Crime & Thrillers
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
London: Harper Collins, 2022. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION THUS. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.xiii; [3]; 269; [5], blank. Red cloth imitation paper over boards lettered and patterned in gilt with white lettered quotation to back. Printed price of £14.99 to lower board. Red Art Deco illustrative endpapers. Loosely inserted is..... More
The Hound of Death. And Other Stories.
London: Odhams Press Limited, 1933. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.247; [1]. Publisher's plum-coloured cloth with titles in gilt to spine. Contents clean, no inscriptions, edges with some expected dustiness/toning, spine sunned, gilt tarnished as usual. A very good, respectable copy without jacket. A collection of twelve..... More
The Liquidator.
London: Frederick Muller, 1964. [Cold War Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.204; [4], blank. Publisher's red cloth with silver titles to spine, dust-jacket designed by Derrick Holmes, priced at 18s. Minor dustiness, jacket with some wearing to crown, laminate shrinkage at rear joint, light rolling to spine. A...... More
Violent Ward.
London: Harper Collins, 1993. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 15cm), pp.[x]; 305; [5], blank. Publisher's black hardcover cloth spine blocked in gilt and paper boards, illustrated dust-jacket priced at $23 to front flap. Page edges and spine gently toned else a crisp, clean, fine copy. A picaresque legal thriller..... More
Mamista (hardback and proof).
New York: Harper Collins, 1991. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, together with ADVANCE READING COPY. Octavos (24 x 17cm), pp.410, pp.339. Publisher's green linen-backed hardcover in illustrated dust-wrapper, or publisher's illustrated softcovers. Some spotting/toning to edges else fine. Guerilla warfare story set in 1980s South America. In the 60's, Len Deighton was..... More
Parker Pyne Investigates.
London: W. Collins & Son / The Crime Club / Harper Collins, 2013. [Crime Mystery] FACSIMILE EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.175; [1], blank. Publisher's red cloth with black titles and trim. With the illustrated facsimile dust-jacket, priced at 7/6 to backstrip. Some minor spotting; near fine. A collection of..... More
The Secret Adversary.
London: The Bodley Head / Harper Collins, 2012. [Crime Mystery] FACSIMILE EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.257; [13], blank. Publisher's red cloth with black titles and trim. With the illustrated facsimile dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. Some minor spotting; near fine. A facsimile of the original 1922 edition of the classic..... More
The White Witch of the South Seas.
London: Hutchinson, 1968. [Satanic adventure Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.383 [1]. Publisher's red cloth titled in gilt, in pictorial dust-jacket illustrated by Gino d'Achille, priced at 30s to front flap. Some acceptable edgewear, edges of text block a little dusty and spotted, jacket is fine. More
Absolute Friends.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2004. [Intrigue] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.383; [1]. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine, purple endpapers, purple dust-wrapper with red and white titles, priced at £18.99. No inscriptions, contents clean, jacket lightly handled; near fine. A theatrical masterstroke of tragi-comic..... More
Thunderball.
New York: Viking [Book Club], no date [circa 1970]. [James Bond novel] US BOOK CLUB EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.x; 214; [2], blank. Publisher's grey paper-covered boards with red titles to spine. With the pictorial dust-jacket. A clean, fine copy in similar jacket with some sunning to the spine..... More
Of Human Bondage.
London: William Heinemann, 1915. [Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.648. Publisher's blue cloth blocked in gilt. Contents clean, owner name and date to top margin of title page, modern bookplate, inside hinges started, spine toned. Very good. Earliest state of the text, with 'help' fopr 'helped' p.257, line..... More
The Guns of Navarone.
London: Collins, 1957. [WWII Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.318 [2]. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 14s. Contents clean, no inscriptions, some spotting to fore edge, jacket with some edge wear and a couple of neat closed tears. Near..... More
Towards Zero.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1944. [Murder mystery] FIRST US EDITION, usual later issue with 'Blakiston' publisher credit on t.p. Octavo (20 x 15cm), pp.[8] 242 [2]. Publisher's grey cloth with brown decoration to spine and upper, and sketch-map to endpapers. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Koerney. Discreet..... More
The Ability to Kill: True Tales of Bloody Murder.
New York, NY: The Mysterious Press, 1987. [True Crime] SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[2] xxii; 214 [2]. Letter I of 26 lettered copies, SIGNED by the author in black ink to limitation page. Publisher's deep red cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the matching cloth-covered slipcase..... More
Cards on the Table.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1936. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.286; [2], blank. Publisher's orange cloth lettered in black to spine. Toning and light spotting to edges of textblock though internally clean. Sunning and rolling to spine, water marks to upper board, two..... More
Brighton Rock.
London: William Heinemann, 1938. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION, production-used copy of Linnit and Dunfee. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.[4]; 361; [1]. Publisher's red cloth lettered in gilt to spine. Linnit and Dunfee ownership stamp to flyleaf. Previous owner's name in black ink to flyleaf and dated 1940, toning to end-papers..... More
Murder In Mesopotamia (A Hercule Poirot novel).
London: For the Crime Club by Collins, 1936. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.284; [4], advertisements. Elegantly hand-bound in half tan calf over matching cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with traditional raised bands. Contents clean with a few small marks/spots within, exterior as new. A...... More
Sparkling Cyanide.
London: Collins Crime Club, 1945. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Elegantly hand-bound in half burgundy calf over cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with traditional raised bands. Contents clean, exterior as new. A fine copy in a striking recent leather binding. "A year ago, seven people..... More
The Paper Chase.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1956. [Crime Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket, priced at 10/6. No inscriptions, contents fresh. A fine copy in a virtually fine wrapper, with a tiny amount of..... More
The Endless Chain.
London: Alvin Redman Limited, 1956. [Crime Fiction] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm), pp.256. INSCRIBED by the author in green ink to title page: 'Dear John | For Greene may come and | Waugh may go | But I go on forever | - well, nearly. | Warmest regards..... More
Maigret In Court.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1961. [Detective novel] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Recently re-bound in red half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and matching cloth over boards. With the original publisher's cloth spine bound in at rear. A crisp, clean copy in an..... More
Forlorn Sunset.
London: Constable, 1947. [Modern literature] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.xii; 501; [3]. With four plates, numerous in-text illustrations, and a coloured frontispiece drawn by John Piper. Publisher's purple cloth. Gilt 'M.S.' blocked to upper, gilt labels with black titles to spine. With the pictorial dust-jacket also..... More
Beggars Banquet.
London: Orion, 2002. [Short stories] SIGNED, fourth impression. Octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.[10]; 310. SIGNED by the author in blue ink to the title page. Publisher's black paper over boards, purple titles to spine. With the photographic dust-jacket priced at £16.99 to front flap. Purple endpapers. Interior clean, faint toning..... More
Two New Crime Stories. The Under Dog, and Blackman's Wood by E. Phillips Oppenheim.
London: The Readers Library Publishing Co., no date [1929]. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (17 x 11cm), pp188; [2], advertisements. Publisher's burgundy cloth gilt-stamped to upper and spine. With the illustrated dust-wrapper by Vernon L Soper. Contents toned as expected, slight lean, gilt to spine dulled, bright dust jacket..... More
Mr Mercedes.
London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2014. [Police Thriller] FIRST UK EDITION, W.H. Smith Collector's Edition. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[8] 405 [3]. Publisher's black cloth with blue metallic titles to spine and blue illustrative endpapers. With the photographic dust-jacket, priced at £20. One leaf shows two folded corners. Light general handling..... More