GIDEON'S DRIVE (First edition - first impression)

First impression of the true first edition. Jacket design by Colin Andrews. ***Near fine in black cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The boards are clean and unmarked. Corners sharp. Edges of page block clean. Internally also very good with no inscriptions. Pages clean. No internal foxing. Spine tight. ***In a very good colour illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of £3.25 net. The dustwrapper is complete, but with some rubbing and creasing to the extremities. There is a small closed tear and associated crease to the bottom edge of the back panel, and a small nick at the bottom of the spine. The back panel is only slightly discoloured (being a white background). The spine of the dustwrapper is completely unfaded. ***189 pages. 190mm x 130mm. ***'John Creasey MBE (17 Sep 1908 - 9 Jun 1973) was an English crime writer, also writing science fiction, romance and western novels, who wrote more than six hundred novels using twenty-eight different pseudonyms. He created several characters who are now famous, such as The Toff (The Honourable Richard Rollison), Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard, Inspector Roger West, The Baron (John Mannering), Doctor Emmanuel Cellini and Doctor Stanislaus Alexander Palfrey. The most popular of these was Gideon of Scotland Yard, who was the basis for the television series Gideon's Way and for the John Ford movie Gideon's Day (1958). The Baron character was also made into a 1960s TV series starring Steve Forrest as The Baron.' (Wiki) ***'George Gideon, with his courage, his integrity and his fair share of good old-fashioned common sense, is surely the finest of all British policemen, whose fundamental reality he typifies. This is the twenty-first book about him, his wife and family, his devoted staff; and about the multifarious crimes he deals with and the criminals he understands and defeats - often at the expense of his own personal comfort and happiness. ***Here are rape and murder, sex and violence, petty misdemeanours and vast conspiracies - all the myriad faces of Evil; and against them strives George Gideon, tireless upholder of Good and justice. ***This is part of John Creasey's legacy to his devoted followers - a collection of stories as exciting and as real as any that Gideon has ever been involved in.' ***'The finest of all Scotland Yard series' New York Times ***(Quote and review quote taken from the front and back flaps of the dustwrapper) ***First impression of the true first edition in its original dustwrapper in really nice collectable condition. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.…