Detective Fiction
Chicago, Covici-McGee, 1924.
First edition, first printing, signed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original blue cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket, correctly priced $2.00.
Inscribed on the front free endpaper, "For Mrs Edward F. Jordan Greeting! Vincent Starr".
"In the whimsically sardonic title given by Mr. Starrett to his collection of short stories, one receives a hint of the curious nature of the tales that make up the volume. Grotesque, fantastic, bizarre..." (jacket blurb)
Detective Fiction
London, Ivor Nicholson & Watson, 1934.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 8/6.
One of sherlockophile Starrett's honest & clever continuations of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Modern Literature
London, Jonathan Cape, 1930.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth, lettered in gilt at spine. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.
A tale of deprivation and adversity set near the mouth of the Thames. Scarce in jacket.
Weird & Supernatural
London, Chatto & Windus, 1925. A collection of tales published posthumously, first in 1905. Includes The Body Snatcher, centred around the time of Burke & Hare's exploits.
Weird & Supernatural
A tale of love and adventure in Western China
London, The Sheldon Press, [c.1925].
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 3/d.
A scarce book in the original dust-jacket.
Horror & Gothic
London, André Deutsch, 1971.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original blue boards lettered in gilt to spine. Dust-jacket, priced £1.80.
The first UK edition of Stewart's second novel, a horror tale about a woman who believes her brother is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. It was adapted into the 1972 feature film of the same title starring Shirley MacLaine and Perry King.
Modern Literature
A Novel
London, Cassell, 1933.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.
An attractive first edition by this author of romantic literature set in South Africa and Rhodesia, a writing career which began in 1903 with Virginia of the Rhodesians.
Horror & Gothic
New York, Grosset & Dunlap,, [c.1927].
First stage play edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket.
A great edition of Stoker's gothic masterpiece, issued to tie-in with the Broadway adaptation starring Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role.
Horror & Gothic
London, Constable, 1901.
First abridged edition, printed in double column; bound with Doyle (Arthur Conan) The Sign of Four, 1899; Maclaren (Ian) The Days of Auld Lang Syne, 1901; [Russell (William Clark, pseud. John Watson) A Strange Voyage], [c.1900]. 8vo. Together in contemporary dark cloth.
A decent sammelband of Victorian literature including the scarce abridged edition of Dracula, originally published in paperback. Stoker oversaw the abridgement himself, cutting around 15% from the original text.
Horror & Gothic
New York, Grosset & Dunlap, [1930s].
Film tie-in edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket.
An important edition of Stoker's gothic masterpiece, tying in with the famous Bela Lugosi film.
Horror & Gothic
New York, Grosset & Dunlap, [1930s].
First photo play edition. 8vo. Original red cloth lettered in black. Dust-jacket.
An important edition of Stoker's gothic masterpiece, tying in with the famous Bela Lugosi film.
Horror & Gothic
New York, Grosset and Dunlap, [c.1927]. First stage play edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket. Another important edition of Stoker's gothic masterpiece, issued to tie-in with the Broadway adaptation starring Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role.
Horror & Gothic
And Other Weird Stories
London, Routledge, 1914.
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth, upper cover blind-tooled, spine lettered in gilt.
A very good first edition of this collection of Stoker's tales. It is believed that 'Dracula's Guest' is actually the deleted first chapter from the original Dracula manuscript, but it was removed by the publisher's owing to the length of Dracula. In the preface to the present book, Florence Bram Stoker writes, "I have added an hitherto unpublished episode from Dracula. It was originally excised owing to the length of the book, and may prove of interest to the many readers of what is considered my husband's most remarkable work."
Modern Literature
London, Heinemann, 1908.
First edition, inscribed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original red cloth, stamped in black to upper cover and gilt to spine.
Inscribed on preliminary page to: 'Mrs George Burrell with Bram Stoker's (respectful) love 8/6/09'
Mrs. George Burrell is most likely the wife of the Glasgow shipping magnate, a tremendously important and influential figure in late 19th century shipping, who like many rich Victorians became something of a patron of the arts.
Horror & Gothic
London, Heinemann, 1905.
First edition. 8vo. Original deep red cloth titled in gilt. With a note from Stoker tipped in to the front flyleaf on Bedford Street notepaper dated 1st September 1905.
An extremely handsome association copy of a rare piece of Stoker. The note from Stoker reads:
"My Dear Hatton, I hope you will care for my new novel The Man, of which a copy herewith...[illegible in peak Stoker fashion], Heinemann from September 8th, Yours ever, Bram Stoker."
The Hatton in question is almost certainly Joseph Hatton, friend and collaborator of Stoker, and a celebrated (at the time) author in his own right, who had worked with Stoker on a couple of rather sizeable projects including The Reminiscences of Henry Irving in America, and the "Crowdsourced from the Usual Suspects" late Victorian portmanteau thriller which was "The Fate of Fenella."
Weird & Supernatural
London, William Rider, 1922.
'New Edition'. 8vo. Original blue cloth stamped in lighter blue. Dust-jacket.
Rare jacketed edition of Stoker's gripping tale of secrets and supernatural forces set against the treacherous backdrop of a coastal town, where a writer becomes entangled in a mysterious love affair and unearths a haunting truth.
![Bram Stoker, The Snake's Pass, inscribed first edition, [1890]](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/84735-300x300.jpg)
Horror & Gothic
London, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1891 [but 1890].
