The Runaways - Victor Canning
London: Heinemann, 1971, Hardback in Dust Wrapper.Condition: Very Good — in Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper, a couple of short closed tears and a little loss to the foot of the lower panel, and a coffee cup ring to the upper panel. Text complete, clean and tight.
Signed by the author, with dedication, on the title page — without provenance.
From the cover: “This is a rare book combining love of the countryside with the great narrative strength for which Victor Canning is famous.
Smiler (Samuel Miles), fifteenish, freckled and with a distinctive grin, has a luck/escape from reform school. Yarra, a female cheetah in captivity, finds freedom just as unexpectedly. On the same stormy day as Smiler goes on the run, a bolt of lightning rips down the fence and frees Yarra too. In a deserted bit of English countryside their paths cross and part and meet again.
In this refreshing book — as cool and limpid as the crystal-clear chalk streams of the land which shelters Smiler, as mysterious and unexpected as the lonely Salisbury Plain where Smiler faces his biggest challenge — Canning demonstrates his knowledge and understanding of wild creatures and country life. This, combined with his long-acclaimed skill as a master storyteller, makes The Runaways a compelling mixture of delight and danger.”
Jacket designed by John Gorham. Size: 8" x 5¼". Brown boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. In the Smiler series. 222 pages.
£68.50