Whisky Galore -
Compton MacKenzie
1947 - Chatto and Windus, London - First Edition
A finely bound first edition of this whisky highlight.
‘Love makes the world go round? Not at all. Whisky makes it go round twice as fast’
It's 1943, and the war has brought rationing to the Hebridean Islands of Great and Little Todday. When food is in short supply, it is bad enough, but when the whisky runs out, it looks like the end of the world. Morale is at rock bottom. George Campbell needs a wee dram to give him the courage to stand up to his mother and marry Catriona. The priest, the doctor, and, of course, the landlord at the inn are all having a very thin time of it. There's no conversation, no jollity, no fun, until a ship-wreck off the coast brings a piece of extraordinary good fortune.
‘The genre of Scotch whisky fiction is not an expansive one, and would barely make a credible Mastermind specialist subject, but one title stands out above all others in terms of its profile with both aficionados and the general public. That title is Whisky Galore’ – Gavin D. Smith, Famous Whisky Drinkers, (ScotchWhisky.com).
‘Compton Mackenzie's timeless text is a triumph. Inspired by the real events of 1941, when a cargo ship ran aground in the channel between Eriskay and South Uist, Whisky Galore is the gentle, comical story of how the booty on board became appropriated by a group of Scottish islanders. ‘ - 100 Best Scottish Books of All Time, The List. Basis for the 1949 film of the same name, directed by Alexander Mackendrick.
Sir Compton Mackenzie - Novelist, Biographer, Essayist & critic. Captain in Royal Marines in WW1 and became Director of the Aegean Intelligence Service. He published almost a hundred books on different subjects. He was an influence on the young F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose first book, This Side of Paradise, was written while under his spell. ‘Sinister Street’ influenced the young and impressed established writers, against the rules, George Orwell and Cyril Connolly read it as schoolboys. Henry James thought it to be the most remarkable book written by a young author in his lifetime.
Reference: Ian Buxton, 101 Legendary Whiskies, 215. Vintage Classics.
Octavo (binding size 19.9x13.1cm), pp. [10] 264 [2]. Finely bound in recent three-quarter burgundy calf over matching boards, spine with traditional raised bands, gilt lettering, top edge retaining the publisher s original red tint. Condition: Fine Ref: 111902 Price: HK$ 4,000
‘Love makes the world go round? Not at all. Whisky makes it go round twice as fast’
It's 1943, and the war has brought rationing to the Hebridean Islands of Great and Little Todday. When food is in short supply, it is bad enough, but when the whisky runs out, it looks like the end of the world. Morale is at rock bottom. George Campbell needs a wee dram to give him the courage to stand up to his mother and marry Catriona. The priest, the doctor, and, of course, the landlord at the inn are all having a very thin time of it. There's no conversation, no jollity, no fun, until a ship-wreck off the coast brings a piece of extraordinary good fortune.
‘The genre of Scotch whisky fiction is not an expansive one, and would barely make a credible Mastermind specialist subject, but one title stands out above all others in terms of its profile with both aficionados and the general public. That title is Whisky Galore’ – Gavin D. Smith, Famous Whisky Drinkers, (ScotchWhisky.com).
‘Compton Mackenzie's timeless text is a triumph. Inspired by the real events of 1941, when a cargo ship ran aground in the channel between Eriskay and South Uist, Whisky Galore is the gentle, comical story of how the booty on board became appropriated by a group of Scottish islanders. ‘ - 100 Best Scottish Books of All Time, The List. Basis for the 1949 film of the same name, directed by Alexander Mackendrick.
Sir Compton Mackenzie - Novelist, Biographer, Essayist & critic. Captain in Royal Marines in WW1 and became Director of the Aegean Intelligence Service. He published almost a hundred books on different subjects. He was an influence on the young F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose first book, This Side of Paradise, was written while under his spell. ‘Sinister Street’ influenced the young and impressed established writers, against the rules, George Orwell and Cyril Connolly read it as schoolboys. Henry James thought it to be the most remarkable book written by a young author in his lifetime.
Reference: Ian Buxton, 101 Legendary Whiskies, 215. Vintage Classics.
Octavo (binding size 19.9x13.1cm), pp. [10] 264 [2]. Finely bound in recent three-quarter burgundy calf over matching boards, spine with traditional raised bands, gilt lettering, top edge retaining the publisher s original red tint. Condition: Fine Ref: 111902 Price: HK$ 4,000