"There is no friend as loyal as a book."
— Ernest Hemingway

London: Jonathan Cape, 1953. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.218; [2], blank. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards with red titles and 'heart' design to upper, tail edge untrimmed, pictorial dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Some light toning and mild spotting, jacket with some chips and..... More
London: Chatto and Windus, 1939. [Classic man-hunt adventure] FIRST EDITION, PROOF COPY, with an original 4-page advert/order form. Octavo, pp.[vii]; 271; [1], imprint. Publisher's brown card softcovers, with printed label to upper, handwritten details to spine. Contents clean, some wrinkling and lean to spine, covers lightly handled. A very good..... More
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
London: Jonathan Cape, 1954. [James Bond] FIRST ISSUE, Second State. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.240. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper-covered boards, titled and decorated in gilt, with dust-wrapper, priced twice as issued, at 10/6. With 'author's skill' text incorrectly spaced to the rear panel, as described in the bibliography, page 61..... More
London: Thornton Butterworth; Hutchinson & Co.; Rich & Cowan, 1929; 1932; 1934; 1931; 1932; 1932; 1933; [1934]; 1934; 1935; 1935; 1935; 1936; 1938; 1938; [1947]. [Collection of Books and Letters] INSCRIBED ASSOCIATION COPIES, WITH LETTERS. Sixteen volumes. Octavo (20 x 14 x 58cm). 1) The W Plan, seventh impression, pp.302..... More
New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1989. [Spy Thriller] INSCRIBED ORIGINAL TYPESCRIPT. 437 sheets of type-written A4 paper, with the title leaf INSCRIBED by the author in black ink: 'To Gary, | With all good wishes — | yours | John Gardner.' Also with a separate Compliments leaf on US..... More
London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1932. [Espionage novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm) pp.307. Usual corrected state of text. Publisher's black cloth hardcover blocked in gilt to the spine, dust-wrapper illustrated by Youngman Carter priced at 7/6. This thriller was entitled 'Orient Express' in the US. Neat bookplate of Book..... More
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
New York, NY: Linden Press / Simon & Schuster, 1984. [Mafia Novel] TYPESCRIPT DRAFT. More than 400 standard sheets of US paper (29 x 23cm), loose in a plain brown card box. The lid is inscribed 'PUZO | The Sicilian' in red ink, with 'Unrevised | Draft' written in pencil..... More
London: Vallancey Press Limted, no date [1945]. [Detective Mystery] FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. Slim octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.16. Illustrated stiff card covers designed by 'Jeffrey', original price 6d. A little dustiness and handling, lightly rubbed; near fine. The first stand-alone printing of this famous short story which had only previously..... More
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
London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1905. [Detective fiction] First Colonial Edition. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.[viii]; 403; [1], imprint; [8], advertisements. With a frontispiece illustration by Sidney Paget. Publisher's pictorial light blue-green cloth titled and decorated in gilt and black to the spine and front board, 'swan' patterned endpapers. Some..... More
London: John Long, 1969. [Crime Mystery] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.184. SIGNED by the author in black ink to title page. A ticket to the Soho Theatre event 'Ruth Rendell and PD James, Head to Head' September 2012, attended by a well-known bookseller, suggests provenance for the..... More
London: Methuen and Co., 1907. [Landmark Spy novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[viii]; 442; [1], imprint; [1], blank; [40], advertisement catalogue dated September 1907. Bound in publisher's burgundy coloured cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Edges of text block toned/browned, binding a little sunned to the spine..... More
London: George Newnes, July 1914 - June 1915. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCE of the fourth full-length Holmes adventure in its entirety. Two volumes. Octavo (24 x 17cm). Complete in nine monthly parts, running September through May. The first issue features a colour portrait of Holmes and a full page colour..... More
London: Sphere, 2013; 2014; 2015; 2018. [Crime Fiction] COMPLETE FIRST EDITIONS. Four volumes. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.449 [7]; pp.[8] 456; pp.[8] 494 [10]; pp.[6] 650. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spines, and variously coloured endpapers. Each volume with the photographic dust-jacket, variously priced at £16.99 and £20.00..... More
London: W. Collins and Sons and Co. Ltd., 1926. [Crime Fiction] First Edition. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.312, bound without half title in an elegant half dark blue calf, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, gilt titles, matching blue cloth sides, top edge gilt. Some minor dustiness and..... More
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1938. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.288. Publisher's blue cloth lettered in gilt, blue endpapers, pictorial dust-wrapper priced at 7/6. Contents very clean, neat ownership to flyleaf, jacket with trivial rubbing and wear, some discreet (frankly unnecessary) touch-up (no paper repair); a lovely..... More
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1962. [Crime Thriller] FIRST EDITION with the ORIGINAL DUST-JACKET ARTWORK. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine. With the deep pink dust-jacket illustrated by John Rose, priced at 12/6. Together with two separate original artworks by..... More
London: John Long, 1966. [Crime Mystery] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.183 [1]. SIGNED by the author in blue ink to title page. Publisher's black cloth with blue and yellow titles to spine. With the dust-jacket illustrated by William Randell, priced at 15s. Some light rubbing to board..... More
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
London: W. Collins and Sons. 1927. [Crime] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.v, 281; [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, titles in red to spine and upper. Some spotting to contents and edges (thick, fluffy paper is susceptible), covers fresh and bright, spine gently toned, lightly worn at tips. A very..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. [Espionage fiction] FIRST EDITION. Two copies (regular and variant). Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.255;[1] blank. Publisher's red cloth lettered in gilt to spine. Black "office stamp" motif and blind-stamped DOWNGRADED TO UNCLASSIFIED on front board, with plain black endpapers. Dust-wrapper designed by Raymond Hawkey. With a...... More
Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1915. [Espionage thriller]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13), pp.253; [blank]; [2 of publisher's advertisements]. Publisher's mid blue cloth, titles in darker blue to spine and upper board. Re-cased with later white endpapers. Textblock somewhat toned as usual. Cloth shows well, slightly rubbed..... More
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1958. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth, titled in black, with typographical dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Jacket very lightly nicked; a near fine copy of what appears to be a trial jacket - this one with a...... More