First edition. Inscribed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original red cloth stamped in gilt and bordered in blind.
A rare beast, Stoker's first novel, published on the 18th of November 1890, with the title post-dated 1891. Preceding Stoker's most famous work Dracula by 6-7 years, this adventure novel concerning the discovery of lost treasure and the crown of the legendary king of the snakes is set in Western Ireland, and contains some interesting subtle gothic notes foreshadowing the author's later works.
Inscribed on the half-title, 'G. Biggs from Bram Stoker 20.11.90', under which someone, probably G.Biggs, has helpfully also noted in pencil, '2 days after publication'.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
London, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington, 1882.
Second edition, first issue. 8vo. Original imitation cream vellum, lettered and stamped in red and gilt, edges gilt.
The scarce first issue of the second edition, the work having been published the previous year, but here furnished with new and revised illustrations. A collection of fantasy stories set in a magical land called the Land Under the Sunset, which is located beyond the horizon.
Modern Literature
London, Bodley Head, 1968.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue boards. Dust-jacket, priced 28s.
The first UK edition of US author Stone's first novel, winner of both the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship, and a William Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel. The film was transferred to the big screen in 1970, as WUSA, starring Paul Newman.
Weird & Supernatural
London, William Rider, 1922.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth-backed boards. Printed dust-jacket.
A pleasingly good, jacketed example of this work on handwriting and what it can tell us about someone's character.
Modern Literature
London, Longmans, 1960.
First edition. 8vo. Original grey boards. Dust-jacket, priced 16/-.
Storey's debut novel, a raw and powerful depiction of working-class life in Northern England which helped to usher in a new wave of realism in British literature, and cinema with Lindsay Anderson's 1963 film.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1963.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original orange boards. Dust-jacket, priced 12s6d.
A chess tournament murder provides a puzzle for Nero Wolfe.
Detective Fiction
New York, Vanguard Press, 1929.
First edition. 8vo. Original purple cloth with gilt spine. Dust-jacket, priced $2.50.
The true first edition of the first published book by Rex Stout, a surprisingly significant work in the context of 20th century literature, both as a pioneering work of psychological fiction and as the first work of the modern period to utilise "second-person" narrative. A far cry perhaps from the detective fiction Stout would go on to be known for, the work is comprised of sixteen chapters, interlinked by italicised passages representing the progressive psychological perspective. The book was published by The Vanguard Press, created in 1926 to take advantage of a $100,000 grant from the left-wing Garland Fund; Rex Stout served as president of the press from 1926 until 1928. The excellent jacket artwork is by the well-known artist Winfred Earl Lefferts, who would go on to do jacket artwork for several of Stout's Nero Wolfe titles, including The League of Frightened Men (1935), The Rubber Band (1936) and The Red Box (1937).
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1955.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket.
The ongoing adventures of the fabulous, orchid-growing New York detective Nero Wolfe.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1958.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 10/6.
Three stories that see series characters Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin tested to the limits of their ingenuity. An excellent example of the jacket.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1949.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
Striking jacket artwork on this collection of three Nero Wolfe tales; uncommon.
Detective Fiction
Strange (John Stephen) [Tillett (Dorothy S.)] Picture of the Victim.
First edition.
London. Collins, 1938
Fourth novel to feature photographer and detective Barney Gantt. Gantt finds his most elusive subject, camera-shy millionaire Jesse Jordon, dead and gets mixed up with the most obvious suspect.
Modern Literature
London, Wright & Brown, [1934].
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.
An attractive jacket on this Wright & Brown title from the early thirties; a woman is exhausted and disillusioned, and sets off on an adventure of self-discovery.
Modern Literature
London, Hutchinson, [1926].
First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue pictorial cloth. Dust-jacket.
Geneva Stratton-Porter's last novel, a story about a World War I veteran who regains his heath through the restorative power and beauty of nature.
Detective Fiction
London, Sampson Low, 1937.
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket.
A rather smashing dust-jacket and an uncommon murder-mystery title.
Detective Fiction
London, Rich & Cowan, [1948].
First edition. 8vo. Original blue boards. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
Stephen Conway keeps a promise to a dead army buddy to show Alexander Dean, the renowned playwright and mystery writer the manuscript of his play.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins Crime Club, 1945.
First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 8s6d.
Stage school murder; an uncommon Collins Crime Club, by a former director of Methuens, no less.
Detective Fiction
A Police Diversion
London, Collins Crime Club, 1950.
First edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 8s6d.
A good example of this incredibly versatile writer's detective fiction, featuring his series character Chief Detective Inspector McKay.
Detective Fiction
First edition. London. Wright & Brown, 1935 Set in Burma, the story concerns the British manager of the ruby mines of Mogok has been away, attempting to track down a leopard that had been attacking livestock. He returns to discover his stand-in at the office lying dead on the floor, the safe door open and its contents stolen. Very scarce in jacket.
Detective Fiction
London, Collins, 1961.
First edition. 8vo. Original dark blue boards. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 15s.
The first of two books by Alistair MacLean under the pseudonym Ian Stuart. Important scientists and their partners go missing after responding to a newspaper advertisements.
War, Invasion & Spy
London, Collins, 1962.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue boards. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 16s.
The second of two books by Alistair MacLean under the pseudonym Ian Stuart. Chemical warfare hangs ominously over the City of London.