Detective Fiction
or, The Murder in the Red Barn
London, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1943.
Second edition thus, reprint. 8vo. Original pictorial wrappers.
A modern rendering of the popular 19th-century melodrama relating to a high-profile murder case of 1827. Here with an introduction by the playwright Montagu Slater, famous for his work with Benjamin Britten.
in testimony of the divinity of Christ: with scripture illustrations and remarks
York, for the author, 1825.
Third edition. Special presentation copy from the author. 8vo. 19th century cathedral binding with blind & gilt tooling, marbled fly leaves.
A special presentation copy of this work on divinity, with a calligraphic plate mounted to front fly leaf signed by the author, dedicated to Lord Eldon for his work in extolling the virtues of Christianity.
Modern Literature
An anthology of stories chosen by their own authors
London, Faber & Faber, 1934.
First edition. 8vo. Original purple cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 3/6.
Contributors include Martin Armstrong, A.E. Coppard, Louis Golding, James Laver, H. de V. Stacpoole and Alec Waugh.
Children's Books
London, Edmund Ward, 1964.
First edition. Oblong 12mo. Original dark blue pictorial boards. Dust-jacket, priced 5/6.
First edition of the nineteenth book in the Rev. Awdry's famous 'Railway Series'.
Children's Books
London, Edmund Ward, 1967.
First edition. Oblong 12mo. Original dark-blue pictorial boards. Dust-jacket, priced 6/-.
First edition of the twenty-second book in the Rev. Awdry's famous 'Railway Series'.
Children's Books
London, Edmund Ward, 1963.
First edition. Oblong 12mo. Original pictorial boards. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
First edition of the eighteenth book in the Rev. Awdry's famous 'Railway Series'.
Children's Books
London, Edmund Ward, 1959.
First edition. Oblong 12mo. Original pale yellow pictorial boards. Dust-jacket, priced 5/-.
First edition of the fourteenth book in the Rev. Awdry's famous 'Railway Series'.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
London, Cobden-Sanderson, 1937.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
Contributing to the lost city of Atlantis mythos, this work also includes an extensive Atlantean bibliography.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins, 1946.
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth lettered in gilt to spine. Dust-jacket, priced 10s. 6d.
The first edition of Agatha Christie's personal memoirs about her travels to Syria and Iraq in the 1930s with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan, where she worked on the digs and wrote some of her most evocative novels.
Modern Literature
London, Methuen, 1936.
First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
A very good copy of this first edition by the author more well-known for public school stories for boys.
Detective Fiction
London, Gerald Swan, [1943].
First UK edition, published for the 'Ace American Thrillers' series. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 5/-.
An uncommon first UK edition, originally published in the US in 1940. The second of three well-regarded murder mysteries by Dean, set amongst the world of antique dealing.
War, Invasion & Spy
London, Jonathan Cape, 1966.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth with 'punched tape' strip to upper cover. Dust-jacket, priced 21s.
A very good first edition of the fourth 'Harry Palmer' spy novel (although the character is never named in the books).
Modern Literature
London, Neville Spearman, 1956.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue boards. Dust-jacket, priced 15s.
The first UK edition of Donleavy's controversial novel set in Dublin, banned both in Ireland and the United States of America for perceived obscenity. The work was first published in Paris by the Olympia Press, as part of their Traveller's Companion series, normally reserved for risque erotica, much to the chagrin of Donleavy. The author ended up in long-running legal wranglings with the publisher, finally actually taking ownership of the publishing house when it came up at auction.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1942.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, neatly price-clipped.
A compelling murder mystery set amongst the old sugar plantations of Louisiana. Uncommon.
Historical Fiction
London, Ivor Nicholson & Watson, 1936.
First UK edition, second printing. 8vo. Original black cloth. Dust-jacket, price redacted on inside front flap.
The author's most famous novel outside Germany, in which he describes Nazism as an epidemic and Hitler as a hysteric. However, despite Glaeser's works being put on the Nazi's hate-list for burning, the author returned to Germany from Switzerland in 1939, branding other émigré writers as traitors, and swearing an oath of allegiance to the Reich.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
London, Allen & Unwin, 1932.
First edition. Signed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original brown cloth. Dust-jacket, with price-sticker 4/6.
The author's first published novel, a compelling sci-fi work reminiscent of the best works of H.G. Wells and Olaf Stapledon (a friend of Gloag). The story is of a race of cat people who harness the power of time-travel to visit our planet on multiple occasions, including the 'beginning of the great war of 1999, and the results of that war 400 and 10,000 years later', as well as Jerusalem a few days after the crucifixion. A rare work in the jacket, let alone inscribed; the author has inscribed this copy on the front free endpaper, 'John Gloag October 4th 1932. (Publication night at the Read's).'
Illustrated Books
One
Sheffield, Dancing Elephant Enterprises, June 1986.
Large 8vo. Comic-book format. Original pictorial wrappers.
An early publication by Grist, who would garner fame as the creator of hard-boiled police series 'Kane' and his unorthodox superhero series 'Jack Staff', published under his own imprint Dancing Elephant Enterprises.
Modern Literature
London, Quality Press, 1939.
First edition. 8vo. Original pale blue cloth. Dust-jacket,
Pleasing jacket artwork graces this tale of town life in the Basque country on the eve of the Spanish War.
Modern Literature
London, Robert Hale, 1942.
First edition, blind-stamped 'file copy' on front free endpaper. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 8/6.
An industrial tale of the big corporates versus the humble worker, set against a backdrop of the paper-mills of southern England.
American Literature
London, Heinemann, Contemporary Fiction, 1964.
First edition thus (Contemporary Fiction edition). 8vo. Original green boards, lettered in silver to spine. Dust-jacket.
The second English edition of Plath's only novel, and the last before it was republished under her real name. An uncommon issue, in a striking jacket designed by the artist Dodie Masterman.
Modern Literature
and other stories of the South Sea Islands
London, Readers Library, n.d..
Readers Library edition (Book No. 436). Small 8vo. Original gilt-tooled cloth. Dust-jacket.
Great jacket artwork on this neat edition of Somerset Maugham's short story 'Rain'.
Detective Fiction
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
London, Gerald Howe, 1937.
Second printing thus. 8vo. Original pictorial wrappers.
An attractive edition of the famous tale by Pitt, called The String of Pearls; or, The Fiend of Fleet Street (1847). Here with an introduction by the playwright Montagu Slater, famous for his work with Benjamin Britten.
African literature
A backvelder's scrap-book
London, Witherby, 1937.
First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
A collection of tales relating to the Transvaal Bushveld, as recounted through the prism of fictional narrator Tante Rebella. Scarce in dust-jacket.
Antiquarian
Comœdia coram Rege Jacobo...
London, Ex officina R[oger]. D[aniel]., 1658.
Third edition. 8vo. Later sprinkled calf, gilt roll borders.
An attractive early edition of this satirical take on La trappolaria by Giambattista della Porta, written to expose the ignorance and arrogance of lawyers.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
London, Hodder & Stoughton, [1930].
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 3/6 (second impression?).
Very good example of this early sci-fi title, described by Bleiler as 'Cheap thrills, combined with over-writing and a low-level romance. Commercial fiction of an uncreditable sort.' Admittedly only after he has gone to considerable length to outline the plot with a somewhat ghoulish enthusiasm. 'Mad genius' trope.
Modern Literature
London, Sampson Low, [1938].
First edition. 8vo. Original black cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
Attractive jacket artwork on this story of literal kidnapping.