"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."
— P.J. O'Rourke
Crime & Thrillers
Hilda Wade.
London: Grant Richards, 1900. First Edition. 8vo. Publisher's dark blue cloth titled and decorated in gilt to spine and front board. A used copy with some shelfwear,rubbed to extremities, gilt illustration rubbed to upper, discreet owner stamp to flyleaf, inside paper joint cracked. Very good. Illustrated throughout by Gordon Browne..... More
The Light of Day.
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1963. [Crime Thriller] SIGNED FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[6] 243 [5]. SIGNED by the author in black ink to half-title. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles and green decoration to spine, a gilt EA monogram to upper, top edge red, fore-edge..... More
The Mask Of Dimitrios.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1939. FIRST EDITION. A Haycraft-Queen cornerstone novel. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.320. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine. Internally very clean with no ownership marks, bookplates or inscriptions. Covers are fresh but for a little sunning to spine, a few small marks and the..... More
Uncommon Danger.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1937. [Intrigue] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.314; [6], advertisements. Publisher's pale blue cloth lettered in black, mid-blue endpapers, pictorial jacket by Gibbs, priced 7/6. Trivial toning to edge of text block, jacket with very light rubbing/wear to extremities. Overall a lovely fine copy of..... More
The Man Who Killed Hitler.
London: T. Werner Laurie, 1939. [Anti-Nazi Novel] UK FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.113, [1]; [14] publisher's advertisements. Publisher's black cloth with titles in yellow, in yellow typographic dust-jacket showing printed price of 3/6 net to the spine. Binding is tight, printing crisp with no spotting. Dust-wrapper is bright..... More
Dead Man's Bay.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Mystery Thriller] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the green and black dust-jacket priced at 10/6. Light offsetting to endpapers and some browning to edges. Jacket toned and chipped to..... More
Conjuror.
London: Head of Zeus, 2016. [Fantasy Crime Thriller] SIGNED FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.[6] 303 [11]. SIGNED by both authors in black marker to title page. Publisher's black paper-covered boards with metallic blue titles. With the dust-jacket designed by Larry Rostant, priced at £12.00. 'Signed by the..... More
Trent's Own Case.
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1936. [Crime Mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[10] 324 [2]. Publisher's orange cloth with blue titles to spine and upper. Top edge blue, others untrimmed. With the dust-jacket designed by Hawkins, priced at $2.00. The usual wood-grain pattern browning to preliminaries..... More
Trent's Own Case.
London: Constable and Co., 1936. [Crime Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[6] 314. Publisher's orange cloth with blue titles to spine and upper. Top edge blue. Toronto bookseller's stamp to flyleaf. Erasure of heavy pencil inscription also to flyleaf. Gently toned throughout. Only very minor rubbing to cloth;..... More
Trent Intervenes.
London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1938. [Crime Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.280. Publisher's blue cloth with white titles to spine. Top edge blue. Some browning to edges and endpapers, with gentle occasional spotting. Spine toned, with some rubbing and marking to cloth. Very good. A collection of..... More
Duane and the Art Murders.
London: Cassell and Company, Limited, 1939. [Dective novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[8]; 246; [2]. Publisher's red cloth, titles in black to spine, splendid dust-jacket designed by Ronald Lampitt with printed price of 3'6 net to spine. Bookplate detailing provenance to pastedown. Offsetting to endpapers, spotting and dustiness..... More
The Decoy.
London: William Collins Ltd., 1927. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.[ii]; 251; [1], imprint. Publisher's burgundy cloth in illustrated jacket priced at 3/6 (title was likely published at 7/6, although we are certain this particular jacket has always been with this book). Some trivial dustiness handling and..... More
The Black-Eyed Blonde. A Philip Marlowe Novel.
