"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. "
— Oscar Wilde
Crime & Thrillers
Blood Junction.
London, Orion. 2001. FIRST EDITION. Large 8vo. SIGNED by the author. Fine in like dustwrapper. As New. The hardback print run was limited to 1000 copies. Winner of the CWA New Writer's award. Author's debut novel. When journalist India Kane travels from Sydney to the outback town of Cooinda for..... More
The Tracer of Lost Persons.
New York, Appleton. 1906. First US Edition. 8vo. Publisher's pink cloth, titled and decorated in cream to spine and front boards with inset paper illustration label to centre of front board depicting a rather dreamy young woman with an incredible amount of hair and what appear to be severe neck..... More
Killer In The Rain. Being: Killer in the Rain; The Man who liked Dogs; The Curtain; Try the Girl; Mandarin's Jade; Bay City Blues; The Lady in the Lake; No Crime in the Mountains. With an Introduction by Philip Durham.
Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1964. [Crime stories] FIRST EDITION (stated). Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.394. Publisher's blue cloth in pictorial dust-wrapper designed by Rob Howard, priced at $5.50. Contents and page edges clean, jacket with a little edgewear and a crease to the spine panel, neat tape reinforcement to..... More
Farewell, My Lovely.
New York, NY: Alfred Knopf, 1940. [Crime novel] FIRST EDITION. Small Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[viii]; 275; [1], blank; [1], 'Note'. Publisher's russet cloth blocked in blue, dark blue top edge. A clean copy of the book with no inscriptions, very faint scuff to pastedown, tiny bookplate to rear pastedown..... More
The High Window.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1943. [Detective Fiction] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp,236. Hand-bound in deep red burgundy calf over matching cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands. One or two minor marks within, exterior as new. A near fine copy, in an attractive recent leather..... More
The Little Sister.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1949. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, ADVANCE REVIEW COPY. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth, gilt titles to spine, pictorial dust-jacket designed by C.W. Bacon, priced at 8s. 6d. net. Some dustiness to edges, jacket with a few small nicks and tears, lightly soiled. Hamish Hamilton headed..... More
The Long Goodbye.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1953. [Detective novel] TRUE FIRST EDITION, preceding the US edition by one year. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.319; [1]. Elegantly bound in navy half calf, gilt-lettered with twin red morocco title labels, spine ruled in six compartments with raised bands, matching cloth sides. Light spotting to first..... More
Playback.
London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd. 1958. FIRST EDITION. Octavo. Elegantly hand-bound in half red calf, with gilt titles to spine, traditional raised bands, cloth sides. A little spotting/toning to edge of text block else a clean copy in an attractive recent leather binding. The true first printing of the final Philip..... More
Playback.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1958. [Crime Fiction] FIRST UK EDITION, FIRST IMPRESSION. Octavo, pp.208. Publisher's red cloth in original dust jacket correctly priced at 12s.6d. Book is near fine, jacket very good with some creases and tears, chipped to crown. The true first printing of the final Philip Marlowe story, which..... More
Spanish Blood.
Cleveland, OH, and New York, NY: The World Publishing Company, 1946. [Short stories] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.221; [3]. Publisher's black cloth blocked in red to spine and upper, top edge red, striking dust-jacket designed by Hoffman. Textblock toned as expected. cloth lightly rubbed, jacket shows very well..... More
Count On The Saint; 'The Unsaintly Santa'.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1980. [Crime caper] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.175; [1], advert. Publisher's burgundy cloth in original dust-wrapper designed by Melvyn Gill. A lovely fine copy. Short episodes with the gentleman adventurer. Includes the seasonal mystery 'The Saintly Santa'. More
Saint Errant.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1949. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.253; [1], advert. Publisher's pale blue cloth in dust-wrapper. Covers mottled as usual, jacket with a few chips and tears. No inscriptions or price-clipping. Very good. A collection of the gentleman adventurer's amorous yet deadly escapades with the opposite sex, including 'Judith..... More
The Saint Goes West. Some Further Exploits of Simon Templar.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1942. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.222; [1], advert. Publisher's pale blue cloth in original dust-wrapper priced at 8/6. Covers mottled as usual, jacket with a few chips and tears. traces of an old inscription to flyleaf. Very good. Three Saintly US adventures in Arizona, Palm Springs and..... More
The Saint Sees it Through.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1947. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's tan cloth with brown titles to spine and upper board. With the dust-jacket designed by Jarvis, priced at 8/6. Light spotting to edges, offsetting to endpapers, neat ownership to pastedown. some discolouring to board edges..... More
![Senor Saint [Señor Saint]. Leslie CHARTERIS](/pictures/thumb/54223.jpg?v=1569253766)
Senor Saint [Señor Saint].
