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  • NO MOURNING FOR THE MATADOR. by Ames, Delano (1906-1987)
    Ames, Delano (1906-1987)
    NO MOURNING FOR THE MATADOR.

    Edition: First US printing.

    New York: Ives Washburn, (1953) dj. Hardcover first edition - The seventh Jane and Dagobert Brown mystery - they lightheartedly head off to Spain for some much needed rest - only to discover themselves once again embroiled in murder when they attend a bullfight in Barcelona and the matador is killed. 191 pp.

    Condition: Very near fine in tan cloth in a very good dust jacket (some light toning to the pages, small chip to bottom edge of front cover of dust jacket, original price of $2.50 still present) .

    Book ID: 78283
    View cart More details Price: $45.00
  • THE WRONG MAN. by Bailey, H. C. [Henry Christopher, 1878-1961]
    Bailey, H. C. [Henry Christopher, 1878-1961]
    THE WRONG MAN.

    Edition: First edition.

    Garden City, NY: Published for The Crime Club, Inc. by Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1945. dj. Hardcover first edition - A novel featuring lawyer Joshua Clunk and Inspector Underwood. Although Bailey was an English writer, the US edition preceded the UK. 252 pp.

    Condition: Near fine in red cloth in very good dust jacket (light edgewear to the dj., original price of $2.00 still present on front flap)

    Book ID: 73986
    View cart More details Price: $30.00
  • DRAWBACK TO MURDER: A Christopher Storm Mystery. by Barber, Willetta Ann and R. F. Schabelitz.
    Barber, Willetta Ann and R. F. Schabelitz.
    DRAWBACK TO MURDER: A Christopher Storm Mystery.

    Edition: First printing.

    New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947. dj. Hardcover first edition - Sixth mystery featuring Christopher "Kit" Storm, an unofficial artist-detective who uses his sketch pad to make drawings at the scene of the crime to assist the New York Homicide Squad solve a series of slayings among a group of young models and artists. Illustrated with more than 40 of his sketches. 292 pp.

    Condition: Very good in very good dust jacket (previous owner's stamp on front endpaper, offsetting and toning to the endpapers and pages, some overall edgewear to the dj, original price of 2.50 still present)

    Book ID: 78122
    View cart More details Price: $65.00
  • THE CAMDEN RUBY MYSTERY. by Bliss, Adam (pseudonym of Robert F. Burkhardt & Eve Burkhardt)
    Bliss, Adam (pseudonym of Robert F. Burkhardt & Eve Burkhardt)
    THE CAMDEN RUBY MYSTERY.

    Edition: Vintage reprint.

    New York: Grosset & Dunlap, (c 1931.). Hardcover - A "locked room" mystery (although in this case, the door was actually open), the first of three mysteries written using this pseudonym by the husband and wife team of Robert and Eve Burkhardt (they also wrote many more mysteries under the name Rob Eden.) 314 pp plus 6 pp of publisher's ads.

    Condition: Very good+ in red cloth with black lettering (usual light toning to the pages.) Red tinting to top edge.

    Book ID: 56762
    View cart More details Price: $40.00
  • AN APPLE A DAY. by Brinton, Henry.
    Brinton, Henry.
    AN APPLE A DAY.

    Edition: First US printing.

    New York: Ives Washburn, 1959. dj. Hardcover first edition - Murder at a family reunion on a small island off the coast of Cornwall, as narrated by a doctor who is married to one of the daughters in the family. 223 pp.

    Condition: Near fine in near fine dust jacket.

    Book ID: 68802
    View cart More details Price: $20.00
  • THE RED GATE. by Burke, Richard.
    Burke, Richard.
    THE RED GATE.

    Edition: First edition.

    Chicago: Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., (1947) dj. Hardcover first edition - A Fingerprint Mystery. When the wealthy judge is murdered, his young wife, a former cigarette girl, becomes the only suspect. 225 pp.

    Condition: Good in red cloth in a good dust jacket (spotting on a few preliminary pages, sunning to spine of dj, overall rubbing, tape reinfrorcement to the interior of the dj at the top of the spine. Original price of $1.98 still present.

