Greene (Graham) Stamboul Train, first edition, first issue with Q.C. Savory to pp. 77, 78, 82, 98 and 131, minor splitting to upper hinge but holding firm, original cloth, very light fading to spine, else fine, first issue dust-jacket, neat and sympathetic repairs and restorations to spine ends and corners, and to head of upper panel, spine a little creased and darkened, light surface soiling to lower panel, 8vo, William Heinemann Ltd., 1932. ⁂ The rare first issue in the exceptionally rare dust-jacket. After reading an early review copy of Stamboul Train, the writer J.B. Priestley decided that the character "Q.C. Savory", a self-important writer, was based on him and threatened to sue Heinemann and depart the firm (where he was currently a top-billed writer). At the behest of the publishers Greene changed the name of the character to "Quinn Savory", changed him from a pipe to a cigar smoker and altered his references to Dickens to either Chaucer or Shakespeare. Copies were recalled for the changes to be made, at which point the book and dust-jacket were shortened by approximately 5mm. Only a handful of first issue copies are known to still be in circulation and copies in the dust-jacket make up a tiny proportion of these and likely the rarest of any Greene dust-jackets.
Greene (Graham) Stamboul Train, first edition, first issue with Q.C. Savory to pp. 77, 78, 82, 98 and 131, minor splitting to upper hinge but holding firm, original cloth, very light fading to spine, else fine, first issue dust-jacket, neat and sympathetic repairs and restorations to spine ends and corners, and to head of upper panel, spine a little creased and darkened, light surface soiling to lower panel, 8vo, William Heinemann Ltd., 1932. ⁂ The rare first issue in the exceptionally rare dust-jacket. After reading an early review copy of Stamboul Train, the writer J.B. Priestley decided that the character "Q.C. Savory", a self-important writer, was based on him and threatened to sue Heinemann and depart the firm (where he was currently a top-billed writer). At the behest of the publishers Greene changed the name of the character to "Quinn Savory", changed him from a pipe to a cigar smoker and altered his references to Dickens to either Chaucer or Shakespeare. Copies were recalled for the changes to be made, at which point the book and dust-jacket were shortened by approximately 5mm. Only a handful of first issue copies are known to still be in circulation and copies in the dust-jacket make up a tiny proportion of these and likely the rarest of any Greene dust-jackets.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
