Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Eric Ambler. Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head Ltd 1963-12, 1963.
Price: US$4.86 + shipping
Condition: Poor
Description: The jacket is a little scuffed and worn to its edges. Signed and dated to the inside page, the textblock edge is foxed. Remains fine to read and use throughout.
Seller: Hay-on-Wye Booksellers, Hay-on-Wye, HEREF, United Kingdom
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$8.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: jacket is shelf rubbed and chipped. edge wear on boards. foxing, mild staining and marks. sound binding. fair copy.[SK]. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services.
Seller: Chapter 1, Johannesburg, GAU, South Africa
AMBLER, Eric. ABILITY TO KILL, The. Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$10.26 + shipping
Description: Very good in jacket which has a little toning to spine and minor edgewear. Second issue, omitting the John Bodkin Adams essay but including one on James Hanratty Very Good
Seller: Hadwebutknown, Birnam, PERTH, United Kingdom
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$13.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: jacket is a little scuffed. foxing, a little marked. binding is intact. [SK]. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services.
Seller: Chapter 1, Johannesburg, GAU, South Africa
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$14.95 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition in hardcover with dust jacket. Name on the front endpaper. Jacket has some bubbling to laminate at spine gutter on front panel. Near Fine/Near Fine.
Seller: Ken Jackson, Calgary, AB, Canada
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill and Other Pieces. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$14.99 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 222 pp. Light edge and corner wear, fading along edges of boards, yellowed ffep; price-clipped pictorial dustjacket shows light edge and corner wear, a few short closed tears, darkening of tears and along edges of front panel, slightly sunned spine, a few finger creases, else a very good copy. "He presents a wide canvas, ranging from classic trials of the 19th century to notorious cases of more recent times --- from Burke and Hare, Madeleine Smith and Seddon, to Crippen, Landru, Haigh, Christie, and Hanratty." Two relevant news articles laid-in.
Seller: Great Books&Cafe @ The Williamsford Mill, Williamsford, ON, Canada
AMBLER, Eric.. The Ability to Kill. And Other Pieces.. London, The Bodley Head 1963., 1963.
Price: US$15.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. Hardcover. Edges and prelims very lightly spotted, o/w very good in like price-clipped dustjacket with a few closed tears and small repairs at head and tail of spine and some wear at extremities.
Seller: Larsen Books, Exeter, NSW, Australia
Ambler, Eric. THE ABILITY TO KILL AND OTHER PIECES. , 1963.
Price: US$22.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: London 1963 first edition, second issue, Bodley Head. Hardcover. 222p. Red cloth. sm octavo. Very Near Fine, no wear, no faults, no owner marks. in VG dj, price not clipped. The true first edition has a chapter on the John Bodkin Adams murder trial which was potentially libelous and so was replaced by a chapter on James Hanratty in the second issue of the first edition which is the case in this volume.
Seller: Xerxes Fine and Rare Books and Documents, Glen Head, NY, U.S.A.
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$30.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First Edition, Second State with the chapter on James Hanratty. Original raspberry cloth. Near Fine in Very Good [roce=c;o[[ed Dist Kaclet/
Seller: Pride and Prejudice-Books, Ballston Lake, NY, U.S.A.
Ambler, Eric.. THE ABILITY TO KILL and Other Pieces.. London: Bodley Head, (1963) dj, 1963.
Price: US$35.00 + shipping
Description: Hardcover first edition - First printing. A collection of essays on both historical criminal trials and more contemporary ones. Includes a series of The Lizzie Borden Memorial Lectures and other pieces. Second state with chapter on James Hanratty, . 222 pp Very near fine in red cloth with gold lettering in a near fine dustjacket (some toning to the white background on the spine and top edge of the dj) .
Seller: Bookfever, IOBA (Volk & Iiams), Ione, CA, U.S.A.
AMBLER, Eric.. The Ability to Kill and Other Pieces.. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$35.00 + shipping
Description: 222 pp. 8vo, publisher's red cloth in dust jacket. First edition; later issue with the Hanratty substitution. Very slight bumping at corners; otherwise a nice copy in a jacket with minor bumping at extremities.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
Eric Ambler. The Ability to Kill. Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$50.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description:
Seller: Neverland Books, waalre, Netherlands
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. Bodley Head London 1963, 1963.