    Book ID: 76503
    View cart More details Price: $25.00
  • DEATH AT ASH HOUSE (original title: This Undesirable Residence.) by Burton, Miles (pseudonym of Cecil John C. Street)
    Burton, Miles (pseudonym of Cecil John C. Street)
    DEATH AT ASH HOUSE (original title: This Undesirable Residence.)

    Edition: First US printing.

    Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1942. dj. Hardcover first edition - A Crime Club selection. An Inspector Arnold mystery, published in the UK as 'This Undesirable Residence.' An uncommon title by this writer (who also wrote mysteries under the name of John Rhode.)

    Condition: Pencilled notation indicating that this was from a store's lending library - stamp of store on endpaper, but no other markings. The dustjacket was originally covered by an old-style protector with black edges - and these black edges left some marks on the endpapers. Otherwise the book is in very good condition and the dustjacket is in exceptionally good condition - bright and attractive with only the slightest bit of fading to the red on the spine, and a small amount of dampstaining visible on the upper corner of the front flap.

    Book ID: 17567
    View cart More details Price: $275.00
  • NAKED TO THE GRAVE. by Carmichael, Harry.
    Carmichael, Harry.
    NAKED TO THE GRAVE.

    Edition: First US printing.

    New York: Saturday Review Press, (1973) dj. Hardcover first edition - Mystery featuring insurance assessor John Piper and his friend, crime reporter Quinn. 192 pp. ISBN: 0-8415-02323.

    Condition: Overall good condition in a near fine dust jacket (peeled spots on boards from tape removal, discoloration on front endpaper)

    Book ID: 61446
    View cart More details Price: $18.00
  • CARDS ON THE TABLE. by Christie, Agatha.
    Christie, Agatha.
    CARDS ON THE TABLE.

    Edition: Early vintage reprint of this novel originally published in 1936,

    New York: Collier Books, (c 1936) dj. Hardcover - "Murder over the bridge table; somebody trumped with a thin steel dagger to the heart!" An early Hercule Poirot mystery. 262 pp.

    Condition: Near fine (toning to the pages) in embossed burgundy cloth in a fine facsimile dust jacket with the art from the Grosset and Dunlap edition.

    Book ID: 87831
    View cart More details Price: $45.00
  • DESTINATION UNKNOWN. by Christie, Agatha.
    Christie, Agatha.
    DESTINATION UNKNOWN.

    Edition: First printing.

    London: The Crime Club by Collins, (1954) dj. Hardcover first edition - A classic novel by Christie, full of her trademark sudden twists, but unusual in that it is in the world of espionage, set in Morocco where the wife of a vanished scientist has gone "on vacation?". 192 pp.

    Condition: Very good in red boards in a very good dust jacket (usual toning to the pages,some spine slant, wear to the dj at the ends of the spine and the corners, price-clipped)

    Book ID: 88033
    View cart More details Price: $100.00
  • ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER. by Christie, Agatha.
    Christie, Agatha.
    ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER.

    Edition: First printing.

    New York: Dodd, Mead, (1972) dj. Hardcover - Mystery featuring Hercule Poirot mystery and novelist Ariadne Oliver. 243 pp. . ISBN: 0-00-2312107.

    Condition: Very near fine in a like dustjacket (slight spine slant)

    Book ID: 87920
    View cart More details Price: $16.50
  • SUDDENLY A WIDOW. by Coxe, George Harmon.
    Coxe, George Harmon.
    SUDDENLY A WIDOW.

    Edition: Book club edition.

    New York: Alfred A. Knopf, (1956) dj. Hardcover - A "mystery in which the ingredients of death are greed and jealousy and hatred" by this winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. Whether her husband's death was a heart attack, as the doctor thought, or suicide, or murder as the police thought, nne has to find out, since suspicion is aimed at her. 2140 pp. Dust jacket by Arthur Hawkins.

