![Graeme (Bruce) [pseud. Graham Montague Jeffries]. The Return of Blackshirt - Image 2](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/82474_2.jpg)
![Graeme (Bruce) [pseud. Graham Montague Jeffries]. The Return of Blackshirt - Image 3](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/82474_3.jpg)
![Graeme (Bruce) [pseud. Graham Montague Jeffries]. The Return of Blackshirt - Image 4](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/82474_4.jpg)
![Graeme (Bruce) [pseud. Graham Montague Jeffries]. The Return of Blackshirt - Image 5](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/82474_5.jpg)
Graeme (Bruce) [pseud. Graham Montague Jeffries]. The Return of Blackshirt
£550
London, T. Fisher Unwin Ltd (Ernest Benn Ltd), 1927 [but 1928?]..
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, second impression (stated, and priced 3s.6d., with Benn imprint to spine).
The second of the author’s famous ‘Blackshirt’ series, nothing to do with Oswald Mosley (or Rodney Spode), rather a ‘Raffles’-esque character, author by day, cracksman by night. Early issues of the first and second titles are both known scarcities, especially in the jacket. The book itself has no impression indicated, suggesting it is the first; however, the list of works by the same author facing the title-page includes Passion, Murder and Mystery, which was not published until 1928 (BL). Benn & Fisher Unwin merged in 1926, and this title seems to have been absorbed into Benn’s 3/6 Library in 1928 or 1929.
The last time this title surfaced at auction was in 2019, when it made $1875.
In stock
VG/G+, dust-jacket with some chips, closed tears and creases.
Hubin
Related products
Detective Fiction
First edition.
London, Cassell, 1939
The story centres on the murder of Mr Norwitch found stabbed in an antiques shop. The author worked in an antiques store and clearly draws heavily on this experience. According to authoritative website www.classiccrimefiction.com, UK first editions in original jackets are rare especially this title.
Detective Fiction
Rare crime title, all other copies I have seen of this title are described as ‘7th Thousand’.
London, Skeffington, [1930 according to COPAC]
Reasonable to assume this was a publisher gimmick to show titles were popular.
Detective Fiction
First edition.
London, Cassell, 1917.
A collection of eleven tales, one of which is a locked room mystery and two of which have definite weird content. Not mentioned by Bleiler.“The Mystery of Howard Romaine”
involves the disappearance of a coffin and a body from a locked room (Adey p.300)The Cuckoo Clock" is a tale of delirium involving the transmigration of a soul into a cuckoo clock. "The Fatal Fairy" is about a man who kidnaps a fairy at dawn, whereupon it turns into a monstrous baby vulture -- until he releases it a day later.Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager. This collection appeared in the year of his death.Very scarce in jacket.
Detective Fiction
First edition, London, Alfred A. Knopf, 1929.Rare London Knopf imprint, in the remarkable striking dust-jacket designed by Shaw.
Detective Fiction
First edition. London. Collins, 1927 ‘[a] swift-moving thriller...gives a vivid picture of life in New York’s underworld.’ (jacket blurb)A very good, unsophisticated example of this title by prolific Canadian author [William] Hulbert Footner, listed in Hubin but wrongly dated as 1929 (the date of the first US edition) therein. We could find no copies of this the true first edition on WorldCat’s database for institutional holdings. Exceedingly scarce in the original dust-jacket.From the collection of Adrian Homer Goldstone, 1897-1977 (bookplate). Goldstone was a renowned Californian book-collector, particularly well know for his bibliographies of Arthur Machen and John Steinbeck, both of which were published through the University of Texas.