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Last Seen Wearing - First Edition

David Brown

“What one man can invent another can discover”
Arthur Conan Doyle
 

Following an invitation from my work colleague, Karen Vining, I agreed to attend a talk by Colin Dexter at the Oxford Union on 21st. March 1999. A few days before the talk I visited a local charity shop to browse through the records and books and spotted a book by Colin Dexter. Not being an habitual reader I thought it would be a good idea to show Karen some enthusiasm so I purchased the book for 50p and told her I would ask Mr. Dexter if he would sign it.

On the day, I took the book along and was pleased to find that there was a book signing session arranged for after the event with new editions on sale. I purchased a new book thinking it would be more comfortable to have that signed rather than the second hand edition I brought with me. Following a very entertaining talk and a question and answer session, Karen and I queued up to have our books autographed. As I had purchased the new book I told Karen I would not bother to have the old one signed but she suggested that as I had brought it with me I should do so. On reaching my turn to meet Mr. Dexter I took the old book from it’s wrapper and nervously offered it up for a signature. Mr. Dexter took the book from me and asked where it had come from. Feeling a bit awkward by this time, with a short but interested queue behind, I whispered my reply to which he asked how much had I paid for it. On hearing it cost just 50p from a charity shop he turned again to me and asked if I knew how much it was worth, to which I replied “No idea”. He said a similar book had sold for eight fifty which I interpreted to mean £8.50. With much more enthusiasm he endorsed “Not eight pounds fifty, I mean eight hundred and fifty pounds”. To a few gasps behind me I was dumbfounded and now know what it is like for the punters in the Antiques Road Show that have antiques valued way above their expectations.

Karen and I stood in amazement while some other comments in the discussion were not registering following the shock news we had just received. Certainly my first visit to the Oxford Union ended on a very memorable and happy note. It is intriguing that the charity shop is in the Jericho area and I have worked at a printing and publishing company in Jericho for nearly forty years.

The crux of the matter is, I now have a valuable hardback first edition of Colin Dexter’s 1976 book Last Seen Wearing - signed by the author. The book is in good condition with a dust jacket that won a design award in 1976. Although I am more of an Inspector Morse fan than previously, I will consider selling the book if offered a sum in the region of the value Colin Dexter has told me it is worth. Should you be interested please contact me, David Brown, 2 Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8EX (01865 556249 - evenings).

[Ed. As a guide to would be potential purchasers of this fine and rare book it should be noted that the same edition described as fine or near fine complete with dust jacket recently sold at an auction in the States for $357 after fierce bidding from 6 persons. The initial bid was just $49.95. Not bad for a Colin Dexter’s second book which in 1976 sold for £7.95.]