An eye for a tooth, [Hardcover]

Dornford Yates (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1944

On the way home from Germany after having captured Axel the Red's treasure, dapper Jonathan Mansel happens upon a corpse in the road, that of an Englishman. There ensues a gripping tale of adventure and vengeance of a rather gentlemanly kind. On publication this novel was such a hit that it was reprinted six times in its first year, and assured Yates' huge popularity. A classic Richard Chandos thriller, which can be read alone or as part of a series including Blind Corner, Blood Royal, Fire Below and Perishable Goods.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born Cecil William Mercer into a middle class Victorian family with many Victorian skeletons in the closet, including the conviction for embezzlement from a law firm and subsequent suicide of his great-uncle, Yates' parents somehow scraped together enough money to send him to Harrow. The son of a solicitor, he qualified as a barrister whilst still finding timeto contribute stories to the Windsor Magazine. After the first world war hegave up legal work in favour of writing, which had become his great passion, and completed somethirty books. These rangedfrom light- hearted farce to adventure thrillers. For the former, he created the 'Berry' books which established Yates' reputation as a writer of witty, upper-crust romances. For the latter, he created ther character Richard Chandos, who recounts the adventures of Jonah Mansel, a classic gentleman sleuth. As a consequence of his education and experience, Yates' books feature the genteel life, a nostalgic glimpse at Edwardian decadence and a number of swindling solicitors. In his hey day, and as testament to hisfine writing, Dornford Yates' work was placed in the bestseller list. Indeed, 'Berry' is one of the great comic creations of twentieth century fiction; the 'Chandos' titles also beingsuccessfully adapted for television. Along with Sapper and John Buchan, Yates dominated the adventure book market of the inter war years. Finding the English climate utterly unbearable, Yates chose to live in the French Pyrenees for eighteen years, before moving on to Rhodesia where he died in 1960. 'Mr Yates can be recommended to anyone who thinks the British take themselves too seriously.' - Punch 'We appreciate fine writing when we come across it, and a wit that is ageless united to a courtesy that is extinct'-Cyril Connolly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 5 pages
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (1944)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0007F1YOE
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,933,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Fun, April 3, 2006

By 

Robert J. Millikin "renowned know-it-all" (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Eye for a Tooth (Paperback)

This is a great read. Unlike as is stated in the above description, Jonah Mansel is the mentor of William Richard Chandos and is no gentleman sleuth. He is a British secret agent and vigilante dedicated to fighting crime, especially English crooks preying on European targets between the World Wars. Mansel who also appears in the Berry books is the bridge figure in Yates' work, spanning the silly fun of Berry's Set and his own grim covert work. Chandos, a generation younger, is the romantic lead and handles the physical action. The discovery of the body of an Englishman on a lonely Austrian road launches the pair and their aides into a grand adventure in the Tyrol that prefigures World War II.