O'FLAHERTY, Liam. The Assassin. London: Jonathan Cape. 1928. 8vo. First edition, first printing. Bright red cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the quite remarkable dust jacket designed by J. L. Carstairs, a quiet master of the medium. Housed in an attractive pale green half-morocco slipcase with five raised bands and matching green compartments lettered in gilt, and within a folding chemise and silk pull. The chemise and slipcase by Atmore Beach, the renowned binder and book collector, with his block signature in gilt to chemise. This copy inscribed by O’Flaherty to the front endpaper, “to J. Dixon, With affectionate regards from Liam O’Flaherty”, dated 6/4/28. An extremely well-preserved example, the cloth clean and bright, the binding tight and square, the contents fine with armorial leather bookplate ‘Beach’ to front pastedown hidden beneath the front flap. The dust jacket unclipped (7s 6d net) and fine with one or two very minor marks only. The slipcase slightly faded at the spine, else fine. An exceptional example.
O’Flaherty’s intriguing novel of political killing—based on the assassination of Irish politician, Kevin O'Higgins, in 1927—which examines not the act itself or its nation- or even worldwide effect, but more the intricate motivations and thought process of the assassin as character. The novel was well-received, though one New York Times reviewer suggested “the book undoubtedly would have gained in power had the author chosen a country in which political killing is rare”. Hardly O’Flaherty’s fault, of course, but his own experiences with political activism and the many characters he met formed the basis of the work here. The dust jacket design is that of J. L. Carstairs, a virtually unknowable designer of tremendous ability working in the 20s and 30s, who designed just a small handful of dust jackets and several London transport posters. Publishers Jonathan Cape issued a limited edition of 150 signed copies of the book; this edition is not one of those, and such copies signed or inscribed thus much scarcer than that limited edition.
O'FLAHERTY, Liam. The Assassin. London: Jonathan Cape. 1928. 8vo. First edition, first printing. Bright red cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the quite remarkable dust jacket designed by J. L. Carstairs, a quiet master of the medium. Housed in an attractive pale green half-morocco slipcase with five raised bands and matching green compartments lettered in gilt, and within a folding chemise and silk pull. The chemise and slipcase by Atmore Beach, the renowned binder and book collector, with his block signature in gilt to chemise. This copy inscribed by O’Flaherty to the front endpaper, “to J. Dixon, With affectionate regards from Liam O’Flaherty”, dated 6/4/28. An extremely well-preserved example, the cloth clean and bright, the binding tight and square, the contents fine with armorial leather bookplate ‘Beach’ to front pastedown hidden beneath the front flap. The dust jacket unclipped (7s 6d net) and fine with one or two very minor marks only. The slipcase slightly faded at the spine, else fine. An exceptional example.
O’Flaherty’s intriguing novel of political killing—based on the assassination of Irish politician, Kevin O'Higgins, in 1927—which examines not the act itself or its nation- or even worldwide effect, but more the intricate motivations and thought process of the assassin as character. The novel was well-received, though one New York Times reviewer suggested “the book undoubtedly would have gained in power had the author chosen a country in which political killing is rare”. Hardly O’Flaherty’s fault, of course, but his own experiences with political activism and the many characters he met formed the basis of the work here. The dust jacket design is that of J. L. Carstairs, a virtually unknowable designer of tremendous ability working in the 20s and 30s, who designed just a small handful of dust jackets and several London transport posters. Publishers Jonathan Cape issued a limited edition of 150 signed copies of the book; this edition is not one of those, and such copies signed or inscribed thus much scarcer than that limited edition.
