The Unforgiven by Alan Le May, First British Edition, 1958

Le May, Alan. The Unforgiven. London: Collins, 1958. First British edition. Octavo. In original publisher's dark blue hardback boards and pictorial dust jacket. New archival cloth slipcase. 

Presented is a first British edition printing of The Unforgiven by Alan Le May. The book was published in 1958 by Collins in London. It is presented here in its publisher’s dark blue hardback boards and original unclipped pictorial dust jacket. 

Set in the harsh Texas of 1870, The Unforgiven tells the tale of a widow and her three sons, protecting a 17-year old Rachel and the story of her origin, from her fellow town and neighboring Kiowa tribe members. The book was well received upon first publication in 1857.

“Alan LeMay, who made a strong start with The Searchers, continues to bring a new color and conviction to an old struggle as he returns to the desolate Texas territory of the 1870's” (Kirkus).

Three years after the book’s publication, The Unforgiven was adapted into a movie directed by John Hurst, starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn. The movie premiered in 1960.

Alan Le May (1899- 1964) was an American novelist and screenplay writer. Le May was born in Indianapolis, in 899. He attended Stetson University in Florida and the University of Chicago, from which he graduated in 1922.  He began writing fiction during the ’20s, generating a novel each year for more than a decade. He soon went into ranching in California, but the economic upheavals of the ’30s and bankruptcy forced a return to his literary career. In 1940 Le May started working at Paramount Studios as a specialist in adventure stories. He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for North West Mounted Police, Reap the Wild Wind, and Blackbeard the Pirate. He wrote the original source novel for Along Came Jones, as well as a score of other screenplays, including High Lonesome which he wrote and directed. 

With over 11 novels, 5 short story collections, over 75 uncollected short stories, and 19 screenplays, he is most remembered for two classic Western novels, The Searchers (1954) and The Unforgiven (1957). They were both adapted into the motion pictures of the same titles.

CONDITION: Very good condition. Octavo. In the publisher's original dark blue cloth hardback boards, with gilt titles. Original unclipped pictorial dust jacket (13s. 6d. net). A few tiny chips to dust jacket edges and light soiling to rear cover. New mylar to dust jacket for protection. Interior pages are clean, with no markings or inscriptions, save a very small faint rubber-stamped "1870" to ffep. Light foxing to endpapers and top edge. 256pp. Presented with a new archival cloth slipcase, with the dust jacket illustration inlaid on the front.

Slipcase dimensions: 8 3/8" H x 5 5/8" W x 1 3/4" D: Book dimensions: 8" H x 5 1/2" W x 1 1/2" D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.