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The Moving Target

Lot 89
28.09.2023 13:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 3 528
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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Archive
ID 1016468
Lot 89 | The Moving Target
Estimate value
£ 3 000 – 5 000
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).

Place of origin:Northern Europe, Europe, United Kingdom
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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28.09.2023 – 28.09.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
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