Modern Literature
London, Mills & Boon, 1925
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket correctly priced at 7/6 on spine.
Short stories some of them set in Ireland. Thirteen tales six featuring her recurring character Sandy Acland.
Dorothea Conyers was a prolific Irish novelist. Her books are romantic novels set among the Irish sporting gentry. Her output numbered some 40 titles.
A very difficult title to obtain in a wrapper
Detective Fiction
London, Heinemann, 1939
First UK edition. 8vo. Not original publisher's cloth, some sort of library binding. Photographic dust-jacket correctly priced at 7s 6d on front flap.
Published in US as 'Poor, poor Yorick.' A Hubin-listed title involving the dumping of a corpse off the coast of Connecticut and the apparent suicide by poisoning of a hostess on the eve of divorce.
Frederick Clyde Davis (1902-1977) was an American pulp writer. He was educated at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, and became a professional writer at the age of 22. Davis wrote several novels featuring his series detective, Professor Cy Hatch of which this is one.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
London, Ward Lock, 1935
First edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket price clipped. Three digits at base of spine indicates this is an early reprint.
Hubin listed title with strong sci-fi overtones in which an Oriental cadre of secret masters aspire to immortality through imbibing an elixir of unknown provenance, and by using advanced technology to preserve themselves. They threaten the world, but are defeated in the end (Blieler p61, the only title by this author listed).
Detective Fiction
London, John Long, [1934].
First edition. 8vo. Original coth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced at 7s 6d on front flap.
A Hubin-listed title featuring author's serial investigator, Anthony Bathurst this time called to the city of Antwerp to solve the strange puzzle set by the sinister "League of Matthias'' - a problem which is brought to the peak by the murder of Inspector Rawlinson.
Very elusive in a jacket.
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1930
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket correctly priced at 7/6.
Hubin-listed tale involving the escapades of a couple of multi-millionaires' sons who come up against a band of rum-runners.
No copies in commerce at time of listing.
Weird & Supernatural
a narration of the perilous sojourn therein of George Cowper, mariner, etc.
London, Henry J. Drane, [1897].
First edition. 8vo. Original pictorial light grey-green cloth.
Castaways on uncharted island fall under seemingly supernatural power of life and death held by the Mighty Justin, Lord of the Land of the Living Dead. In fact, the island is permeated by deadly volcanic gas for which Justin alone possesses an antidote that is administered only to loyal subjects. Bleiler p. 78.a
A good copy of a scarce book rarely found in decent condition.
Detective Fiction
London, Ward Lock, 1935
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket priced at 3/6 on front flap and also has tell tale 3 digits on spine indicating a slightly later issue.
Hubin listed title featuring the author's regular detective Insepctor Mclean and his rather fuller-witted assistant Sergeant Brook
Weird & Supernatural
London, Rider, 1915
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket correctly priced at 6/- on spine.
Paraphrasing the book's preface....''From the abundant records and traditions dealing with the curious belief that certain men and women can transform themselves into animals, the author has collected a number of instances and examples which throw fresh light on the subject both from the point of view of folklore and occultism''
There are chapters on the ''Bush-Soul," on human souls in animal bodies, on animal dances, the "Were-Wolf Trials," on witches, on cat and cock phantoms, on the "Phantasmal Ghost" as well as bird-women.
The book is uncommon without a jacket, it is genuinely rare with one. A remarkable survival.
Rare in jacket.
Modern Literature
London, Herbert Jenkins, 1931
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket correctly priced at 7/6 on spine.
A 'rollicking yarn' from this very prolific author concerning one Oswald Twining who writes novelettes of the purple passion variety under the name of 'Hugo Blazer' and Geraldine Rhombard, the daughter of a Dean and for whom Oswald has fallen very heavily.
Rare in jacket no copies online at time of listing.
Detective Fiction
London, Ward Lock, 1930
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket (the 3 digit number (245) on spine indicates it is an early reprint).
As the Pretty Sinister blog asks: how can anyone resist the subtitle? "In Which a New and Quite Different Type of Detective Unravels a Mystery Staged in Chicago, Bagdad of the Lakes, London of the West!"
Casimer Jech, crooked curio dealer, is approached by millionaire Amos Carrington and together they hatch a scheme to acquire a rare manuscript mistakenly labeled as something fairly worthless to be auctioned off at an Evanston estate.
Detective Fiction
London, Ward Lock, 1939
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket (the 3 digits - 902 - indicate an early reprint).
A man claimed that with his artifical ear-drums he could detect sounds inaudible to ordinary people. This acute listening would allow him to manipulate any combination lock and open any safe. Was he the one that opened Mrs. King's safe and stole all of her precious diamonds and jewels?
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
O’Duffy (Eimar) The Spacious Adventures of the Man in the Street.
London, Macmillan, 1928
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly price of 7/6 on front flap.
Satirical science fantasy of a visit to another planet and the second volume of Eimar O'Duffy's Cuanduine (Spectrum of Fantasy p168)
Uncommon in a jacket. No copies for sale online currently.
Detective Fiction
London, Marriott, 1930
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth, Dust-jacket correctly priced at 7/6 on front flap.
Rare in dust-jacket.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
London, Vawser & Viles, 1947
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
Four stories for children, two fantasy: 'Death Swamp' (impregnated with radium) and The Lake under London (subterranean lake filled with monsters)
Uncommon in jacket.
Modern Literature
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1925
First edition, publisher's file copy. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket correctly priced at 7/6.
Collection of short stories and novelettes including one WW1-themed tale 'Out of Darkness' by an author best known for Mrs Wiggins of the Cabbage Patch.
Alice married Cale Young Rice who was a poet and playwright in 1902. They spent most of their life traveling the world and becoming known in the literary scenes of New York and London.
Winners and Losers appears to be the only book they wrote together.
Rare in jacket.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Herbert Jenkins, 1928
First edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, likely a second issue as it is priced 3'6 on spine.
A tale about a fifteen year old child - Hazel Wood - who has the gift of second sight - of being able to see things taking place far away from her.
Uncommon in jacket.
Detective Fiction
London, Columbine Publishing Company Ltd, 1939
First edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket 5/- overprice although original price of 3/6 is still visible on the spine.
From the publisher's blurb: 'Delia Romney was born to sin and she elected to make that the way of her life. She murdered without remorse. She sold herself without hesitation or contrition.'
A typically risqué and sensationalist story from a small publishing house well known for both its racy plot lines and lurid dust-jackets.
Detective Fiction
London, Skeffington, 1932
8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket priced at 2/6 on spine with '5th Thousand' on spine. Skeffington often used such wording to give the impression of sales success.
UK author, prolific between the Wars, specializing in thrillers (often with Oriental villains) and mysteries. The Sound-Machine is centred around a revolutionary machine that destroys by sound vibration (Blieler p.183).
A stunning example of a book that rarely turns up in a jacket especially one as superb as this.
Detective Fiction
London, Jarrolds, 1935
First UK edition (Translation of Chateau en Limousin published in Paris in 1934). 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket.
Suzanne Marguerite Tinayre was a prolific French novelist and woman of letters. This was her only crime novel and is listed in Hubin.
It concerns the celebrated case of Madame Lafarge and whether she really murdered her husband nearly a century earlier.
Very scarce with only one copy cited by COPAC in the British library.