    Condition: Near fine in a very good dustjacket (small hole on spine, other edgewear to dj)

    Book ID: 87892
    View cart More details Price: $16.50
  • HE WOULDN'T KILL PATIENCE. by Dickson, Carter (pseudonym of John Dickson Carr, 1906-1977)
    Dickson, Carter (pseudonym of John Dickson Carr, 1906-1977)
    HE WOULDN'T KILL PATIENCE.

    Edition: First printing.

    New York: The Hampton Publishing Company / William Morrow, 1944. Hardcover first edition - A scarce classic locked room mystery from the Golden Age of detective fiction, featuring Sir Henry Merrivale and his long-time associate, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters and set against the backdrop of blackouts and bombings in the early days of the London Blitz. "Patience" is tree-snake from Borneo, and when it appears that Benton, the director of the Royal Albert Zoological Gardens has committed suicide, his daughter is sure that he did not do it, because "he wouldn't kill Patience."

    Condition: Very good in salmon-colored boards - some light toning to the page, but otherwise a tight, clean and straight copy. No dust jacket.

    Book ID: 83388
    View cart More details Price: $75.00
  • HUNT WITH THE HOUNDS. by Eberhart, Mignon G.
    Eberhart, Mignon G.
    HUNT WITH THE HOUNDS.

    Edition: Detective Book Club reprint.

    New York: Walter J. Black, (c 1950.) dj. Hardcover - A novel of mystery and murder in the Virginia fox hunting country, 198 pp. As is usual with Black reprints, the dust jacket art reproduces the original.

    Condition: Near fine in very good dust jacket (some spotting to the top edge of the textblock, chips to edges of the dj.)

    Book ID: 53840
    View cart More details Price: $15.00
  • A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE. by Fitt, Mary.
    Fitt, Mary.
    A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE.

    Edition: First US printing.

    New York: Putnam, (1947). Hardcover first edition - A novel of "action, intrigue and suspense" set at an English country mansion. 210 pp.

    Condition: Near fine in near fine dust jacket (small chips to dj, corners of flaps clipped)

    Book ID: 72121
    View cart More details Price: $35.00
  • THE INCONVENIENT BRIDE. by Fox, James M. (pseudonym of Johannes Matthijs Willem Knipscheer, 1908-1989)
    Fox, James M. (pseudonym of Johannes Matthijs Willem Knipscheer, 1908-1989)
    THE INCONVENIENT BRIDE.

    Edition: First printing.

    New York: Coward-McCann, (1948). Hardcover first edition - Rather hard-to-find novel featuring private investigator John and Suzy Marshall (who have been described as suburban California wannabees of Nick and Nora) by this writer who emigrated from the Netherlands at the beginning of World War II and began writing hard-boiled crime fiction. The dog - a great Dane named Khan - saves the day, but this is still a fun read. A Gargoyle Mystery. 186 pp.

    Condition: Very good minus in a good dust jacket (corners bumped, dust jacket has rubbing and wear along all the folds and edges, price-clipped, a few chips - but basically intact) .

    Book ID: 68738
    View cart More details Price: $60.00
  • THE CASE OF THE LAZY LOVER. by Gardner, Erle Stanley.
    Gardner, Erle Stanley.
    THE CASE OF THE LAZY LOVER.

    Edition: First edition.

    New York: Morrow, (1947.) dj. Hardcover first edition - A classic Perry Mason mystery. cover artwork by Barye Phillips. 250 pp.

    Condition: Near fine in a very good dust jacket, with some edgewear to ends of spine, small chip at bottom of front cover , but the original price of 2.50 still present, and the front cover is overall bright and attractive.

    Book ID: 73685
    View cart More details Price: $100.00
  • THIEVES' HONOR. by Gluck, Sinclair (1887-1956)
    Gluck, Sinclair (1887-1956)
    THIEVES' HONOR.

    Edition: 2nd edition..

