King Rat.

CLAVELL, James.

Item Number: 107432

London: Michael Joseph, 1963.

First edition of Clavell’s first book. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Kenneth Farnhill. A very sharp example.

Set during World War II, the novel describes the struggle for survival of American, Australian, British, Dutch, and New Zealander prisoners of war in a Japanese camp in Singapore—a description informed by Clavell's own three-year experience as a prisoner in the notorious Changi Prison camp. One of the three major characters, Peter Marlowe, is based upon Clavell's younger self. Despite its fearsome reputation, Changi was among the better-run Japanese camps, with only 850 deaths among the 87,000 prisoners who passed through. King Rat was the first book published of Clavell's sweeping series, the Asian Saga, and the fourth chronologically. Two characters from King Rat also appear in Noble House. Upon publication, it became an immediate best-seller and three years later, it was adapted to film.