RARE ‘THIRD MAN’ FIRST EDITION TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER
A rare first edition of a classic post-war novel which became one of the greatest movies of all time will go under the hammer this week in Aylsham. The book, The Third Man, will be auctioned as part of a two day book sale at Keys Fine Art Auctioneers.
Graham Greene wrote the novella in 1948, in preparation for writing the screenplay for the film, which was released in 1949.
Starring Orson Welles, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood following the 1942 film Citizen Kane, the movie is a classic film noir, set in the partitioned post-war Vienna. The music for the film was composed by Anton Karas, and its main theme, featuring a zither, topped the international music charts in 1950.
“The Third Man remains one of the greatest novellas of the post-war era,” said Keys Head of Books Rob Henshilwood. “Because of the movie connection, first editions of this book are very collectable, and we are expecting a lot of interest from collectors and dealers around the world.”
The book has a pre-sale estimate of £250-£300.
The first edition of The Third Man will go under the hammer on the first day of Keys’ two day Book sale, which takes place on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th March, starting at 10am on the Thursday. Viewing for the sale is on Wednesday 25th March from 9am-7.30pm, and from 8.30am on the days of the sale.
Further details, and a full catalogue, are available at www.keysauctions.co.uk.