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1959. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.189. Publisher's green cloth decorated in gilt to spine, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at 12/6. A lightly used copy with a few rubs to extremities, edges dusty, creased tear to crown, old tape to reverse; remains bright and..... More
Past Tense.
London: Bantam Press, 2018. [Thriller] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (25 x 17 cm), pp.[6]; 423; [3]. Signed by author in black ink to title page. Publisher's black cloth with silver titles to spine, all edges yellow, dust-wrapper designed by Mulcahey Design. Clean and bright copy. Fine/as New. The next novel..... More
The Riddle of the Sands.
London: Smith Elder and Co., 1903. [Espionage novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[xii]; 336; [4], advertisements. Illustrated with fold out maps and charts. Publisher's pictorial black cloth, blocked in white to the spine and upper cover. Edges of text block toned, vintage repair to torn leaf at pp.217-8..... More
![Witness for the Prosecution [in] Summer Pie Magazine. Agatha CHRISTIE, Dame](/pictures/thumb/51041.jpg?v=1530718970)
Witness for the Prosecution [in] Summer Pie Magazine.
London: Odhams Press, 1939. [Short Stories]. EARLY MAGAZINE APPEARANCE. A4 magazine (29 x 22cm), pp.100. Illustrated throughout in photogravure, with illustrations for the Christie story by Jack Faulks. Publisher's colour-illustrated paper covers, stapled to spine. Light browning to edges. Staples oxidising; some rubbing to edges and spine. Very good. First..... More
4.50 From Paddington.
London: Collins for the Crime Club, 1957. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the illustrated dust-jacket. Neat gift inscription, toned to edges, slightly short price-clipped jacket with a few chips and tears, spine a little faded. Very good..... More
At Bertram's Hotel.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1965. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and pattern to boards, dust-jacket designed by Brian Russell. A fine copy of the book in lightly soiled, near fine wrapper. A nice example. "It is..... More
The Boomerang Clue.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1935. [Murder mystery] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[viii]; 290; [1], adverts; [5], blank. Publisher's light grey cloth blocked in red, top edge bright red, fore-edge untrimmed, 'red badge detective' design endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $2.00. A lovely fine copy..... More
A Caribbean Mystery.
London, Collins, The Crime Club. 1964. Advance Copy. 8vo. Publisher's blue marbled paper wraps, near fine save for a small triangle of loss to lower rear panel. Clean and fresh. Internally clean. Not to be confused with a proof copy which Collins issued for this title in red card wraps..... More
Cat Among the Pigeons.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255; [1] blank. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine, in typographic dust-jacket priced at 12/6. Some dustiness/spotting to edges of text block, tear to rear joint, clean jacket has a few nicks and..... More
The Clocks.
London: Collins, The Crime Club, 1963. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth in dust-wrapper designed by Michael Harvey, priced at 16s. Neat ownership to flyleaf. Edges a little dusty/spotted, jacket with some creases, nicks and tears. Very good indeed. The son of Superintendent Battle..... More
Death Comes as The End.
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1945. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Publisher's orange cloth, black titles to spine, pictorial dust-jacket priced at 7/6. Neat ownership inscription to flyleaf. Some light spotting and toning to edges. Cloth slightly rubbed to extremities, endcaps slightly rolled. Dust-jacket shows..... More