Price: US$52.00 + shipping
Description: 1st edition dust jacket Very Good small octavo 222pp., Nice copy in a very good price-clipped dust jacket
Seller: Andrew Barnes Books / Military Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Ambler, Eric. THE ABILITY TO KILL. Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$52.20 + shipping
Description: THE ABILITY TO KILL, Bodley Head, 1963, first edition, vg+ in like dust-wrapper with some slight wear.
Seller: THE FINE BOOKS COMPANY / A.B.A.A / 1979, ROCHESTER, MI, U.S.A.
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. Bodley Head London 1963, 1963.
Price: US$59.00 + shipping
Description: 1st edition dust jacket Nice copy small octavo 222pp., Unclipped dust jacket 'protected' by contact o/w a very good copy
Seller: Andrew Barnes Books / Military Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Ambler, Eric. THE ABILITY TO KILL. True Tales of Bloody Murder. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$60.00 + shipping
Description: 1st Edition. Hardcover. First Edition, second issue. A fine copy in rasberry-red cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a bright, fresh very good indeed pictorial dustwrapper with some light use. 8vo. 222 pp. A collection of true-crime pieces from the 1950's and 1960's with a classic Ambler take. "Ambler turns his sharp eye on film-writing, the pleasures of Maxim's, and there are lovely semifictional pieces on spies and spy-spotting. His new introduction has its share of graceful nuggets, too. Belongs on every fan's bookshelves". Publisher's Weekly.
Seller: TBCL The Book Collector's Library, Montreal, QC, Canada
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill and Other Pieces. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$65.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: London: The Bodley Head, 1963. An anthology of true crime essays by one of the great twentieth-century masters of intrigue. This is a Fine copy of the Second issue of the First Edition, lacking one chapter that was removed due to concerns that it was actionable as libel (an important consideration under English law). Bright red cloth binding with gilt lettering on the spine. Fresh and clean text; 222 pages. The striking dustwrapper design features a drawing by Don Higgins. The wrapper has been clipped, else Fine. In a protective plastic cover. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. First UK Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Good Plus.
Seller: Quercus Rare Books, Chico, CA, U.S.A.
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. Bodley Head London 1963, 1963.
Price: US$66.00 + shipping
Description: 1st edition dust jacket Nice copy small octavo 222pp., Nice copy in a very good unclipped dust jacket with some edge-wear
Seller: Andrew Barnes Books / Military Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$80.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: 8vo. 222 pp. Fine in publsihers dark red boards with gold lettering to spine. Dust jacket is very near fine with price clipped and some very slight rubbing to spine ends and top edges. A collection of pieces including an essay on murderous fantasy versus abiltity to kill, lectures, and other pieces. First/F/VG+. Shipped in a box, not a padded envelope.
Seller: Dubliners Books, Austin, TX, U.S.A.
Eric Ambler. The ability to kill. Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$85.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description:
Seller: Neverland Books, waalre, Netherlands
Ambler, Eric. THE ABILITY TO KILL AND OTHER PIECES. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo, cloth. First edition. Later issue of this nonfictional history of famous murderers, spies, etc.: the chapter on James Hanratty replaced one on the John Bodkin Adams murder trial which was considered to be potentially libelous. A fine copy in fine price-clipped dust jacket. (#115809)
Seller: Currey, L.W. Inc. ABAA/ILAB, Elizabethtown, NY, U.S.A.
Ambler, Eric. THE ABILITY TO KILL. True Tales of Bloody Murder. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Description: 1st Edition. Hardcover. First Edition. A fine copy in raspberry-red cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a bright, fresh fine illustrated price clipped dustwrapper. 8vo. 222 pp. A collection of true-crime pieces from the 1950's and 1960's with a classic Ambler take. "Ambler turns his sharp eye on film-writing, the pleasures of Maxim's, and there are lovely semifictional pieces on spies and spy-spotting. His new introduction has its share of graceful nuggets, too. Belongs on every fan's bookshelves". Publisher's Weekly.
