Death Is Now My Neighbour
London: Macmillan, 1996. First Edition. 8vo, 9 1/8 x 6 inches (232 x 152 mm); (12), 349 pp. Original full black cloth binding with gilt title on spine and grey pagemarker ribbon; original dustwrapper, unclipped and protected in archival mylar sleeve. Pages clean; firmly bound.
FIRST EDITION – INSCRIBED "For Ed & Pam — | Our oldest and dearest friends !" and SIGNED by the author.
In this, the TWELFTH novel from the series of 13, Morse divulges his first name, Endeavour (named after Captain James Cook's ship), for the first time in the series. Plot: Near Oxford a young woman is shot through her kitchen window in a baffling early-morning attack. Chief Inspector Morse and Detective Sergeant Lewis trace a cryptic literary clue to Lansdale College, where a tense academic rivalry may hide a deadly secret. The novel was adapted for the Inspector Morse television series as the episode of the same title.
English crime novelist Dexter (1930–2017) was best known for creating the erudite, music-loving Inspector Morse. The novels are noted for complex, crossword-style plots recognized for their intellectual, witty, and deeply atmospheric depiction of Oxford, ensuring Dexter's legacy alongside classic mystery authors. His excellence was recognized with several Crime Writer's Association awards: Two Silver Daggers, Two Gold Daggers and A Cartier Diamond Dagger. He also received an OBE for his services to literature in 2000. The novels were adapted into the hit TV series Inspector Morse (1987–2000), starring John Thaw, which spawned the spin-offs Inspector Inspector Lewis and Endeavour. Dexter lived in Oxford, was an avid crossword setter for The Oxford Times; he died in 2017.
The author inscribed the book to his good friend EDGAR GEOFFREY RAYNER (born 1927) and to his wife Pam. E. G. Rayner is an historian and prolific author of popular history books (many with co-author Ron Stapley, including Who Was Mr Nobody: Debunking Historical Mysteries, 2007; Debunking History, 2009; Debunking Women's History, 2010. Dexter and Rayner met while teaching at Wyggeston Grammar School —Colin Dexter's first teaching post after graduating from Christ's College, Cambridge. Although Dexter had moved on to Corby Grammar School by 1959, the two collaborated on two books on liberal studies, aimed at students in 6th form or first years of further education, in an attempt to stimulate discussion. The books were published in 1964 and 1965.
Condition: Fine / Fine.
Item number: 2294
Price: $250.00
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