PREFACE

I began building this collection in 1995 when I bought two first editions at a local book fair.  I didnt at that stage realize just how expensive some of Dennis Wheatley's first editions were, but being a very proactive collector, I bombarded book dealers with requests and queries and before long had built a reasonable collection of thirty or so titles.  As I proceeded, I found that most of the pre-war titles that I turned up had survived in their dust jackets because they had been inscribed by the author and so I set my sights on collecting all of Wheatleys first editions, not only in their jackets, but also signed.  Over the following ten years I spent many thousands of pounds, for although prices for Wheatleys books were less than they are today, some were still very expensive.  I was lucky to be able to use an endowment to buy a marvelous copy of The Devil Rides Out and at one stage I also took out a loan to buy some excellent books from Nigel Williams.  Going onto the internet in 2000 helped enormously and I was lucky to get in just before the current resurgence of interest in Wheatley began.  I made some stunning purchases, many of them quite cheaply and by 2005 I had built the collection that is represented in the following pages.

I had originally collaborated with Bob Rothwell in building his Wheatley site and then decided to put my own collection on the web as it contained items unlikely to be found elsewhere.  This collection really was my prized possession.  However, last year my partner of twenty-two years died and I felt that it was necessary for me to raise some capital quickly.  So, reluctantly, I sold the complete collection.  It was an enormous loss, but compared with the loss I had recently suffered, it was a small thing.  I was pleased that the complete collection went to one buyer rather than have it broken up and even more pleased that it was sold to a collector who I know will treasure it and combine it with his own books to make one of the countrys most important collections of Wheatleys work.

Following the sale, and with the kind permission of the new owner, I suggested to Bob that my website should be absorbed into his, which he readily agreed to.  He has maintained the original, rather quirky, design of my pages, at least for the present, which stand in dramatic contrast to the professional design of the rest of his site.

So now I am officially an ex-collector of Dennis Wheatleys work but am pleased that the collection I built is still fully represented on the web.  I should also like to say that I could never have put this collection together without the support and encouragement of my partner

Graham Anthony Phillips
1931-2005

I would like to dedicate the following pages to his
memory.


Richard Humphreys


Samsbooks
January 2006