Seller: TBCL The Book Collector's Library, Montreal, QC, Canada
Eric Ambler. The Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$110.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A vey good copy, additional digital photos available. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Seller: ballinilara investments, brisbane, QLD, Australia
Eric Ambler. The Ability to Kill. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$110.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A vey good copy, additional digital photos available. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Seller: ballinilara investments, brisbane, QLD, Australia
AMBLER, Eric. The ability to kill and other pieces. The Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Clipped DJ in archival cover.
Seller: J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints IOBA, Garrison, NY, U.S.A.
Ambler, Eric. The Ability to Kill And Other Pieces. The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
Price: US$400.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First Edition. Signed by Author on title page. Near Fine red cloth with gilt spine title. Near Fine dust jacket protected in archival plastic cover. Not price clipped. DJ darkened on top front edge. Buyer of THE ABILITY TO KILL will also receive at no additional charge a Very Good/Very Good copy of Ambler's The CARE OF TIME; First US Printing (1981) , Farrar Straus Giroux, New York. Ambler presents a wide spectrum of notorious 19th & 20th century murder trials, delving into the motives of the killers. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; Signed by Author
Seller: Good Books In The Woods, Spring, TX, U.S.A.
AMBLER, Eric. The ability to kill and other pieces. Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$471.70 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Seller: Half Price Books Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Eric Ambler. The Ability to Kill. Bodley Head, 1963.
Price: US$1200.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First issue (one of about fifty copies to escape recall) with the essay on Dr. John Bodkin Adams. Inscribed to Otto Penzler, dated, and SIGNED by Eric Ambler on the title page. Fine volume in a mylar sleeved dust jacket which has light edge worn and perimeter toning, and lifting to the laminate along the front joint.
Seller: Trilby & Co. Books, San Jose, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1250.00 + shipping
Description: First Impression, second state of the text, with the suppressed chapter on the John Bodkin Adams murder trial (potentially libelous) replaced with that of James Hanratty. Octavo (20.5cm); red cloth, with titles stamped in gilt on spine; dustjacket; [10],11-222,[2]pp. Inscribed by Ambler in a contemporary hand on the front endpaper: "Thomas M. McDade / with warmest wishes / Eric Ambler '63." Recipient's pictorial bookplate mounted to front pastedown, some scattered foxing to upper edge of textblock, else Near Fine. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced 16s net), with wrinkling to the laminate, and a thin strip of dust-soil along the upper and lower edges; Very Good or better. Laid into this copy is the recipient's Mystery Writers of America (MWA) membership card for 1960-61.Laid into this copy are three pieces of correspondence between McDade and Ambler, written between 1956-1963. The first piece is a carbon copy of a letter from McDade to Ambler (February 7, 1956), after attending the Lizze Borden Memorial Lecture, which Ambler delivered before the Incorporated Society of British Murder-Tasters. He goes on at length about the lecture, and on behalf of the Society invites Ambler to speak on his next visit to the U.S. Ambler responds at length with a two-page TLS, dated 6 March, 1956. He explains that Holiday magazine has given him a grant to focus his research into the present state of murder homes of England and Scotland, and asks McDade's permission to quote him, from his letter of February 7th. The final letter is a brief TLS from Ambler to McDade, dated October 3, 1963, again declining an invitation to the Society's monthly meeting, but stating "I have found your THE ANNALS OF MURDER most helpful. Under separate cover I am sending you a copy of THE ABILITY TO KILL, a British collection of pieces some of which you may recognize. See particularly page 106." Indeed, on p.106, Ambler has mentioned McDade by name at the beginning of his chapter on Scotland, following by a block of text quoted from his February 7, 1956 letter. Two letters stapled together; old folds, some tears and creases, but generally Very Good and sound.Inscribed copies of this title are uncommon, with the only presentation copy found in the auction record being a later inscription to Otto Penzler. This copy, with its contemporary inscription and collection of correspondence, shows a compelling relationship between Ambler and a real enthusiast on the subject of the present work.
Seller: Captain Ahab's Rare Books, ABAA, Stephenson, VA, U.S.A.