You Only Live Once

PERIL PRESS presents:



The Strand, Apr 1939

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Dec 1951

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE

by Michael Arlen

6400 Words



How many writers have the extraordinary talent, precocious or otherwise, to have their first book published while they are still in their teens? Not many surely, but Michael Arlen is one. He was only eighteen when his first novel saw the light of print. He was only twenty-four when THESE CHARMING PEOPLE, that highly sophisticated book of short stories, brought him a modest success. And he was still under thirty when THE GREEN HAT made him an international celebrity. It is said that THE GREEN HAT earned Michael Arlen half a million dollars in book royalties alone, and the motion picture (starring Greta Garbo) and the play (starring Katharine, Cornell) must have added substantially to the book's income. Today, the critics speak of THE GREEN HAT as "superficial" and "dated" changing their minds, and no matter what harsh words have been flung in Mr. Arlen's direction in the past, no ever had the courage to deny that "Mike" has wit and imagination, that "he knows how to tell a story" . . .



This edition includes the masthead and cover to the issue of Ellery Queen this was reprinted in, as well as a GALLERY of 10 magazine covers from issues that featured stories by Michael Arlen.



The writer Michael Arlen was cited by Ian Fleming as an influence and mentioned him by name in his 1963 short story '007 in New York'. Fleming's 1964 novel was called 'You Only Live Twice'.