Illustrated Books
A Novel in Black and White [London], Denis Archer, 1933. First edition. 8vo. Original terracotta cloth lettered in black. Glassine dust-jacket priced fifteen shillings net. An excellent example of this work derived from a lecture given by Egan in 1933 on the subject of drawing, and featuring drawings by the 20th century master of pen & ink himself. What truly sets this copy apart is the presence of the original glassine dust-jacket, extremely uncommon.
Modern Literature
London, Hutchinson, 1963.
First edition. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
A very good first edition of this novel by Nigerian author Ekwensi, with possibly the most extensive "synopsis" to ever grace a dust-jacket's inner flaps.
Children's Books
London, Faber & Faber, 1939.
First edition, first impression. Large 8vo. Original yellow pictorial boards. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 3/6.
The first edition of Eliot's famous whimsical poems featuring feline protagonists - famously of course the inspiration and source for Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Cats. Eliot wrote the poems in the 1930s, and included them, under his assumed name "Old Possum", in letters to his godchildren. The illustrations in this edition were by the author himself, with subsequent editions illustrated by such luminaries as Nicolas Bentley, Edward Gorey and, most recently, Axel Scheffler of Gruffalo fame.
Victorian Literature
A Novel...Copyright Edition
Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1891.
First edition. 8vo. Contemporary green cloth.
Uncommon first edition by a prolific female writer, somewhat faded from public consciousness today but hugely popular in her lifetime; friend to Dickens, muse to Wilkie Collins, and apparently a wicked author of "gossipy, sometimes scandalous, sketches" (Wikipedia).
London, Methuen, 1915.
First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth lettered in blind to upper cover and gilt to spine.
Grace Ellison (d. 1935) was a journalist and suffragette with a fascination for Turkish culture. This book, first published in 1915, is a collection of accounts originally written for The Daily Telegraph about her stay in the harem of a Turkish nobleman. Keen to dispel the sensationalist Western view of the harem, Ellison paints an intimate portrait of the luxurious but secluded life of women in their segregated portion of the household. Subjects covered include fashion, social events, polygamy and the bonds between family members.
Weird & Supernatural
Erckmann-Chatrian (nom-de-plume, Émile Erckmann & Alexandre Chatrian) Stories of the Rhine
London, Ward Lock & Co., c.1882-84.
Early English edition. 8vo. Publisher's adverts to rear. Original decorative cloth blocked in black & gilt.
This copy dates from sometime between 1882 and 1884 based on the title page. Ward, Lock & Co. did not open an office in New York at 10 Bond Street until June of 1882. In November of 1884 that office moved to 31 Bond Street. The first edition of Stories of the Rhine was published by Ward, Lock & Tyler in 1875, and in addition to stating "Ward, Lock& Tyler" on the title page, it would only have their earlier address of Warwick House, Salisbury Square. Ward, Lock & Tyler became Ward, Lock, & Co, in 1877.
Collection of short stories, set in the late 18th century and in the 19th century, most with a weird element including 'The Buried Treasure' where the treasure of Gontran the Miser is found by supernatural means. All Victorian editions of Erckmann-Chatrian titles are uncommon especially in original cloth.
Detective Fiction
Erskine (Firth, pseud. Gladys Erskine & Ivan Firth) Naked Murder
London, Thornton Butterworth, 1935.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth lettered in red. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
The criminologist Cyrus K. Mantel investigates a serial decapitator.
Horror & Gothic
London, Philip Allan, 1920.
First edition. 8vo. Modern blue cloth with red leather spine label tooled in gilt.
A handsome copy of this second collection of supernatural tales by Henrietta Dorothy Everett, presumed the first appearance in book form. Includes one of the author's most famous stories, 'The Crimson Blind'.
with the one-hand gun
Edinburgh & London, Oliver & Boyd, 1942.
First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 2/6.
A very rare first printing in an even scarcer original dust-jacket. Drawing on the authors' practical experience, Shooting to Live covers the gamut of handgun-usage, including concepts, applications, maintenance and more. Fairbairn was an Assistant Commissioner of Shanghai Municipal Police, and Sykes was the officer in charge of the Snipers Unit of the same force.
War, Invasion & Spy
Fairlie (Gerard) and ‘Sapper’ [pseud. H.C. McNeile]. Bulldog Drummond on Dartmoor
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1938.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
An important work in the Bulldog Drummond canon, marking the transition from 'Sapper' to Fairlie. The two had worked on the story together, but McNeile died before it was finished, leaving Fairlie to take on the mantle.
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1939.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
'In "Bulldog Drummond Attacks" the old enemies live again, recreated by Gerard Fairlie, who has himself the original of Sapper's Bulldog Drummond.' (jacket)
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1934.
First edition. 8vo. Original pale blue cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 3/6.
An attractive edition of this thriller title by Fairlie, on whom 'Sapper' supposedly based the character of Bulldog Drummond. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulldog Drummond book series.
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1938.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
A hard book to find in the jacket, written by purportedly by the man who inspired the character 'Bulldog Drummond'.
Detective Fiction
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1933.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 3/6.
An attractive edition of this thriller title by Fairlie, on whom 'Sapper' supposedly based the character of Bulldog Drummond. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulldog Drummond book series.
Detective Fiction
London, The Bodley Head, 1947
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original red cloth, Dust-jacket.
The first British edition of the American author's most famous novel, originally appearing in abridged form in The American Magazine (October 1946). The work was adapted into film three times, and in 2006 was reprinted 'New York Review Books Classics' series.
American Literature
London, Heinemann, 1931.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7s6d.
The first UK edition of this tale of Polish immigrant workers in New England which weaves a complex social history of the period, commencing with the stock market crash of 1929. Ferber is best known today perhaps as the author of Show Boat and Giant.
