Field of Thirteen (Collection of 13 Racing Short Stories) / Signed By Author / First Edition / 1st Printing / New/Unread

Francis, Dick

ISBN 10: 039914434X / ISBN 13: 9780399144349

Published by Putnam Adult, 1998

Hardcover, Condition: New, Unread, Very Tight Binding, Spine Not Broken, Never fully opened, Only opened to title page for autographing, light small bump to front bottom corner board, otherwise No marks or stamps, Not a remainder, SIGNED by Author on half-title page, Signature Only, ((A half-title page is the very first page of a book's interior, containing only the book's title, usually centered and in a smaller font, preceding the main title page)), Beautiful New Signed First/1st Copy, Dust Jacket Condition: New, no cuts, tears or stains, bound with red endpapers in green cloth boards with 13 embossed horse figures on front board, and red spine tape, (assumed) First Edition being a 1st Printing with the Full # Print Line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 as printed on copyright page, Original $24.95 price Not Clipped, "Field Of Thirteen" is collection of 13 short stories/racing stories, many of them new and never before published, Collections by Dick Francis: Field of 13 (1998), - Novels: Dead Cert (1962) Nerve (1964) For Kicks (1965) Flying Finish (1966) Blood Sport (1967) Forfeit (1968) Enquiry (1969) Rat Race (1970) Slay Ride (1970) Bonecrack (1971) Smokescreen (1972) Knockdown (1974) High Stakes (1975) In the Frame (1976) Risk (1977) Trial Run (1978) Reflex (1980) Twice Shy (1981) Banker (1982) The Danger (1983) Proof (1984) Hot Money (1987) The Edge (1988) Straight (1989) Longshot (1990) Comeback (1991) Driving Force (1992) Decider (1993) Wild Horses (1994) To the Hilt (1996) 10 lb Penalty (1997) Second Wind (1999) Shattered (2000) Dead Heat (2007) (with Felix Francis) Silks (2008) (with Felix Francis) Even Money (2009) (with Felix Francis) Crossfire (2010) (with Felix Francis). Seller Inventory # ABE-1766262796201

Synopsis:

The three-time Edgar Award winner delivers a suspense-driven, finely crafted collection of thirteen short stories, many of them new and not published heretofore, including the story of a middle-aged racehorse owner who unwisely falls in love with her jockey. 250,000 first printing.

Reviews: Though nearly two score of his novels have come to print, Francis has published only eight short stories in his 41 years as a bestselling author. That octet, composed mostly in the 1970s and initially appearing in various journals (Sports Illustrated, the Times of London, etc.), is reprinted here, along with five new tales, each introduced in brief by Francis. There's not a slacker among them, though few champions either. The earliest yarn, "Carrot for a Chestnut," dating from 1970 (eight years after Francis's first novel), is typical, presenting a morally ordered universe in which malefactors get their due, albeit commonly through indirect means. Here, a jockey who bends a race by feeding a horse a drugged carrot receives his comeuppance by losing his concentration as a result of his crime and getting involved in a nasty accident; as in most of the stories, there's a light twist to the ending. Horse racing figures in every entry, of course. Sometimes it's the focus of a crime?as in "Blind Chance," in which a blind boy picks up on how bettors are getting inside info on races with photo finishes. Sometimes, it's only background, as in "Collision Course," about how a fired newspaper editor hoists poetic justice upon a horrid restaurateur/horse trainer. Most of the stories are superficially clever, but below the quick plotting there's emotional depth; in "Spring Fever," for instance, Francis plumbs the innocent desperation of unrequited December-May love. And throughout there is Francis's voice, strong, smart, ironic, developed even at the beginning but maturing in timbre as he hones his skill. Even more than the horse racing, this voice is the tie that binds these 13 tales into a charmed entertainment.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In lieu of his annual novel (10 Lb. Penalty, 1997, etc.), horse racing's gift to the mystery offers his fans his first collection of shorts, including five colts appearing in their first event and eight fillies who've been around the track once or twice. Most of the new stories are horsey parables of revenge. A small-town newspaper editor plots against the restaurant that humiliated his guests; a mild expatriate Brit patiently pursues legal remedies against the lawyer who swindled him out of the bail money he put up for an acquaintance; a couple of means gets even with the social-climbing daughter who neglected her mother, their faithful groom; a timely accident puts paid to the plans of a hit man and the jockey who hired him. The last story, Haig's Death, about the effects of a race judge's fatal heart attack on the owners of the entrants, is the most original. But Francis fans won't be looking for originality here; they'll be content with the brisk authority with which the author sets up his familiar types for a series of falls as satisfying as they are predictable. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

A collection of 13 stories from jockey- turned-mystery writer Francis.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Francis heads straight for the winner's circle with his latest book, a baker's dozen of short stories, all featuring the horses, stables, trainers, jockeys, and assorted horsey hangers-on upon which Francis has built his hugely successful and incredibly long-running writing career. Many of the stories were written in the 1970s and originally appeared in British and American sporting magazines, but a few have never been published before, thus offering a rare and unexpected treat for Francis' legions of loyal fans. Whether he's writing about a horse thief who kills his own father and eventually reaps exactly what he's sown, the sweet Miss Marple^-like racing fan who falls disastrously in love with a cheating jockey, or the quiet French assassin who gets a shocking (and final) taste of his own medicine, Francis injects his own brand of magic into each story. His ingenious plotting, pared-down writing style, wry humor, and skillful characterizations make every story in this collection a sheer delight to read. Emily Melton

Bibliographic Details

Title: Field of Thirteen (Collection of 13 Racing ...
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Publication Date: 1998
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: New
Dust Jacket Condition: New
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
Edition: 1st Edition