    London: Mills & Boon, Limited, (1926). Hardcover - An early thriller by this prolific and popular author in the years between the wars. A review of one of his books described them as "Sheer melodrama . . . no end of excitement--cumulative excitement, with thrill following thrill, clear to the end of the last page. It didn't happen, of course not. And it just never could happen. And it isn't literature--not even a forty-second cousin to literature,. . But, all the same, once in a blue moon, we need to be jostled out of the work-a-day rut into complete forgetfulness of US and our small concerns. You'll smile at the book while you read it--but just try putting it…

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    London: Mills & Boon, Limited, (1926). Hardcover - An early thriller by this prolific and popular author in the years between the wars. A review of one of his books described them as "Sheer melodrama . . . no end of excitement--cumulative excitement, with thrill following thrill, clear to the end of the last page. It didn't happen, of course not. And it just never could happen. And it isn't literature--not even a forty-second cousin to literature,. . But, all the same, once in a blue moon, we need to be jostled out of the work-a-day rut into complete forgetfulness of US and our small concerns. You'll smile at the book while you read it--but just try putting it down unfinished. It's by Sinclair Gluck." This book of stolen jewels lives up to that hype -within just the first few pages, there are already a murder, an attempt to frame the hero, a car chase and fatal accident - and that is all while still in upstate New York, before taking off for China. 288 pp plus 16 pp of publisher's ads.

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    Condition: Very good in pale green cloth with black lettering on spine and front cover, no dust jacket..

    Book ID: 72571
    View cart More details Price: $17.50
  • THE DEEPER SCAR. by Gluck, Sinclair (1887-1956)
    Gluck, Sinclair (1887-1956)
    THE DEEPER SCAR.

    Edition: First printing.

    New York: Dodd, Mead, 1927. Hardcover first edition - Romantic suspense novel set on a remote volcanic island off the coast of South America. The hero, David Shirlow, has a face terribly scarred from the gas warfare of the great War, but the deeper scar is the way in which it affected him emotionally. 280 pp.

    Condition: Very good in charcoal gray cloth with red lettering (spine somewhat cocked, a few pages opened carelessly with chips to the outer margin)

    Book ID: 61547
    View cart More details Price: $25.00
  • THE MILLIONAIRE BABY. by Green, Anna Katharine.
    Green, Anna Katharine.
    THE MILLIONAIRE BABY.

    Edition: First printing.

    Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1905. Hardcover first edition - Classic mystery by the writer considered the "mother" of the American mystery.

    Condition: Very good in dark green cloth with red and gilt decorations.

    Book ID: 72138
    View cart More details Price: $30.00
  • THE MYSTERY OF THE HASTY ARROW. by Green, Anna Katharine (Rohlfs, 1846-1935)
    Green, Anna Katharine (Rohlfs, 1846-1935)
    THE MYSTERY OF THE HASTY ARROW.

    Edition: First Canadian edition.

    Toronto: William Briggs, 1917. Hardcover first edition - Classic mystery novel by the first American woman to write detective fiction, set in New York City and featuring detectives Ebenezer Gryce and Caleb Sweetwater. Illustrated by H. R. Ballinger with a frontispiece and seven inserted glossy plates. Printed from the US sheets. 412 pp.

    Condition: Very good in olive green cloth with darker green lettering and orange arrow on front cover (two small bumps to side of spine)

    Book ID: 61602
    View cart More details Price: $60.00
  • THE CIRCULAR STUDY. by Green, Anna Katharine (Rohlfs, 1846-1935)
    Green, Anna Katharine (Rohlfs, 1846-1935)
    THE CIRCULAR STUDY.

    Edition: First edition.

    New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1900. Hardcover first edition - Classic mystery novel by the first American woman to write detective fiction, set in New York City and featuring detectives Ebenezer Gryce and Mrs. Amelia Butterworth. The first book listed by Barzun and Taylor in "A Catalogue of Crime" which selects 90 classic mysteries published between 1900-1975. 289 pp plus 6 pp of publisher's ads.

    Condition: Near fine in very bright and attractive first state binding of dark green cloth with black swirling design and gilt lettering (prev owner's name dated 1900)

    Book ID: 58730
    View cart More details Price: $65.00
  • INITIALS ONLY . by Green, Anna Katharine (Rohlfs, 1846-1935)
    Green, Anna Katharine (Rohlfs, 1846-1935)
    INITIALS ONLY .

