HIGHSMITH, Patricia ~ Ripley Under Ground.

FIRST UK PRINTING. Heinemann, London: 1971.

8vo., burgundy boards, lettered with decorative borders in gilt to spine; preserved in the unclipped pictorial dustwrapper (£1.75) featuring an illustration by Mohan; THE BOOK essentially fine, with only very marginal toning to the text block and one tiny spot to the rear endpaper; THE WRAPPER very good plus, with none of the usual fading to the spine, sunned to the fore-edge of the front panel only; an excellent copy. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First UK edition. The second novel in Highsmith's 'Ripliad' series, which features the protagonist Tom Ripley. Beginning with 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (1955) and continued from 1974 with 'Ripley's Game', 'The Boy Who Followed Ripley', and 'Ripley Under Water', the books follow a con artist who, in the debut novel, is sent to Italy in order to convince a shipbuilding magnate's son to return to New York and take over the family business. Ripley's subsequent obsession with 'Dickie' leads to tragic - and dramatic - results. 'Ripley Under Ground' continues the narrative six years later, as the protagonist has settled in France with a sizable inheritance, married an heiress and become involved in the art world. Murder, intrigue and a further web of lies soon follow. The books have been adapted for film, TV and radio multiple times, with the most recent iteration in 2024, starring the wonderful Andrew Scott in the lead role. Highsmith herself described her character as complex: a "suave, agreeable and utterly amoral" man. Scarce in this condition.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Fine
JACKET: Very Good +