Home / Browse / Autographs & Signed Books / [Complete set of the novels, comprising:] Dead Cert, Nerve, For Kicks, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Blood Sport, Forfeit, Enquiry, Rat Race, Bonecrack, Smokescreen, Slay-Ride, Knock Down, High Stakes,

FRANCIS, Dick.

[Complete set of the novels, comprising:] Dead Cert, Nerve, For Kicks, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Blood Sport, Forfeit, Enquiry, Rat Race, Bonecrack, Smokescreen, Slay-Ride, Knock Down, High Stakes,

Publisher: London, Michael Joseph, 1962–2000

Stock code: 43471

Price: £17,500 Currency Conversion

First editions, first impressions. All copies with presentation inscriptions in the hand of Dick Francis from Dick and Mary to Susan and Roger [Dicey], apart from Dead Cert and Odds Against inscribed solely from Dick, and Rat Race in the hand of Mary Francis. For Kicks is dated 1964 (published 1965). Longshot with a letter by Dick Francis mentioning how he had given a copy of our book to the Queen and the Queen Mother while at Ascot. "Mary and I had always worked on the books together. She was brilliant at the research and had the uncanny knack of asking the right questions to get the information we needed. She learnt all sorts of new skills in the pursuit of knowledge for the stories; she became a pilot for Flying Finish and Rat Race; she took up photography for Reflex and painting for In The Frame. We would discuss the plot every night and she would read through the pages and polish the prose. And so it had been for nearly forty years with a new book every autumn. Now it was time for a rest. But sadly, just a month after we took the decision, Mary suddenly died. Our rest in retirement together was non existent and I was left alone" (Dick Francis 2006). Genuine presentation copies of Dick Francis books from Mary and himself are not common and to find a complete set of all the novels they co-wrote each presented to the same person on publication is rare indeed.

39 individual works, octavo. Original boards, titles to spines. With the dust jackets. Some minor browning to page edges of first few volumes, dustjackerts on early volumes supplied from other first edition copies, large majority of other titles fine in dust jackets. A bright, attractive set.

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