It Can't Always be Caviar by Johannes Mario Simmel first edition 1965

SIMMEL, Johannes Mario – It can’t always be Caviar (with a signed card)
 
London: Anthony Blonde (1965)
 
8vo; with army green cloth boards with stamped dark green lettering to the spine; in the superb Philippe Jullien illustrated dust wrapper, unclipped displaying the price of 30s. net; pp [vi], 447; with an A6 publicity photo of the author, signed by him underneath his name in black pen; the book is bumped to two corners and has the odd mark to the upper text block, the dust wrapper has some minor wear and a tiny chip to the top of the spine; overall a very good or better copy.
 
Simmel’s cult classic spy caper, it has become increasingly difficult to find as a first UK edition. This is for a few reasons namely: being a short print run, a superb dust wrapper, and a fantastic story about Thomas Lievan, ex London Banker and as Simmel himself puts it, the most reluctant of spies. 
Lievan tries to get by during the tumultuous events of WW2 but ends up instead spying for multiple counties. All the while the self-proclaimed pacifist, cooks up a storm, narrating many dishes and providing recipes throughout. It stands with other spy novels of the 1960s, albeit in a light-hearted and humorous fashion.