THE SWORD OF THE LICTOR. Volume Three of The Book of the New Sun.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original red quarter cloth over blue paper-covered boards with silver titles to the spine, in the Don Maitz illustrated dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm with a little bumping at the spine tips and a couple of marks to the boards. The contents, with a small mark to the front pastedown (hidden by the dustwrapper flap) and a tiny ink mark to the bottom edge of the closed text-block, are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed and price-clipped dustwrapper that is otherwise without fading, loss or tears.

Inscribed by Gene Wolfe in blue ink on the title page "To Lexie / Gene Wolfe". The third novel in Wolfe's 'The Book of the New Sun' science fantasy series about a professional torturer who is exiled for showing mercy to one of his charges. Winner of the 1983 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.