The Moving Target - photo 1
The Moving Target - photo 2
The Moving Target - photo 3
The Moving Target - photo 4
The Moving Target - photo 5

The Moving Target

Sold
£ 3 528
Auction dateClassic
28.09.2023 13:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1016468
Lot 89 | The Moving Target
The Moving Target

John [Ross] Macdonald

MACDONALD, John [Ross] (1915-1983). The Moving Target. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1949.



Presentation copy of the first edition, inscribed by the author to friend and fellow writer John Ball. Ball (1911-1988) worked predominantly in the mystery and crime genre and is most famous for works featuring the African-American detective Virgil Tibbs, such as In the Heat of the Night (1965) and Johnny Get Your Gun (1969). The Moving Target is the first full-length novel by Miller to feature the character of Lew Archer and is written under the lesser known pseudonym John Macdonald, rather than the more famous and widely used Ross Macdonald. Upon its release Anthony Boucher of the New York Times Book Review wrote ‘Human compassion and literary skill returns the much-abused hard-boiled detective story to its original Hammett-high level’ (quoted in Nolan, Ross Macdonald, 1999, p.113). The novel was the basis of the 1966 film Harper, starring Paul Newman.



Octavo. Original pictorial orange cloth with green target design to upper cover and spine (corners slightly rubbed and tailcap lightly bruised, spine faded); original pictorial dust-jacket by Bill English, price-clipped, rear flap with photograph by Dey Studio, supplied from another copy (spine panel somewhat faded and lightly frayed at head, extremities lightly rubbed with small chip to one corner, dampstain to foot of spine, a few light creases); housed in modern red leather clamshell box, spine lettered and decorated in gilt. Provenance: John Ball (authorial presentation inscription on front endpaper: ‘To John Ball with admiration and best wishes Ken Miller) — The White house (bookseller’s sticker to inside rear cover).

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
28.09.2023 – 28.09.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.