    Edition: First edition.

    New York: Dodd, Mead, 1911. Hardcover first edition - Classic mystery novel by the first American woman to write detective fiction, set in New York City and featuring detectives Ebenezer Gryce. Sometimes referred to as "the mother of the detective novel," Green ""stamped the mystery genre with the distinctive features that would influence writers from Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle to contemporary authors of suspenseful 'whodunits.' In addition to creating elderly spinster and young female sleuths, Green's innovative plot devices included dead bodies in libraries, newspaper clippings as "clews," the coroner's inquest, and expert witnesses. (Kathy Hickman, "Sisters in Crime Hit the Local Library.") This book begins with a couple walking back to their hotel struck by the strange…

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    New York: Dodd, Mead, 1911. Hardcover first edition - Classic mystery novel by the first American woman to write detective fiction, set in New York City and featuring detectives Ebenezer Gryce. Sometimes referred to as "the mother of the detective novel," Green ""stamped the mystery genre with the distinctive features that would influence writers from Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle to contemporary authors of suspenseful 'whodunits.' In addition to creating elderly spinster and young female sleuths, Green's innovative plot devices included dead bodies in libraries, newspaper clippings as "clews," the coroner's inquest, and expert witnesses. (Kathy Hickman, "Sisters in Crime Hit the Local Library.") This book begins with a couple walking back to their hotel struck by the strange behavior of a man who had darted out from the hotel, and washed his hands in the snow, before taking off down the street, just as a heiress staying in the hotel is found murdered. - Color frontispiece by Arthur I. Keller. 356 pp.

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    Condition: Very good in embossed red cloth with ivory lettering on spine and front cover (slight spine slant, shelfwear to bottom edge, lower corner of one leaf torn, not affecting the text)

    Book ID: 69590
    View cart More details Price: $75.00
  • TENANT FOR DEATH. by Hare, Cyril [pseudonym for Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark].
    Hare, Cyril [pseudonym for Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark].
    TENANT FOR DEATH.

    Edition: 2nd printing.

    London: Faber & Faber, (1946.) dj. Hardcover - Early printing of this author's first mystery, an Inspector Mallett detective story, originally published in 1937. P. D. James named one of Hare's later novels, 'Tragedy at Law.' as one of her five favorite dectective stories and the book she considered the best English legal crime novel - however, all of Hare's books are well-worth reading, and most are classics in their own right. 200 pp.

    Condition: Very good in a good dust jacket. - a little fading to the edges of the cloth, the dustjacket has a loss of about 3/4 of an inch at the top of the spine, but the striking front cover illustration by Victor Reinganum is still bright and attractive.

    Book ID: 34721
    View cart More details Price: $75.00
  • HOUSE OF SUDDEN SLEEP. by Hawk, John.
    Hawk, John.
    HOUSE OF SUDDEN SLEEP.

    Edition: First edition.

    New York: The Mystery League, Inc. , 1930. dj. Hardcover first edition - Mystery featuring assistant district attorney Rodney Colt. One of several titles issued between 1930-1933 in this interesting publishing experiment. From the back cover: ''The Mystery League, Inc., is a publishing house formed after many months of careful study, through the co-operation of the United Cigar Stores Company of America and affiliated companies to supply the self-evident, nation-wide demand for the best in books of mystery and detection, at a price never before attempted in publishing history for NOT REPRINTS, BUT NEW WORKS NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED IN THIS COUNTRY. . . This, the Third Selection, is by the well known John Hawk, and is the only new…

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    New York: The Mystery League, Inc. , 1930. dj. Hardcover first edition - Mystery featuring assistant district attorney Rodney Colt. One of several titles issued between 1930-1933 in this interesting publishing experiment. From the back cover: ''The Mystery League, Inc., is a publishing house formed after many months of careful study, through the co-operation of the United Cigar Stores Company of America and affiliated companies to supply the self-evident, nation-wide demand for the best in books of mystery and detection, at a price never before attempted in publishing history for NOT REPRINTS, BUT NEW WORKS NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED IN THIS COUNTRY. . . This, the Third Selection, is by the well known John Hawk, and is the only new book by this author to ever sell, except in reprint editions, for less than $2.00.'' Perhaps because the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, this venture failed, despite the low price of 50c and the attractive bindings and dust jackets. Notable for the striking art deco dust jacket illustration by "Gene" (Eugene Thurston) 288 pp.

