Delicate Mission: Autobiography of a Secret Agent (Inscribed Copy)

Inscribed copy of the larger-than-life autobiography of one of the most cinematic figures in the annuals of 20th century espionage, mountaineer, soldier, painter, rancher, debonair party-goer, saucy POW, and death-defying British MI6 operative Conrad O'Brien-ffrench. O-Brien-freench was an early recruit of legendary MI6 leader Stewart Menzies, M having been impressed by O'Brien-ffrench's resourcefulness and skulduggery as a wounded POW held by the German army during World War I. O'Brien-Ffrench would get another round against the Germans, posing effortlessly as a brazen playboy while harvesting secrets under Nazi noses in the buildup to World War II. Among those with a close-up view of O'brien-ffrench's style and machinations at his peak were writerly brothers Peter and Ian Fleming. In taking the measure of the smooth, eminently confident, and multi-faceted O'Brien-ffrench, Ian Fleming is widely believed to have observed qualities that he would build into a Cold War era character, a top spy operative named Bond. Bond? Yes, that Bond. By the time James Bond dominated bestseller lists and movie screens, O'Brien-ffrench, once a respectably high-ranking member of Gestapo wanted lists, was long out of the game, officially anyway. Climbing, painting, ranching, and going about his customary Most Interesting Man in the World-esque routines in the vicinity of remote peaks in North America. Inscribed by Conrad O'Brien-french to a previous owner on the front endpaper. 272 pages, illustrated. Second Printing. The book itself shows no sign of previous use. The dust jacket has a closed tear at the bottom of the front cover.…