Detective Fiction
London, Harper & Brothers, 1930.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth.
A solid first edition of Carr's first novel, of the locked-room subgenre. The work introduced his series character Henri Bencolin: "an impossible murder in a gambling club - the victim, seen to enter an empty room with all entrances under observation, is subsequently found there, beheaded" (Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers, p.146)
Detective Fiction
London, Hamish Hamilton, 1944.
First edition. 8vo. Original grey-green cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 8s.6d.
A Dr Fell title by this renowned master of the locked room mystery; Till Death do us Part is considered one of Carr's best novels, from his most creative period.
Detective Fiction
London, Victor Gollancz, 1939
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
A superb first edition of one of this prolific author's crime/thriller titles.
Detective Fiction
London, Hamish Hamilton, 1953
First edition (preceding the first US edition by a few months). 8vo. Original burgundy boards. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 10s.6d.
Chandler's hard-boiled noir classic, defined by the author himself as "my best book". In 1955, the novel received the Edgar Award for Best Novel. It was later adapted as a 1973 film of the same name, updated to 1970s Los Angeles and starring Elliott Gould.
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1976.
First edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
A very good first edition of this continuation to the Saint series originally created by Leslie Charteris.
Detective Fiction
London, Cassell, 1926.
First edition. 8vo. Original black cloth blocked in red.
An uncommonly good example of this highly collectable Father Brown first edition: Father Brown 'unravels the tangled skein of crime with entire success, and does it with convincing common-sense logic' (dust jacket).
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1950.
First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 8/6.
An attractive first edition of an increasingly tricky book to find in the jacket. The 50th Christie book published, featuring the redoubtable Miss Marple.
Detective Fiction
Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1948
First Penguin edition. 8vo. Original green & white wrappers.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1936,
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1956.
First edition. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket, priced 12s6d.
Classic Hercule Poirot murder mystery, which sees the Belgian detective partnering the crime novelist Ariadne Oliver (who bears a certain resemblance to Agatha Christie).
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1937.
First edition, first printing. 8vo. Original orange cloth.
A solid first edition of this classic Hercule Poirot title, a difficult book to find in good order.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, n.d..
Collins 2/- issue. 12mo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket.
A neat early edition of this Agatha Christie classic.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1942. First UK edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped. An excellent first UK edition of this rare wartime title biblio murder mystery. When the Bantrys wake to find the body of a beautiful, young stranger in their library, Dolly Bantry knows there's only one person to call - her old friend Miss Marple...
Detective Fiction
and other stories.
London, Collins Crime Club, 1936
First Collins edition. 8vo. Original black cloth lettered in red.
A very good copy of this collection of twelve stories by the Queen of Crime, many with a supernatural twist. This Collins Crime Club edition was published after the 1933 Odhams edition, but is surprisingly more uncommon; presumed to be the export issue in this binding.
Detective Fiction
London, John Lane The Bodley Head Limited, 1925.
First edition. 8vo. Modern dark green half morocco with marbled boards, spine label red morocco, lettered in gilt.
A handsomely rebound first edition of this Agatha Christie classic. The novel introduces the characters of Superintendent Battle and Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1951.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 8s.6d.
A pleasing copy of this Agatha Christie first edition, a hard dust-jacket to find in such condition due to its proneness to fading and marking. The story itself builds upon Christie's own excursions alongside her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan, and is more of a spy novel than a whodunnit.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1935.
First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth lettered in black.
At an apparently respectable dinner party, a vicar is the first to die...time to call in Hercule Poirot.
Detective Fiction
London, Robert Hale, 1983.
First edition. 8vo. Original black boards. Dust-jacket.
A fine copy of this later work by the novelist and screenwriter T.E.B. Clarke (1907-89), one of the few Brits to win Best Original Screenplay Oscar, for his script for The Lavender Hill Mob.
Detective Fiction
London, Longmans, 1937.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
Murder and political intrigue at the Home Office...
Detective Fiction
London, Hutchinson, 1937. One of the Inspector Williams novels, by an author also known for writing Sexton Blake titles.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1945.
