No Fixed Abode
The Life and Times of America's Greatest Unknown Spywriter
Published on 31. March 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
277 pages
978-0-87565-916-9 (ISBN)
Description
No Fixed Abode is a memoir that reads like a novel, chronicling the adventurous life of James Young Phillips, known by his pen name, Philip Atlee. A rebellious scion of Texas high society, Phillips shocked Fort Worth with his debut novel The Inheritors, a work compared to Hemingway that caused such a stir it was banned from local library shelves. From his reckless youth to World War II missions on bullet-strafed Chinese airfields, a tumultuous marriage to a runaway Swedish baroness, and the creation of his famed fictional superspy Joe Gall, Phillips' story may offend-but it will certainly entertain. Shunning fame much like his spy character, Phillips faded from the spotlight until his death in 1991. Now, with renewed interest in his work and TCU Press's first-ever publication of his memoir, he is recognized as one of America's great 20th-century writers.
No Fixed Abode takes readers on a globe-trotting journey, weaving through high-society soirees, oilfields, daring air missions, glittering nightclubs, international smuggling, a stint in an insane asylum, and encounters with Hollywood legends like John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, and Elvis Presley. It's a vivid tale of triumph, tragedy, addiction, and redemption-the greatest adventure Phillips ever wrote was his own life.
No Fixed Abode takes readers on a globe-trotting journey, weaving through high-society soirees, oilfields, daring air missions, glittering nightclubs, international smuggling, a stint in an insane asylum, and encounters with Hollywood legends like John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, and Elvis Presley. It's a vivid tale of triumph, tragedy, addiction, and redemption-the greatest adventure Phillips ever wrote was his own life.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Fort Worth
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
485 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-87565-916-9 (9780875659169)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
James Young Phillips, pseudonym 'Philip Atlee', was a Ft. Worth native whose first novel so scandalized the well-to-do citizens of his Country Club upbringing that it was banned from public library shelves. Following stints as a flight dispatcher, Marine, Broadway publicist, and screenwriter, he turned to writing mystery and espionage novels, ultimately selling millions of copies worldwide.