William Beecher

Mayday Man [with TLS to William Safire]

Washington, DC: Brassey's (US), 1990. Very Good / Very Good. Item #5579
ISBN: 0080367291

Washington, DC: Brassey's (US), 1990. First Edition. Octavo. 213 pages.

Typed letter signed from Beecher to fellow Pulitzer Prize-winner William Safire laid in at front. The one page letter centers around a word Beecher thinks Safire would be amused by, "...cryptonomous. It's from the Greek words kryptos, meaning secret / or hidden, and anonymos [sic], meaning with no name known / or acknowledged.... It occurs to me that if you wanted to bring a / reader into the dark recesses of a reporter's sources -- / on-the-record, background, deep background, Deep / Throat -- this would offer an opportunity. As used in / the novel, the source's identity is kept masked even / in a highly classified intelligence file. / Incidentally, what the cryptonymous source / reveals (even though the book was first drafted two / years ago) you will find references to in recent / page one stories about Israel helping South Africa / develop missiles..." Beecher ends asking Safire if he'd mention the story close to publication date.

Safire provided a blurb for the book, "[Possible] surprise best-selling novel will be ... Mayday Man by William Beecher." Beecher would go on to write seven more novels.

Unclipped illustrated dust jacket is worn and rubbed at corners and flaps are toned. Red boards in black cloth with spine stamped in red. Light shelfwear but binding is sound and pages unmarked.

Price: $35.00