The Xanadu Talisman (Modesty Blaise)

New York: Mysterious Press, 1981. First American Editiion . Hard Back. Very Good/No Dust Jacket As Issued. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2. 288 Pages. Of this First American Edition 250 copies have been numbered and signed by the author and this is copy no. 189. Pristine condition with attractive red endpapers and a black flawless slipcase. Black clothbound book stamped with red metallic lettering and decoration on the spine. This is number nine in the Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin series. During the 1950's the author became involved in strip cartoons and eventually created his revolutionary Modesty Blaise, syndicated in more than 42 countries. The strip led to a series of eleven bestselling novels about Modesty and her faithful lieutenant, Willie Garvin. In this classic return we see Modesty both at her most feminine and at her toughest. Trapped in an earthquake disaster with a dying man, she makes a promise that is to lead her and her faithful friend Willie Garvin into the most perilous crisis of their careers. Their quest takes them from Tangier to Paris, from the Riviera to Corsica, and finally to a stronghold in the heart of the Atlas Mountains, their every move observed and manipulated by El Mico, the most notorious and dangerous criminal genius in the Mediterranean. Unknown to Modesty, she holds a secret that El Mico covets above all else, and she is brought to a final confrontation with death in the stronghold of Xanadu. As in all the Modesty Blaise stories, this book is peopled with a host of eccentric characters: the engaging Dr. Giles Pennyfeather, Modesty's devoted friend, and her opponents Little Krell, a prodigy in combat, the Silk brothers, juvenile adults who deal in death, and the astonishing Nanny Prendergast.