Fear is the Key

First edition, first impression.  256pp.  Red cloth-covered boards, gilt lettering to spine.  8vo.  Cloth a little rounded at spine tips.  Text block edges dull and dusty.  Some spotting on endpapers, faintly and occasionally on first and last few leaves.  Dust jacket, not price clipped,  shelf worn, bumped and a little chipped around edges with a short closed tear from spine head, heavily spotted on interior sand lightly sunned over spine. Dust wrapper now protected in an archival-quality Mylar sleeve, fitted without the use of tape or adhesives.

Alistair 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.