Books

London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First edition. Fine in an about fine, first issue dustwrapper (without the reviews) with a couple of minute rub marks. The author's first book, a masterful account of obsession which was the basis for the William Wyler film with Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. Significantly nicer than usually encountered.

The Collector is the debut novel of English author John Fowles. It was first published in 1963 by Jonathan Cape and is about a lonely young man, Frederick Clegg, who works as a clerk in a city hall and collects butterflies in his spare time. Clegg is infatuated with Miranda Grey, a middle-class art student at the Slade School of Art. Unable to make any contact with her but obsessed with his unrelenting desire, Clegg decides to add her to his 'collections' by kidnapping her and holding her captive in the cellar of his rural farmhouse. What follows is a chilling exploration of power, art, freedom, and the consequences of human actions.