When Eight Bells Toll - Alistair MacLean Cold War Thriller - First Edition
Language: English
Published by Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1966
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Stone Sentinel Books, Newcastle, CA, U.S.A.Stone Sentinel Books
AbeBooks seller since February 12, 2026
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 23.10
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
A first edition of Alistair MacLean's taut Cold War thriller "When Eight Bells Toll" (1966)—a tale of maritime intrigue, stolen gold, and secret agent Philip Calvert investigating a series of ship disappearances off the Scottish coast. MacLean brings his signature blend of nautical expertise, breakneck pacing, and atmospheric suspense to this classic espionage adventure. The novel was later adapted into a 1971 film starring Anthony Hopkins in his first major action role. This is MacLean at the height of his powers—mid-1960s, when he was publishing a bestseller a year and dominating airport bookstores worldwide. First edition confirmed. Hardcover in Very Good condition—tight, clean, and square with no writing or foxing. Original dust jacket in Good/Very Good condition showing honest age-appropriate wear but remaining attractive and intact (see photos). Perfect for MacLean completists, vintage thriller collectors, or Dark Academia libraries seeking intelligent Cold War adventure.
Seller Inventory # SSB-0014
Bibliographic details
- Title
- When Eight Bells Toll - Alistair MacLean Cold War Thriller - First Edition
- Author
- Alistair MacLean
- Publisher
- Doubleday, Garden City, NY
- Publication year
- 1966
- Condition
- Very good
- Dust jacket
- Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Edition
- 1st Edition
Stone Sentinel Books
Newcastle, CA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since February 12, 2026
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 4.49 | £ 7.48 |
Payment methods
Store description
You're building something specific. Not just a shelf of books: a library with atmosphere. The kind of room that feels like it has a history before you walked into it. The problem is finding the real thing. The vintage market is full of book club editions dressed up as first printings, reprints with no dust jackets, and sellers who grade "Good" when they mean "survived a flood." It's time-consuming, confusing, and easy to overpay. That's where I come in. I'm Rob. I worked in the archive stacks at UW's Suzzallo Library. Gothic reading rooms, stained glass, the kind of place where books feel like they matter. I've been authenticating and grading vintage editions ever since. Now I spend weekends hunting first editions at estate sales across Northern California: literary horror, classic sci-fi, and Gothic fiction from the 1960s–1980s. The books that actually built the Dark Academia aesthetic, not the modern reprints cashing in on it. Every book in my shop has been verified for edition and graded honestly. Sometimes brutally. You'll know exactly what you're getting before it ships. Your order arrives wrapped in tissue paper with a wax seal sticker. Because the details matter, and you're not buying shelf filler. If you're building a library that looks like it belongs in a Victorian study instead of a big-box store, you're in the right place. Browse the collection.…
Specialty
vintage horror, sci-fi, and Gothic fictionSeller's business information
CA, U.S.A.
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