THE MAN FROM THE SEA

Michael Innes (J. I. M . Stewart)

Published by Victor Gollancz, London, 1955

About this Item

First impression of the true first edition. ***Very good in red cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to spine. Contemporaneous owner's name and date in red biro to front free endpaper: 'Kate Flint, April 1955.' Edges of boards slightly rubbed. Top corners of front and rear boards slightly bumped. Very small amount of fading to top of rear of spine. A very few fox-spots to fore-edge of text block. No foxing to pages. Pages clean. Spine tight. ***In a very good yellow, black and magenta titled dustwrapper that has not been price-clipped, showing original publisher's price of 10/6 net. Edges of dustwrapper slightly creased and rubbed. Spine of dustwrapper slightly discoloured. Small loss and rubbing to corners of dustwrapper. Head and tail of spine of dustwrapper slightly creased and rubbed with very small loss. Small closed tear to bottom of rear panel of dustwrapper. Front and rear panels of dustwrapper bright. ***192mm x 130mm. 223 pages. ***The Man from the Sea is set in the days of the Cold War. A night-time intimate rendezvous on a remote beach in northern Scotland is interrupted by the man form the sea, a defector and fugitive on the run, a nuclear physicist, who says he has come back to see his wife for a final time before he dies. The man on the beach is convinced of his story and helps him try to travel south without being caught by the Soviet agents, or making his identity known to the British. In a similar way to John Buchan, Michael Innes gives a psychological depth to the characters, and some elements can also be compared to Joseph Conrad in The Secret Sharer. ***Prof John Innes Mackintosh Stewart HFRSE DLitt (1906 - 1994) was a Scottish novelist and academic. Michael Innes is the pseudonym of J. I. M. Stewart, who was a lecturer at Queens College, Belfast and later was an Oxford University professor. Under his pseudonym, Michael Innes, he wrote nearly fifty crime thrillers between 1936 and 1986. His most famous character is Sir John Appleby, a Scotland Yard Detective Inspector. He is known for his works of literary criticism and literary novels published under his real name, and for his crime fiction books published under his pseudonym of Michael Innes. Readers knew of Michael Innes crime thrillers; other readers knew the literary novels and short stories and literary criticism under the name of J. I. M. Stewart, but not many people were aware this was the same author. However, his crime thrillers, although he considered these to be entertainments, make frequent literary allusions. ***First impression of the true first edition, hard to find in its original dustwrapper in such nice collectable condition. ***Of interest to collectors of Michael Innes, his inspector Appleby detective stories, and mid-twentieth century crime thriller first edition titles. ***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. Seller Inventory # 6334

Bibliographic Details

Title: THE MAN FROM THE SEA

Publisher: Victor Gollancz, London

Publication Date: 1955

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Edition: First Edition