Cyborg: A Novel by Martin Caidin. Arbor House. (1972). ISBN-10: 0877950253. Presumed first edition with no statement of later printing. Hardcover with dust jacket. DUST JACKET: Has wear and bumping to edges of the dj. Significant rubbing on the back panel with some rubbing on the front panel. Otherwise, no unusual folds or creases. No tears. No clips. No missing pieces. Not price-clipped. With original price of $6.95. BOOK: Light cover edge wear. Light dust soiling on the top of the page block. Some soiling inside front and back cpovers near the joints. Original new bookstore sticker inside the back cover. Otherwise, no previous owner markings. No tears, folds or creases to pages. Binding is tight with no looseness to pages. Not ex-library, not remaindered and not a facsimile reprint. For sale by Jon Wobber, bookseller since 1978. II26a

"Cyborg is a 1972 science fiction/secret agent novel written by Martin Caidin. The novel also included elements of speculative fiction. It was adapted as the television movie The Six Million Dollar Man, which was followed by a weekly series of the same name, both of which starred Lee Majors. The movie also inspired a spin-off, The Bionic Woman.

Cyborg is the story of astronaut and test pilot Steve Austin, who experiences a catastrophic crash during a flight, leaving him with all but one limb destroyed, blind in one eye, and with other major injuries.

At the same time, a secret part of the American government, the Office of Strategic Operations (OSO), has taken an interest in the work of Dr. Rudy Wells concerning bionics — the replacement of human body parts with mechanical prosthetics that (in the context of this novel) are more powerful than the original limbs. Wells also happens to be a good friend of Austin's, so when OSO chief Oscar Goldman "invites" (or rather, orders) Wells to rebuild Austin with bionics limbs, Wells agrees.

Steve Austin is outfitted with two new legs capable of propelling him at great speed, and a bionic left arm with almost human dexterity and the strength of a battering ram. One of the fingers of the hand incorporates a poison dart gun. His left eye is replaced with a false, removable eye that is used (in this first novel) to house a miniature camera. Other physical alterations include the installation of a steel skull plate to replace bone smashed by the crash, and a radio transmitter built into a rib. This mixture of man and machine is known as a cyborg, from which the novel gets its title.

The first half of the novel details both Austin's reaction to his original injuries — he attempts to commit suicide — and his initially resentful reaction to being rebuilt with bionic prosthetic hardware. The operation has a price: Austin is committed to working for the OSO as a reluctant agent. The second half of the novel describes Austin being teamed with an already experienced female operative, and his mission to the Middle East as both spy and weapon. Austin, already coming to appreciate his bionic implants, relies heavily on his augmentation during the mission and by the end accepts his role." - wikipedia