Michael Crichton's second book and the first written under his own name, an important early techno-thriller that established his career. This suspenseful tale of the race to contain a deadly extraterrestrial was influenced by Crichton's time in medical school. Original cloth-backed black boards with black lettering. Black topstain. Black endpapers. Basis for the dramatic 1971 Robert Wise film, starring Arthur Hill, Kate Reid & David Wayne.