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    Condition: Very good in black silk cloth with green lettering in a very good dust jacket (slight spine slant, some discoloration to verso of dj)

    Book ID: 48333
    View cart More details Price: $40.00
  • THE CELL MURDER MYSTERY. by Hobart, Donald Bayne.
    Hobart, Donald Bayne.
    THE CELL MURDER MYSTERY.

    Edition: First edition.

    New York: The Fiction League. 1931. dj. Hardcover first edition - A material witness is found murdered in his cell - and that is just the beginning of this vintage dectective novel. 320 pp.

    Condition: Very good overall in yellow cloth with black lettering (the synopsis from the dj flap has been pasted inside the front cover, and the illustration from the dj was pasted onto the cover - it looks rather attractive.)

    Book ID: 62571
    View cart More details Price: $15.00
  • MAN DEAD. by Jepson, Selwyn (1899Ð1989)
    Jepson, Selwyn (1899Ð1989)
    MAN DEAD.

    Edition: First US printing.

    Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1951. dj. Hardcover first edition - A novel of murder, political intrigue and blackmail set in London, by this British author and screenwriter (his father was also a noted mystery author, and he is the uncle of novelist Fay Weldon.) 188 pp.

    Condition: Very good in very good dust jacket (usual toning to the pages, some minor edgewear to dj, corners slightly bumped.)

    Book ID: 58965
    View cart More details Price: $30.00
  • MAN DEAD. by Jepson, Selwyn (1899Ð1989)
    Jepson, Selwyn (1899Ð1989)
    MAN DEAD.

    Edition: First US printing.

    Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1951. dj. Hardcover first edition - A novel of murder, political intrigue and blackmail set in London, by this British author and screenwriter (his father was also a noted mystery author, and he is the uncle of novelist Fay Weldon.) 188 pp.

    Condition: Good only in good dust jacket (some spine slant, overall edgewear to the dust jacket, a few small chips, original price of 2.50 still present)

    Book ID: 58964
    View cart More details Price: $20.00
  • Jepson, Selwyn (1899Ð1989)
    MAN DEAD.

    Edition: First US printing.

    Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1951. dj. Hardcover first edition - A novel of murder, political intrigue and blackmail set in London, by this British author and screenwriter (his father was also a noted mystery author, and he is the uncle of novelist Fay Weldon.) 188 pp.

    Condition: Good only in good dust jacket (some spine slant, overall edgewear to the dust jacket, a few small chips, original price of 2.50 still present)

    Book ID: 58963
    View cart More details Price: $20.00
  • THE WIDENING STAIN. by Johnson, W. Bolingbroke (pseudonym of Morris Bishop 1893-1973)
    Johnson, W. Bolingbroke (pseudonym of Morris Bishop 1893-1973)
    THE WIDENING STAIN.

    Edition: 3rd printing, just one month after the first,

    New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1942. dj. Hardcover - Humorous bibliomystery set in the Cornell University Library, published under a pseudonym by Cornell's librarian at the time. "Seldom if ever has there been a mystery story quite like this one. Yes, there are murders in it- two of them, in fact. And there's a mystery of other descriptions too.. . There is a lot of curious esoteric lore here and there, of special interest to bibliophiles." 242 pp. Dust jacket by E. McKnight Kauffer.

    Condition: Good only in a fair dust jacket (some spine slant, significant edgewear to the dj, with a long tear along the side of the spine, etc. but overall a reasonable copy of a rather hard to find original edition.)

    Book ID: 71433
    View cart More details Price: $50.00