By Charles Maxwell Knight
London   Philip Allan
7.5" by 5" viii, [1], 2-311pp
An extremely scarce first edition copy of Charles Maxwell Knight's detective fiction novel 'Gunmen's Holiday'. With fascinating association.
By Charles Maxwell Knight

1935 Gunmen's Holiday

London   Philip Allan
7.5" by 5" viii, [1], 2-311pp
An extremely scarce first edition copy of Charles Maxwell Knight's detective fiction novel 'Gunmen's Holiday'. With fascinating association.
£3,400.00
: 0.75kgs / : 764L12

What Our Customers Say...

Description

First Edition, Publishers' Original Binding, Signed

Accompanied by a hand-painted wooden diorama of a dalmation and chicken by the creator of Bonzo the dog, G E Studdy, signed by him 'G.E.S'. Studdy created the cartoon dog Bonzo in 1912, and his popularity continued to the 1930s. This diorama has been mounted on card with a calendar for 1938 beneath.

To the verso of the calendar there is an inscription from the author 'To Joan & Dennis, with all good wishes from Max'. This inscription from the author is addressed to Joan and Dennis Wheatley, the dedicatees of this book, 'To J. and DW'. Wheatley was a prolific occult and thriller author. His series 'Gregory Sallust' was one of the main inspirations for Fleming's Bond series. 

The author of this work, Charles Henry Maxwell Knight was allegedly the basis for the character 'M' in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Knight was a spymaster and played a major role in the surveillance of an early British Fascist party, and Fleming was one of Knight's spies. 

Most surviving works by Knight are his ornithological studies as he was a keen naturalist.  This novel is one of three detective fiction tales by Knight, the other two titled 'Crime Cargo' and 'In Farleigh Field'. 

An extremely scarce work, with no others in commerce.

Condition

In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally, excellent with minor shelfwear. Internally, firmly bound. Small closed tear to head of title page, due to the work being unopened at this point. Pages are age toned to edges due to the paper type. Scattered spots to the fore-edge, affecting the occasional page.

Very Good Indeed

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