The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-Vous

Michael Pearce

ISBN 10: 000232265X / ISBN 13: 9780002322652

Published by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., London, 1990

About this Item

BG3 - A first edition (First published March 1990 stated) hardcover book SIGNED by Michael Pearce with "With best wishes" written on the front free endpaper in very good condition in very good dust jacket that is mylar protected. Dust jacket has some wrinkling and chipping on the edges and corners, dust jacket and book have some bumped corners, light tanning and shelf wear. Although not marked in any way, this copy comes from the personal collection of Otto Penzler, legendary editor and founder of the Mysterious Press, an award-winning icon in the genre. 8.75"x5.25", 224 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. 'Tourists are quite safe provided they don't do anything stupidly reckless.' Owen assured the Press. 'Like having tea on the terrace at Shepheard's?' asked the man from Paris-Soir. Because that was where Monsieur Moulin had been when he was kidnapped. And it was where Mr Colthorpe Hartley was when he too, disappeared. 'About the most conspicuous place in Cairo,' Owen commented bitterly. Owen, Head of Egypt's Political CID in the heyday of British rule, was ultimately responsible for law and order in Cairo. And when they were so openly flouted he had to do something about it. But that was not so easy. To start with, nobody had actually seen the victims go… And was it just an ordinary kidnapping? Or was it intended as a deliberately symbolic blow at British prestige? Or the start of a sinister campaign directed particularly at tourism? What lay behind the sudden interest of the Khedive in market gardening? And who was the missing dragoman? Owen's attempts to solve these puzzles take him into the circle of the Khedive's closest intimates. But also to the donkey-vous beneath Shepheard's famous terrace, the base of Cairo's lowly, but enterprising, donkey-boys. It is there that Owen finds his answer - thought perhaps not quite the one he expected. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 2206ec818

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-Vous

Publisher: William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., London

Publication Date: 1990

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Signed: Signed by Author

Edition: First Edition.

About this title

Synopsis:

A tourist is kidnapped from the terrace of Shepheard's Hotel. Captain Owen, as head of Egypt's Political CID in the heyday of British rule, is responsible for getting him back. Luckily the donkey-vous beneath the terrace yielded some clues.

Review:

‘As charming a historical mystery as you’ll find’ Kirkus Reviews

‘Pearce’s cultivated pen recreates a long-gone era with engaging wit’ Sunday Times

‘Pearce summons up his vanished world with a finesse that’s drab, fond and droll. Impeccably done’ Literary Review

‘A colourful arabesque of greed, history, and mystery’ The Times