Thieves In The Night (signed association copy to Alan Paton)

In 1944 Koestler met Mamaine Paget, who was eleven years younger than him. By the end of the war Koestler had returned to his earlier Zionism and was a vocal advocate of the Jewish national cause, and after a visit to Palestine he published 'Thieves In The Night' (1946).

Dark blue cloth, silver design and spine titling, end-papers clean, text clean, page edges lightly spotted. Dust-jacket: rubbed, lightly chipped (more so at spine ends), flaps creased, not price-clipped, very little (if any) spine fade.

Koestler's inscription on the half-title reads:'Alan Paton, from Arthur Koestler, 26.10.66'

It is not clear where this copy was signed (perhaps the author signed and sent them on request to Paton), but Koestler's signature is scarce (no other signed copies listed at time of writing), therefore making this signed 'author association' copy a unique item, linking two great authors and activists of the 20th century - a handsome addition to the library of the Paton collector.

One other interesting fact is that Cynthia Jefferies (Koestler's third wife, and secretary) was South African.