.  J.B. Priestley called it ‘a novel of the first order… superbly constructed with an atmosphere of chilly hell.’ The novel won John Le Carré the Somerset Maugham Award, and later the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. A monumental novel, it was the first to win both the Crime Writer’s Association Gold Dagger and the Mystery Writers of America Award. The Modern Library listed it as one of the 200 Best Novels in English since 1950, and Time Magazine placed it among the 100 Best Modern Novels.

Description: Hard bound with dust jacket. First printing of the first U.K. edition. Blue cloth boards with title in gilt to spine edge. Some wear and sunning to edges and corners of boards that are slightly cocked. Some minor age toning to page edges, otherwise with interior clean and binding sound. Unclipped dust jacket shows original 18/- net price. Some minor edge wear to dust jacket that shows a small tear to upper spine edge. Minor soiling to white rear panel of dust jacket. Slight sunning to spine edge of jacket that overall still presents well. A rare copy of the first U.K. edition of Le Carre’s landmark Spy Novel.

Bookseller Inventory # 32948

SOLD

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Le Carre, John

Publisher: Victor Gollancz, London
Publication Date: 1963
Binding: Hard bound in dust jacket
Book Condition: Very Good
Jacket Condition: Very Good
Edition: First U.K. Edition

· Category: Sold ·