Dick Francis Complete Set. Dead Cert, Nerve, For Kicks, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Blood Sport, Forfeit, Enquiry, Rat Race, Bonecrack, Smokescreen, Slay-Ride, Knock Down, High Stakes, In The Frame, Risk, Trial Run, Whip Hand, Reflex, Twice Shy, Banker, The Danger, Proof, Break In, Bolt, Hot Money, The Edge, Straight, Longshot, Comeback, Driving Force, Decider, Wild Horses, Come To Grief, To The Hilt, 10-lb Penalty, Field Of Thirteen, Second Wind Shattered and Under Orders.

Francis, Dick

Published by Michael Joseph 1962-2006, London, 1962

About this Item

First editions of each of the first forty Dick Francis' mystery novels.Octavo, 40 Volumes. All forty volumes are signed by Francis and the first three novels: "Dead Cert", "Nerve", and "For Kicks" are signed with lines transcribed from them by Francis. The Set Consists of: Dead Cert, Nerve, For Kicks, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Blood Sport, Forfeit, Enquiry, Rat Race, Bonecrack, Smokescreen, Slay-Ride, Knock Down, High Stakes, In The Frame, Risk, Trial Run, Whip Hand, Reflex, Twice Shy, Banker, The Danger, Proof, Break In, Bolt, Hot Money, The Edge, Straight, Longshot, Comeback, Driving Force, Decider, Wild Horses, Come To Grief, To The Hilt, 10-lb Penalty, Field Of Thirteen, Second Wind Shattered and Under Orders. An exceptional set each title is fine in near fine to fine dust jackets. He set his first thriller, Dead Cert, published in 1962, in the world of horse racing, establishing a specialized niche for his work. Subsequently he regularly produced a novel a year for the next 38 years, missing only 1998 (during which he published a short-story collection). Although all his books were set against a similar background, his male protagonists held a variety of jobs, including artist (In the Frame and To the Hilt), investigator for the Jockey Club (Slay-Ride and The Edge), pilot (Rat Race and Flying Finish), and wine merchant (Proof). All the novels are narrated by the hero, who in the course of the story learns that he is more resourceful, brave, tricky, than he had thought, and usually finds a certain salvation for himself as well as bestowing it on others. Details of other people's occupations fascinated Francis, and he explores the workings of such fields as photography, accountancy, the gemstone trade, and restaurant service on transcontinental trainsā "but always in the interests of the plot. Dysfunctional families were a subject which he also exploited (Reflex, a baleful grandmother; Hot Money, a multi-millionaire father and serial ex-husband; Decider, the related co-owners of a racecourse). Seller Inventory # 490

Bibliographic Details

Title: Dick Francis Complete Set. Dead Cert, Nerve,...

Publisher: Michael Joseph 1962-2006, London

Publication Date: 1962

Binding: Soft cover

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition