"Books are a hardbound drug with no danger of overdose. I am the happy victim of books."
— Karl Lagerfeld
Crime & Thrillers
![L'Agent Secret [The Confidential Agent]. Graham GREENE](/pictures/thumb/47170.JPG?v=1493311014)
L'Agent Secret [The Confidential Agent].
Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1948. THE FIRST FRENCH EDITION of 'The Confidential Agent', LIMITED TO 110 COPIES. This is number 80. Octavo, pp.269. Bound in publisher's yellow card wraps with blue and white lettering to covers. Pages remain uncut. A lovely copy, very clean and bright throughout. One crease in..... More
The Name of Action.
New York, NY: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1931. [Modern Literature] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[10]; 312. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spine and tiger device in blind to upper. Top edge orange; others untrimmed. Orange endpapers. With a facsimile dust-jacket. Lightly browned and tobacco scented..... More
![Stamboul Train [Orient Express]. Graham GREENE](/pictures/thumb/51361.jpg?v=1574440572)
Stamboul Train [Orient Express].
London: Heinemann, 1932. [Espionage novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm) pp.307. Black cloth hardcover blocked in gilt to spine. Usual corrected state of text. No inscriptions, very light spotting to edges, minor handling; crease up centre of spine, a clean, near fine copy. Greene's classic early 'entertainment' novel, a...... More
The Tenth Man.
London: The Bodley Head and Anthony Blond, 1985. Uncorrected Proof. Octavo. pp158. Publisher's yellow paper covers with titles in black to front cover and spine. Nominal rubbing to corners, internally pristine; in sum, a very attractive copy. An utterly gripping story of a wealthy French lawyer being held prisoner by..... More
![The Third Man [and The Fallen Idol]. Graham GREENE](/pictures/thumb/51321.jpg?v=1528553829)
The Third Man [and The Fallen Idol].
London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1950. [Spy novel and short story] FIRST EDITION. Small Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.188. Publisher's black cloth with silver titles to spine, pictorial dust jacket in monochrome, red and white titles. Discreet bookplate to pastedown, jacket lightly used, gently age-toned to spine, some loss to ends..... More
Brighton Rock.
London: William Heinemann, 1938. [Gangster thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.361; [1], blank. Elegantly hand-bound in red half calf, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, matching cloth sides, top edge gilt, publisher's original cloth spine bound in at rear. Faint spotting to first and final leaves;..... More
Night of the Hunter
New York: Harper and Brothers 1953. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.273 + [5]. Publisher's hardback cloth binding in pictorial dust-jacket. Book is clean but for an area of residue to pastedown (likely from a bookplate) hidden beneath flap. Jacket showing some rubbing to folds and a couple of small chips, price-clipped..... More
The Woman in the Case.
London: Greening and Co., 1909. [Edwardian murder mystery]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.281; [1]. Publisher's red cloth blocked in gilt to spine and black and gilt to upper board, top edge gilt. Frontispiece by A. Morrow. Some spotting to preliminaries and edges, edges toned. Cloth slightly rubbed to..... More
The Conscience of a King.
London, Ward Lock. n.d. Ward Lock Sixpenny Novel. 8vo. Publisher's card wraps. Loss to front corner of the front panel. Some minor chipping to spine panel. A striking chromolith illustration to front panel depicting an eighteenth century gentleman being menaced by what is either a glowing rope or an electric..... More
Finished.
London: Ward, Lock and Co., 1917. [Fantasy Adventure] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.320. With a black and white half-tone frontispiece. Publisher's green cloth with black titles to spine and upper board. Hinges split; spotting to edges and preliminaries. Rubbing to boards; spine head pulled; corners bumped. Good. The..... More
The 9th Directive. The 9th Directive Quiller in Bangkok.
London: Heinemann, 1966. [Espionage fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.254; [2] blank. Publisher's blue cloth lettered in gilt to spine, photographic dust-jacket designed by Tom Simmonds. Internally clean and bright, a little spotting to edges, cloth bright. Price clipped wrapper shows wells, a little edge wear and a...... More
Murder In The House Of Commons.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1931. First Edition. Octavo, pp.316; [4]. Bound in publisher's pale blue cloth, with embossed titles to spine. Pictorial dust-jacket by V. Asta shows the House of Commons against a dark sky to front cover, titles to spine, and publisher's advertisements to rear cover; unclipped, originally priced 7s..... More
The Girl on the Train.
London: Doubleday, 2015. [Modern Literature] SIGNED FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.316 [4]. SIGNED by the author in black ink to title page. Publisher's black cloth with white titles to spine. Red endpapers. With the usual second-state dust-jacket designed by Claire Ward, priced at £12.99. A fine as-new..... More
The Braydon Mystery.
London: John Long, 1963. [Crime novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.184. Publisher's black cloth with yellow and white titles to spine, series 'gunman' motif to foot, illustrated dust-jacket by William Randell priced at 12/6. Discreet ink name, jacket slightly soiled with small chips to crown, old tape to..... More
Naked Came the Manatee
New York: Putnam, 1996. FIRST EDITION, multi-signed. Octavo, pp.201; [1], blank. Publisher's hardcover in original dust-wrapper. A fine copy. A mystery parody comprising thirteen chapters, each written by a different Miami-based author writer. This is one of a small number SIGNED BY ALL THIRTEEN CONTRIBUTORS. More
The Boy Who Followed Ripley.
New York, NY: Lippincott and Crowell, 1980. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION, REVIEW COPY. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[10] 292. [2]. With a purple publicity sheet from the publisher, a review copy note from Harper and Row, and a photograph of the author loosely inserted. Publisher's red quarter cloth with gilt..... More
The Boy Who Followed Ripley.
London: Heinemann, 1980. [Thriller] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (23 x 14cm), pp.292; [4], blank. Publisher's blue cloth hardcovers in glossy photographic dust wrapper, priced at £6.50. A lovely fine copy. The fourth Tom Ripley novel. More
A Dog's Ransom.
London: Heinemann, 1972. [Crime novel] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY of the FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.282. Bound in yellow softcovers, printed lettering in two colours. Spine a little wrinkled else a fine copy. Kidnap thriller from the acclaimed writer of psychological mysteries. More
Eleven.
London: Heinemann, 1970. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO HER PUBLISHER. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.194. Publisher's maroon cloth in typographic dust-jacket. Author's inscription reads "For Otto Penzler | with thanks for the | party twenty-second | of October 1981 | Pat Highsmith". Internally clean. Binding is..... More
Ripley Under Ground.
London: Heinemann, 1971. [Mystery novel] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY of the FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.298. Bound in yellow softcovers, printed lettering in two colours. Discreet ink name to upper, spine a little rolled; very good indeed. The fifth and final psychological thriller featuring anti-hero Tom Ripley. Rather scarce..... More
Ripley Under Water.
London: Bloomsbury, 1991. [Mystery novel] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY of the FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.247; [1], Note. Bound from uncorrected proofs in photographic softcovers with publication date shown as October 1991. Lightly handled. One small mark to fore-edge. Fine. The fifth and final psychological thriller featuring anti-hero Tom..... More
Ripley's Game.
London: Heinemann, 1974. [Thriller] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (21 x 13cm), pp.282. Publisher's brown cloth hardcovers in glossy photographic dust wrapper, priced at £2.50. Book is fine; jacket with some laminate shrinkage, closed tear to rear panel, some tape to reverse, spine sunned. A very good copy. The third of..... More
![The Embassy Case [Publisher's retained copy]. Headon HILL](/pictures/thumb/54119.jpg?v=1561541294)
The Embassy Case [Publisher's retained copy].
London: Ward, Lock and Co., Limited, 1915. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Crown Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.304; [1], advertisements. Frontispiece illustration by Gilbert, with tissue guard. Original black cloth decorated in red and gilt, illustrated dust-jacket. A near fine copy of the book in price-clipped wrapper, lightly chipped and rubbed..... More
Guilty Gold. A Romance of Financial Fraud and City Crime.
London, C.Arthur Pearson Ltd. 1896. First Edition; large 8vo. Publisher's bottle green cloth, titles and decoration in gilt to spine, titles in gilt to front board with blind stamped decoration, top edge tinted in dark grey. 2 pages of advertisements to rear of text. Contains 16 illustrations, including frontispiece, all..... More
The Cottage in the Chine.
London: Ward Lock, 1913. Mystery novel. FIRST EDITION. Octavo. Pristine in publisher's black embossed cloth titled and decorated in gilt and red to spine and front board. Frontispiece with tissue guard. In the very scarce near fine colour dust-wrapper. Internally clean, light foxing to pastedowns. Jacket with some light edgewear..... More