Pieces of Modesty
Encyclopedia
Pieces of Modesty is a short story
collection by Peter O'Donnell
featuring his action heroine, Modesty Blaise
, first published in 1972. It was O'Donnell's first such collection of stories (he would publish a second, Cobra Trap
, decades later).
The stories featured in this collection are:
Elements from some of these stories would appear in the Modesty Blaise comic strip
which O'Donnell wrote concurrent with his book series. "I Had a Date with Lady Janet" is distinguished as the only Modesty Blaise tale to be told in the first person
by Modesty's right-hand man, Willie Garvin
.
The stories in this collection predate the publication of the book by several years. In the 1960s they were planned for publication in a book that would have been illustrated by O'Donnell's comic strip artist, Jim Holdaway
who died in 1970. That edition was never produced. Holdaway's illustrations for the stories exist and have been reprinted in various magazines.
Pieces of Modesty is unusual in the Modesty Blaise canon as it was the only book in the series not published in its first edition by Souvenir Press, instead being published exclusively in paperback by Pan Books
. In 1986, the American company Mysterious Press issued the book's first and (to date) only hardcover edition. In the 2000s, Souvenir Press began a series of reprints of the Modesty Blaise books, and after acquiring the rights, re-issued Pieces of Modesty in March 2010 with new cover artwork based on the original hardback edition of the first Modesty Blaise novel (as no first-edition hardback was published of Pieces of Modesty).
In the early 1980s, a dramatic reading of the story "I Had a Date with Lady Janet" was released on cassette tape, featuring John Thaw
.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
collection by Peter O'Donnell
Peter O'Donnell
Peter O'Donnell was a British writer of mysteries and of comic strips, best known as the creator of Modesty Blaise, a female action hero/undercover trouble-shooter/enforcer...
featuring his action heroine, Modesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows the adventures of Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin...
, first published in 1972. It was O'Donnell's first such collection of stories (he would publish a second, Cobra Trap
Cobra Trap
Cobra Trap is the title of a short story collection by Peter O'Donnell featuring his action/adventure heroine Modesty Blaise. The book was published in 1996, and is the thirteenth, and final book in the Modesty Blaise series which began in 1965. Cobra Trap was released 11 years after the previous...
, decades later).
The stories featured in this collection are:
- "A Better Day to Die"
- "The Giggle-Wrecker"
- "I Had a Date with Lady Janet"
- "A Perfect Night to Break Your Neck"
- "Salamander Four"
- "The Soo Girl Charity"
Elements from some of these stories would appear in the Modesty Blaise comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
which O'Donnell wrote concurrent with his book series. "I Had a Date with Lady Janet" is distinguished as the only Modesty Blaise tale to be told in the first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
by Modesty's right-hand man, Willie Garvin
Willie Garvin
Willie Garvin is a character in the long-running British comic strip series Modesty Blaise, as well as a series of novels based upon the strip. The character was created by Peter O'Donnell in 1963 and, alongside Modesty Blaise, made his first appearance in the story La Machine, appearing for the...
.
The stories in this collection predate the publication of the book by several years. In the 1960s they were planned for publication in a book that would have been illustrated by O'Donnell's comic strip artist, Jim Holdaway
Jim Holdaway
Jim Holdaway was a British illustrator, who was famous for his illustrations of numerous comic strips. His most famous contributions was to the Modesty Blaise comics written by Peter O'Donnell.-Art career:...
who died in 1970. That edition was never produced. Holdaway's illustrations for the stories exist and have been reprinted in various magazines.
Pieces of Modesty is unusual in the Modesty Blaise canon as it was the only book in the series not published in its first edition by Souvenir Press, instead being published exclusively in paperback by Pan Books
Pan Books
Pan Books is an imprint which first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers owned by German publishers, Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
. In 1986, the American company Mysterious Press issued the book's first and (to date) only hardcover edition. In the 2000s, Souvenir Press began a series of reprints of the Modesty Blaise books, and after acquiring the rights, re-issued Pieces of Modesty in March 2010 with new cover artwork based on the original hardback edition of the first Modesty Blaise novel (as no first-edition hardback was published of Pieces of Modesty).
In the early 1980s, a dramatic reading of the story "I Had a Date with Lady Janet" was released on cassette tape, featuring John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
.