THE MARY DEARE

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Original green cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated map endpapers. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents, except for a previous owner's name neatly in ink to the front free endpaper, clean throughout. The gilt lettering to the spine is a little dulled, with minor softening and fading to spine tips, and very light spotting to the upper edge of the page block. Complete with the very good rubbed and nicked dustwrapper, with a handful of short closed tears to edges. Not price-clipped (12s. 6d. net to the front flap).

Signed by the author in blue ink to the title page. Innes's eighteenth, and breakthrough, novel, "launched him", as Jack Adrian wrote in his obituary of the author, "into that rarefied empyrean most writers yearn for though few attain, supersellerdom. This apparently simple tale of conspiracy and fraud on the high seas is transformed into an epic drama through Innes's consummate handling of the forces of nature". The novel was adapted for the 1959 film (bearing the novel's American title, 'The Wreck of the Mary Deare') directed by Michael Anderson and starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston, with a screenplay by Eric Ambler. The success of the film, Adrian notes, "enabled Innes to buy his own 42ft ocean racer, not unnaturally named Mary Deare". (Hammond Innes, Obituary, 'Independent', 12 June 1998). (Hubin).