le Carré, John (1963) ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’, UK signed and inscribed first edition

John le Carré (1963) ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold‘, UK first edition, eighth impression, published by Victor Gollancz. Signed and inscribed by the author on the ffep: “For Catherine Spink, with best wishes from the author John le Carré known to her pa as David Cornwell – Bonn 1962 Vienna 1965” .

Provenance: The dedication is to Kathryn Spink, writer of biographies, the authorised biographer of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and translator: https://www.kathrynspink.com/

Evidently, le Carré misspelled Kathryn’s name. Spink is the daughter of Peter Spink, and English Anglican priest and founder of the Omega Order. He was the ordained chaplain to the British embassies in Bonn and Vienna where he and the writer met.

Condition: a very good to near fine book in a very good dust jacket. The boards are clean and square. There are no prevous owner’s names, no stamps, no bookplates. The top page block edge has a few foxing spots as shown, the fore and bottom edge are clean. Internally clean with light toning to the paper commensurate with age.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is le Carré’s breakthrough and signature novel which allowed young David Cornwell to give up his undercover intelligence work in Germany and to become a fulltime writer. The book has been adapted into the successfull 1965 film starring Richard Burton. The book was accoladed with the 1963 Gold Dagger Award, as well as with the Dagger of Daggers as stand-out among all fifty winners over the history of the Crime Writers’ Association.

A beautiful book, hard to find with such lengthy and beautiful inscriptions which ties le Carré to his time in Germany during the Cold War. Only printed five months after the first printing. A first edition, first print with such an inscription and association would easily fetch a five-figure sum; this a more affordable alternative and preferable to any bookplates or flat signed copies with questionable provenance.