Last Bus to Woodstock

First edition, first impression: London: Macmillan London Limited, 1975. Signed and inscribed by the author to the front endpaper: "How very kind of you to support me! Best Wishes Colin Dexter". Octavo. Original tan cloth, spine lettered in black. With the original pictorial dust jacket, priced £2.50 net and featuring a photograph by Jack Burnicle to the upper panel. A fine copy, the binding square and firm with sharp corners. Some tanning to the text-block, as is common, though the contents remain clean and free from foxing. The dust jacket near fine and unclipped, with a little fading along the hinge of the upper panel; otherwise a remarkably bright and crisp example. "Last Bus to Woodstock" marks the first appearance of among the most enduring figures in British crime fiction, Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse. Dexter?s cerebral, crossword-loving protagonist, alongside the more grounded Sergeant Lewis, transformed the police procedural by anchoring it in the scholarly yet often murderous atmosphere of Oxford. The series' impact was exponentially magnified by the highly successful ITV adaptation, which ran for thirteen years and spawned the popular spin-offs Lewis and Endeavour. This first novel received critical acclaim for its intricate plotting and subtle characterisation, establishing Dexter as a master of the "whodunnit" in the classical mould. His significant contribution to literature was later recognised with several CWA Daggers, including the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement, and an OBE in 2000.