First edition, third impression. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 4s6
Mrs Warrander uncovers the truth behind a murder during an undergraduates' dance.
Detective Fiction
London, Wright & Brown, [1935].
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 3/6.
The first aviation mystery by a master of the [sub]genre.
Detective Fiction
London, Herbert Jenkins, 1933.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, second issue priced 2/6.
A superior example of this Secret Service thriller from the pen of the inimitable Corbett, "King of the one-line gaffe" (Rod Collins).
![James Corbett, Death Makes a Date, first edition, [1950]](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/84583-300x300.jpg)
Detective Fiction
London, Herbert Jenkins, [1950].
First edition. 8vo. Original orange boards blocked in black. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 8/6.
'Flung into the dark maelstrom of conspiracy and death, Detective-Inspector Anderson, of New Scotland Yard, faced the most difficult case of his career...' (jacket blurb)
A lovely first edition of this crime caper, by an author often better remembered today for his interesting turn of phrase!
![James Corbett, Gallows Wait, first edition, [1947]](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/84584-300x300.jpg)
Detective Fiction
London, Herbert Jenkins, [1947].
First edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 8/6.
An attractive first edition by the productive James Corbett, from Jenkins' 'House of the Green Label' series.
Detective Fiction
London, Herbert Jenkins, [1932].
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, with publisher's 3/6 price-sticker on top of original 2/6 price.
A scarce early title by this prolific author, who wrote over forty novels, often with a flair for unusual phrasing that would be lucky to escape the editor's blue pencil these days.
![James Corbett, The Somerville Case, first edition, [1949]](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/84602-300x300.jpg)
Detective Fiction
London, Herbert Jenkins, [1949].
First edition. 8vo. Original orange boards, lettered in black. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
Quite a lovely dust-jacket.
Detective Fiction
Courtney (John, pseud. John Cournos) Grandmother Martin is Murdered
London, Skeffington, [1930].
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
Crime fiction by an intriguing author: born in Russia with Yiddish as his first language, Cournos moved to London in 1912 where he engaged in anti-communist activism, notably via his pamphlet London under the Bolsheviks: A Londoner's Dream on Returning from Petrograd (1919); he also enjoyed some success as an Imagist poet, but garnered more renown for his novels and short stories under the Courtney pseudonym - today he is perhaps best known for his failed relationship with Dorothy L. Sayers, an unhappy experience recounted by both authors (Strong Poison by Sayers (1930) and The Devil Is an English Gentleman by Cournos himself in (1932)).
Detective Fiction
London, John Long, 1947.
First edition. 8vo. Original black cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 6/-.
Dr Palfrey tackles dubious friars, a giant and "the Testament of Evil" in this cruise-ship caper.
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1956.
First edition. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 10s6d.
A rather topical Dr Palfrey adventure, as floods begin to besiege the world...
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1964.
First edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
A very good first edition of this later Dr Palfrey tales, by one of the most prolific authors in the crime/thriller genre.
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1957.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 12/6.
A very good first edition of this later and hard-to-find Freeman Wills Crofts title, featuring series character Chief Superintendent French, "the most human sleuth to be found in detective novels today" (Punch).
Detective Fiction
London, Herbert Jenkins, 1926
First edition. 8vo. 2pp. advertisements. Original dark red cloth blocked in black. Dust-jacket, correctly priced at 3/6.
A great first edition, with enticing jacket artwork. The authors had previously collaborated on the The Forbidden Hour.
Detective Fiction
Cumberland (Gerald, pseud. Charles Frederick Kenyon) The Cypress Chest
London, John Hamilton, 1927.
First edition. 8vo. Origial blue cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.
From Hamilton's Sundial Mystery Library series. "An experiment in sensational fiction in which careful and detailed character drawing comes second to an absorbing plot." (jacket blurb)
Detective Fiction
London, Faber & Gwyer, 1926
First edition. 8vo. Original brown cloth boards. Dust-jacket, correctly priced at 7/6 on spine.
In this Hubin-listed murder story, the author shows the placid life of Minden Town disturbed by a mysterious tragedy. The mystery remains a mystery almost to the very end of the book. A rare and early Faber crime title.