Happy Odyssey by Adrian Carton de Wiart by Adrian Carton de Wiart

London: Pan Books, 1955. Mass Market Paperback. Very Good. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. 219 pages, with a foreword by Sir Winston Churchill. The front paste downs, the outer edge of the back cover and the head are foxed, the pages tanned, and the head's outer edge very lightly bumped, including a tiny crease on the front cover. Although obviously second hand, it remains a clean, unmarked copy with very tight binding, which almost suggests has never been read. First paperback edition. "Adrian Carton de Wiart's autobiography is one of the most remarkable of military memoirs. He was the son of a Belgian barrister, Leon Constant Ghislain Carton de Wiart (1854-1915). He, himself, was intended for the law, but abandoned his studies at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1899 to serve as a trooper in the South African War. He abandoned the law for all time on 14 September 1901 when he received a direct commission in the 4th Dragoon Guards. Carton de Wiart's extraordinary military… Read More

Reinforced inside the channel at head and tail. Cover faded especially on the spine, now re-coloured. A gift inscription to "Dad" who lived at Mountain View, Kokstad, E Griqualand, S A (embossed stamp); top cnr of ffep has been clipped; occasional dirty marks. Portrait as frontis. The highly interesting story of a remarkable soldier, who served in four wars over half a century.

Jonathan Cape, 1950. Hardcover. Acceptable/Good. 1950. 3rd Impression. 287 pages. Yellow dust jacket over yellow cloth with circular 'ex libris' logo in black to front board, and black lettering to spine. Black and white photographic frontispiece. Foreword by Winston Churchill. Jacket priced 12s6d with 'Book Society's Choice'. Binding remains firm. Pages have light tanning and foxing throughout. Small stamp to first page. Endpapers have strips of tanning caused by jacket. Slight staining to pastedowns. Boards have light shelf-wear with corner bumping. Slight crushing to spine ends. Notable areas of pale water staining on front board, slightly to rear too. Book has a moderate forward lean. Clipped jacket has light edgewear with tears and creasing. Moderate tanning to spine and edges. Jacket is moderately rubbed and marked overall.

Jonathan Cape, 1950. Hardcover. Good/Good. 1950. Second Impression. 287 pages. Yellow dust jacket with green lettering over red cloth. B&W frontispiece. Clean pages with firm binding. Notable foxing and tanning to endpapers and page edges. Mild wear and bumping to spine, board edges and corners, with sunning to spine and board edges. Minor scuffing, small stains and marking across the boards. Faint marks and odour from cleaning of boards. Dust jacket corners cut but not price clipped. Mild wear and tear to edges and corners, with larger tear to top of rear joint. Notable tanning to spine, with some staining and soiling to DJ.

London: Jonathan Cape, 1950, 1950. 4th ed. 287p. Photos. Introduction by Winston S Churchill. Served with the Imperial Light Horse in the Boer War, the Dragoon Guards and 8th North Staffordshires in WWI and commanded the Central Norwegian Expeditionary Force in 1940. Taken prisoner by the Italians after crashing while flying to Jugoslavia. He escaped, year later , was recaptured and released to negotiate an armistice, and became Churchill's personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek, Tan/yellow jacket price clipped. Bookplate. Fine/Near Fine Copy. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. Book.