Knock Down (first edition, 1974, with the author's ink dedication to Lester Piggott)

• Dick Francis (steeplechase) and Lester Piggott (flat) were both champion jockeys - Francis, who rode for the Queen Mother, and Piggott, who rode more winners than anyone except Gordon Richards

After his retirement, Francis wrote more than forty crime books, for which he received many awards

• The ink dedication on the front free endpaper of this copy reads: "October 1974/Lester and Susan [Piggott]/Very best wishes/Mary and Dick Francis"\

• More than 60 million of Francis's books have been sold around the world; this must be one of the more valuable; one wonders why Piggott sold it or gave it away

Colour-illustrated laminated dustjacket, rose cloth-boards, gilt lettering and design to the spine, plain endpapers, 206 pp of text

• Dick Francis, whose first book was his own autobiography, later wrote Piggott's biography, Lester; he died in 2010, aged 89

• Lester Piggott, who was born in 1935, also wrote an autobiography; he is still alive

CONDITION

• The dustjacket is complete but edge-chipped

• The covers are undamaged and the binding is tight and square

• The endpapers and contents are complete, unmarked except for the dedication, and undiscoloured except for sunned endpapers in register with the dustjacket flaps and occasional light foxing spots to some text leaves