Modern Literature
London, Heinemann, 1927.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
A collection of short stories by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Edna Ferber, famously author of So Big, Show Boat and Giant. The jacket with its 'vignette' illustrations is definitely uncommon, and in our opinion more attractive than the first US equivalent.
Modern Literature
London, Secker & Warburg, 1966.
First edition. 8vo. Original black boards. Dust-jacket, priced 21s.
Harrowing portrayal of a year in the life of a writer losing the motivation to continue after a recent miscarriage while her marriage comes apart. It examines the breakup of a marriage and the protagonist's subsequent struggle to rebuild her world. It was published about the time of the author's own divorce from George Figes. No copies currently for sale online.
Detective Fiction
London, Michael Joseph, 1944. First edition. 8vo. Original dark grey cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 9/6. A posthumous biographical bequest proves problematic to the appointed biographer, who finds herself at loggerheads with the family of the deceased, leading to suspicions of murder... uncommon.
An Anthology
Dublin & London, Browne & Nolan; Harrap, 1935.
First edition. 8vo. Original turquoise cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 5/-.
An anthology of poetry of primarily Irish origin, many inspired by the Easter Rising in 1916. Poets include Roger Casement, Thomas MacDonagh, Padriac Pearse, W.B. Yeats, 'AE' and James Stephens.
Detective Fiction
London, Hutchinson, [1933].
First UK edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, with ?publisher's price-sticker 2/6 overlaid on original price.
A good+ copy of this title, uncommon in US or UK edition - the author is well-known for his sport-related crime novels, including 70,000 Witnesses.
Detective Fiction
The Case of the Murdered Band Leader
London, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1939.
First UK edition. 8vo. 2pp. advertisements. Original teal cloth lettered in red. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7s6d.
Set in the glittering background of an ultra-modern night club in San Francisco, peopled by famous stars, Sudden Silence has an interest rivalled only by the strangeness of its incidents. (jacket).
War, Invasion & Spy
First edition, first impression. London, Jonathan Cape, 1959. The seventh James Bond title.
War, Invasion & Spy
London, Jonathan Cape, 1965.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original plain black boards. Dust-jacket, priced 18s.
A very decent first edition of the last full-length James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, in the plain second state boards. Under the heat of the Caribbean sun, Bond faces a seemingly impossible task: win a duel against Scaramanga, the Man with the Golden Gun, and regain M's trust.
Uncategorized
London, John Long, [1930s].
50th thousand. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
Originally published by Long in 1914, this popular title by a highly prodigious author is here "rebooted" with an attractive jacket design by an unidentified artist. The title was published as The Bartenstein Mystery in the US.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Collins, [1930].
First edition. 8vo. Original black cloth, blocked in red.
A very good first edition of this collection of short stories by hugely prolific crime writer J.S. Fletcher. The title story is about a mysterious death of a magistrate who was an avid collector of rare books and antiques. Other stories involve a haunted lighthouse, a family feud, a stolen diamond, a secret tunnel and a murder at sea.
Detective Fiction
London, Ward Lock, 1919.
First edition. Signed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original green cloth blocked in black. Dust-jacket, priced 6/-.
An excellent copy of this uncommon first edition, especially rare signed and in the original dust-jacket. British-born journalist and novelist Fletcher us considered to be one of the foremost detective fiction writers of his day.
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
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.
Detective Fiction
More Madame Storey Mysteries.
London, Collins Crime Club, 1933
First edition, second impression (i.e. first Cheap Edition, published the same month as the first). 8vo. 4pp. advertisements. Original orange cloth lettered in black. Dust-jacket, correctly priced at 3'6 (1st Cheap Edition).
A very good copy of this compilation of short stories by the prolific author Hulbert Footner, featuring his well-known protagonist Madame Rosika Storey. Scarce in the dust-jacket. Preceding the US edition by four years.
Detective Fiction
Further Crime Investigations of Madame Storey.
London, Collins Crime Club, 1930.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth (red issue). Dust-jacket, second state, correctly priced 3/6.
The ongoing exploits of Footner's serial character, the brilliant lady detective, Madame Storey, set in Paris. The second issue jacket is to a wholly different design than the first, and as a result considered highly collectable.
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
Fortune (Dion, pseud. Violet Mary Firth Evans) The Demon Lover
London, Noel Douglas, 1927.
First edition. 8vo. Original dark green cloth lettered in black. Dust-jacket, priced 7s6d.
The rare first edition of occultist Dion Fortune's first novel, revolving around a secret society of mystics in London, and the machinations of their leader, Lucas. Fortune co-founded the 'Fraternity of the Inner Light', an occult organisation that promoted philosophies which she claimed had been taught to her by spiritual entities known as the Ascended Masters.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Eveleigh Nash & Grayson, 1930.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.
A scarce weird & supernatural 30s title, rare in the original dust-jacket, with its ominous play on "what the butler saw".
Modern Literature
A self-portrait in Ideas
London, Jonathan Cape, 1965.
First edition. 8vo. Original black boards. Dust-jacket, priced 30s.
Fowles' "self-portrait in ideas", in which he tries to represent the necessity of the individual not to conform. Published on the heels of his success with The Collector.
Modern Literature
London, Pendulum Publications, 1946.
First edition. 8vo. Original brown cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
The semi-autobiographical first book by Frances, who would go on to great success with hardboiled US-style thrillers written under the pseudonym Hank Janson. These books were phenomenally successful in their time, opening the way for a variety of copycat British authors writing in a similar vein, but they did also court controversy when a murder supposedly inspired by one of the Hank Janson titles led to the publishers being taken to court and successfully prosecuted for obscenity (the author managed to avoid a similar fate on it seems a technicality). The publisher Pendulum was set up by Frances, with a doctor friend of his.