XPD. by Deighton, Len - 1981

1981. First American Edition. New York, Knopf, 1981. Octavo. 339 pages. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket in protective collector's mylar. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Leonard Cyril Deighton ( born 18 February 1929), known as Len Deighton, is a British author. Deighton is considered one of the top three spy novelists of his time (along with Ian Fleming and John le Carré). In addition he is a highly acclaimed military historian, cookery writer, and graphic artist. The IPCRESS File, his first novel, was an instant bestseller and broke the mould of thriller writing. The Sunday Times dubbed him "the poet of the spy story". Deighton’s first protagonist – a nameless spy later christened Harry Palmer – was made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s films starring Michael Caine. Deighton's interest in spy stories may have been partially inspired by the arrest of Anna Wolkoff, which he witnessed as an 11-year-old boy. Wolkoff, a British subject of Russian descent, was a Nazi spy and next door neighbour of the Deightons. She was detained on 20 May 1940 and subsequently convicted of violating the Official Secrets Act for attempting to pass secret documents to the Nazis. Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth, in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview that formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey. (Wikipedia).