New York, NY: The Mysterious Bookshop / Henry Holt, 2014. [Detective mystery] DELUXE EDITION, SIGNED by the author. Number 86 of 100 copies thus. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[xii]; 290; [4]. Publisher's glit-stamped black leather over marbled paper covered sides, light grey endpapers. Fine / as new. A new novel..... More
Malice in Wonderland.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1940. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.284 [4]. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine. Cosmological self-devouring snake bookplate to front pastedown. Small Indian bookseller's stamp to fly-leaf. Light spotting and thumbing to edges. Cloth well-worn, just starting..... More
The Widow's Cruise.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Crime Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the black dust-jacket titled in white and orange, priced at 12/6. Spotting and browning to edges, with a little bumping and toning to..... More
My Mother was a Bank Robber, and Other Stories.
London: Revolver, 1998. [Crime stories] SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Octavo, pp.64. No.11 of just 200 copies SIGNED by the author in black ink to title page. In original lilac card covers with a colour / black and white photo montage pasted to the front cover. Price label mark to back cover..... More
Murder in the King's Road.
London: Harvill Press, 1953. [Crime Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.212. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Monica Walker, priced at 9/6. Some spotting to edges and endpapers; offsetting also to endpapers. Gilt dulled to spine. Light rubbing to jacket edges..... More
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards.
London: Published for The Crime Club by Collins, 1967. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION, REVIEW COPY EX LIBRIS ANTHONY LEJEUNE. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.191; [1] blank. Publisher's red cloth, gilt titles to spine, dust-jacket designed by Kenneth Farnhill with printed price of 16s. net. With the publisher's review slip loosely inserted..... More
Inferno.
London: Bantam Press, 2013. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (25 x 17cm), pp.[xii]; [466]. Publisher's pictorial paper covered boards with titles in white to spine, in pictorial dust-jacket designed by Claire Ward. Some minor bumps and shelfwear. Near fine. The fourth book in the Robert Langdon series; Langdon wakes up with..... More
Mr. Standfast.
London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1919. Advance proof copy. 8vo. Publisher's original plain brown wraps, slightly spotted with minor edgewear. Internally clean, unifom light toning to page block. A most unusual and scarce advance proof copy of Mr. Standfast, one of Buchan's scarcer Richard Hannay stories. Protected by a tailor-made brown..... More
The Courts of the Morning. A Richard Hannay novel.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1929. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. Publisher's light blue cloth (also issued in green cloth) with title and trim printed in black. Minor wear and discolour to cloth. Very good. A dramatic series of adventures which take place against the backdrop of a small South American Republic that..... More
![The Island of Sheep. [A Richard Hannay Novel]. John BUCHAN](/pictures/thumb/52494.jpg?v=1584533229)
The Island of Sheep. [A Richard Hannay Novel].
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1936. [Spy Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.318; [2]. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and gilt 'JB' monogram to upper board, map printed to front endpapers, pictorial jacket priced at 7/6. No toning, no spotting. An immaculate copy of the book..... More
![The Island of Sheep. [A Richard Hannay Novel]. John BUCHAN](/pictures/thumb/57292.jpg?v=1595436244)
The Island of Sheep. [A Richard Hannay Novel].
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1936. [Spy Thriller] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.318 [2]. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine, gilt 'JB' monogram to upper board, and map printed to front endpapers. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Chesterman, priced at 7/6 to spine. Black ink ownership to..... More
The Power-House.
Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1916. [Thriller]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.x; 238. Publisher's red cloth, titles in black to spine and upper. Textblock browned as expected, endpapers to rear gutter split with the gauze showing through, binding still sound. Slight reading lean. A few small..... More
![The Thirty-Nine Steps [39 Steps], John BUCHAN](/pictures/thumb/50730.jpg?v=1584533210)
The Thirty-Nine Steps [39 Steps],
London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1915. [Espionage thriller]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [1]; [2], publisher's advertisements. Publisher's blue cloth boards with dark blue embossed lettering to spine and upper. Browning to page edges, though less than would normally be expected. Reading lean; spine sunned. Very good, in..... More