Follet, Ken

THE PIERS ROPER SERIES [THE SHAKEOUT, THE BEAR RAID] [Two Volumes] [Signed]

London, UK: Harwood-Smart Publishing, 1975-1976. First UK Edition, First Printing. Octavo, 2 Volumes. In Good plus condition with Very Good condition dust jackets. Volume 1 has a black spine with cream lettering. Volume 2 has a black spine with teal lettering. Dust jackets are wrapped in mylar coverings, Volume 1 has mild shelving wear, mild age-toning, mild wear along the tail fore corners, and mild wear along the spine tail, Volume 2 has mild shelving wear, mild age-toning, mild wear along the spine tail, and mild staining along the fore edges. Boards of Volume 1 have mild wear along the tail edges, bending along the spine tail edge, and mild wear along the fore corners. Boards of Volume 2 have mild shelving wear, mild wear along the edges, and mild wear along the spine head and tail edges. Textblock of Volume 1 has staining along the end-pages, mild age-toning along the edges, and mild foxing along the edges. Textblock of Volume 2 has mild splitting to gutter between front end-page and half-title page, staining along the head and fore edges, and mild age-toning along the edges. Signed flat by Ken Follet on bookplates adhesively attached to half-title pages.

CONTENTS: Vol. 1, "The Shakeout", 157 pages - Vol. 2, "The Bear Raid", 152 pages. JW consignment. Shelved in Case 6.

1384506

Shelved Dupont Bookstore

Price: $600

NOTES

Volume 1 is 5.5" x 8" and Volume 2 is 6" x 9.5", both being octavos, but "The Bear Raid" being slightly larger in length and height. Ken Follett was born on June 5, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, moving to London at age 10. Follett would apply himself greatly to his studies, earning admission to University College London in 1967 studying philosophy and journalism, participating in center-left politics. After a 3-year stint as a journalist in Cardiff and a short time as a general-assignment reporter for "Evening News", Follet would leave journalism behind and pursued a career as the deputy managing director of Everest Books, a small London publisher. While there, Follet would begin writing during evenings and weekends, beginning to write as a way to pay for car repairs. Follet's writings took some time to gain success, but by 1978, his novel "Eye of the Needle" was an international best seller, selling over 10 million copies. This and future successes, each novel after "Eye of the Needle" becoming bestsellers, would bring greater attention to his past novels, the short "Piers Roper" series seeing greater acclaim and interest in the coming years, both "The Shakedown" and "The Bear Raid" earning Follet the 1979 Edgar Award upon their release in the United States.