HMS Ulysses

First edition, fifth printing (in the same year as first publication).  320pp.  Red cloth-covered boards with black lettering to spine. Map on front endpapers, diagrammatic drawing of HMS Ulysses on the rear endpapers.  8vo.  Cloth a little bruised at spine ends.  Mild and even age toning to text block edges.  A hint of spotting on first and last few pages else internally neat, clean, bright and tight.  In its original dust jacket, not price clipped, a little rubbed and chipped on extreme edges, some visible shelf wear on verso.  Dust wrapper now protected in a Brodart-style sleeve, fitted without the use of tape or adhesives. 

HMS Ulysses was Alistair MacLean’s first novel. Maclean (1922-87) was a popular and prolific Scottish writer best-known for fast-paced thrillers and action-packed war novels.  His debut novel, HMS Ulysses – a huge commercial success – drew heavily on his personal experiences of serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Several of his works were made into films, including The Guns of Navarone (film released 1957) and Where Eagles Dare (released 1967) starring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton.  His later novels shifted in style, with more spartan prose focussing on espionage and global politics but still included some action masterpieces such as Floodgate (1983) and Seawitch (1977), a classic vendetta novel set in the cut-throat world of the global oil industry.  MacLean also published works under the pen name Ian Stuart. We have many Alistair MacLean novels in stock and can offer generous discounts to those ordering more than one at a time.  Please inquire.