A Quiver Full Of Arrows

A Quiver Full of Arrows (1981) – Jeffrey Archer
Coronet • ISBN: 0340272724 • Condition: Good*
(*“Good” in that charming, seen-some-things way we specialise in at Crappy Old Books.)

Step right up for a vintage dose of Jeffrey Archer, back when shoulder pads were wide, interest rates were terrifying, and twist-in-the-tail short stories were practically a competitive sport. A Quiver Full of Arrows is Archer’s collection of neat little narrative grenades: short, sharp, and designed to go off right at the end when you’re feeling smug for “having guessed it already.” (You didn’t.)

Inside this gently seasoned paperback you’ll find a parade of characters who scheme, bluff, hustle and occasionally get exactly what’s coming to them – all in under 20 pages a time. It’s perfect for:

• Reading on the train and accidentally missing your stop

• Pretending you “only read short stories” because you’re terribly busy and important

• Dosing yourself with a hit of 1980s storytelling where the biggest twist is not a global conspiracy, but something delightfully petty and human

About this particular copy

This is Crappy Old Books, so let’s manage expectations with brutal honesty:

• Condition: Good – which in our world means structurally sound, all pages present, fully readable, and just worn enough that you don’t feel guilty cracking the spine.

• The cover may show the kind of light wear that says, “I’ve been on a few holidays and one very boring business trip.”

• Pages may be a touch tanned, like someone who’s seen a few summers in a British garden and one reckless afternoon without sun cream.

• There may be a name or a small inscription inside, effectively making this book’s provenance more documented than some antiques.

No dust jacket drama, no missing chapters, no mysterious sticky bits (we reject the truly feral copies). Just an honest, slightly aged paperback that’s ready for another reader rather than a museum.

Why you might actually want this

• You like short stories with proper endings, not “interpretations”.

• You enjoy the kind of twist where you think, “Oh, that’s clever, I hate it, do it again.”

• You have a nostalgic fondness for old-school paperbacks that look like they’ve survived at least one house move and possibly a divorce.

• You appreciate the subtle flex of reading something from 1981 that isn’t a self-help book.

In summary

This Good condition Coronet paperback of A Quiver Full of Arrows is:

• Old enough to have character

• Young enough to hold together

• And just “crappy” enough to fit perfectly into the lovingly shambolic ethos of Crappy Old Books.

Adopt it, read it, then pop it on your shelf so visitors can think, “Ah, a person of taste… and slightly worrying thrift.”

Keep browsing: See more Fiction books Other books by Jeffrey Archer