London, Robert Hale, 1948.

First edition. 8vo. Original black boards. Dust-jacket, priced 8/6.

An attractive first edition of one of the 'Dormouse' titles, by the author of The Ghoul.

Mills and Boon, London, 1937
First edition

London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1931.

First edition, stamped 'Publisher's file copy' on prelim. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

An attractive mid-period mystery novel by the author and journalist Valentine Williams, creator of 'Clubfoot'. Distinctly uncommon in the original dust-jacket. Murder and royal intrigue.

London, Cassell, 1928.

First UK edition. 8vo. Original green cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

The first UK edition of this particular compilation of short stories by Limehouse Nights author Thomas Burke. Set in the bustling streets and alleys of London's East End, the book offers a vivid and often dismal portrayal of life in one of the city's most diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods. Distinctly uncommon in the jacket.

London, Robert Hale, 1989.

First edition. 8vo. Original black boards lettered in silver. Dust-jacket, correctly priced £10.95.

A near fine first edition of the fourth title in Doherty's popular Hugh Corbett series.

Are They Human?
London, Allen & Unwin, 1939.

First edition. 8vo. Original red boards. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.

Despite the worrying title, actually a defence of the Jewish people at the time of mounting anti-semitism in Europe, the title itself a play on another '30s publication, The English: are they Human by G.J. Renier.

London, Herbert Jenkins, 1939.

First edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth blocked in black. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

Classic whodunnit murder-mystery by an author often better remembered for his spoonerisms and malapropisms, unfairly perhaps.

London, Hurst & Blackett, [1926].

First edition. Signed presentation copy from the author to a family friend. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.

A very good, inscribed first edition of this classic spy story; a mysterious man known as 'X' with a disfigured face who is blackmailing the British government to sabotage the British war effort.

London, Chapman & Hall, 1955.

First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced at 12s.6.

A very good first edition of the second book in Waughs' Sword of Honour trilogy, loosed derived from the author's own wartime experiences.

London, Bles, 1935.

'Popular Edition', second printing. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 2/6.

Originally published in 1926, this attractive early edition in the Abbey jacket is a hard find; Dilnot was a journalist associated with true crime stories, in particular through his editorship of the Famous Trials series also published by Geoffrey Bles.

London, Michael Joseph, 1977.

First edition. 8vo. Original burgundy boards. Dust-jacket, priced £3.75.

A nice copy of this later Mrs Bradley title by "The Great Gladys".

Being an account of one season of B. Bira, the racing motorist.
London & Watford, Sun Engraving Co. Ltd, Printed for Private Circulation only, 1936.

First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket.

The continued motor-racing adventures of Prince Chula's cousin Prince Birabongse Bhanudej (aka "B. Bira").

London, Herbert Jenkins, 1939.

First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

The name's Bond...Christopher Bond... this Pre-James Bond is also caught up in the murky world of espionage. An attractive dust-jacket to boot.

London, Heinemann, 1936.

First edition. 8vo. Original green boards. Dust-jacket.

A good first edition of Dunsany's classic humorous novel about an alcohol-loving clergyman who thinks he is the reincarnation of a dog...the jacket artwork says it all.

A Tale of Two Spheres
London, Authors' Co-operative Publishing, 1892.

First edition. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth.

Classic Victorian sci-fi, the story of a young man transported to another planet, where he meets and fall in love with a beautiful woman only to have their relationship threatened by an evil sorcerer. The spheres, Earth is a world of war and poverty, while the other Aethasia is a world of peace and prosperity.

London, Robert Holden, 1926.

First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

A second collection of weird tales by the author of The Street of Queer Houses. Uncommon, especially in the original dust-jacket.

[London], Collins, [1938].

First edition. 4to. Original tan cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.

One of the more sought-after Disney books from its Golden Era, with no coeval American edition.

London, John Day, 1967.

First US edition. 8vo. Original purple cloth lettered in gilt. Dust-jacket, priced $5.50.

In this moving story Chinua Achebe catches perfectly the atmosphere of African village life, the beautiful proverb-laden language of the Ibo and their touching, strangely formal customs of worship and hospitality. (jacket)

London, Rapp & Whiting, 1969.

First UK edition. 8vo. Original green boards. Dust-jacket.

Simak's flight of Wisconsin whimsy, but a great read nevertheless, in which time travel has allowed goblins, dinosaurs, even Shakespeare to coexist...

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?

London, John Hamilton, 1929.

First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

A pleasing example of this first edition, seemingly one of only two titles by this author. A conspiracy to murder a leading art expert unravels... Scarce.

London, J. & R. Maxwell, [1887].

First edition. 8vo. Original olive cloth with orange lettering and ruled in blind.

An uncommon first edition; the author lost her sight at the age of seven, but went on to become a prolific writer for magazines and author of several novels.

London, Hutchinson, 1941.

First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 9/6.

The second of three novels by Wheatley featuring Julian Day.

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.

London, Herbert Jenkins, [1942].

First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

A striking first edition of this romantic, behind-the-scenes thriller of the Secret Service by a prolific author.

and other Naval Stories. As originally Told to the Marines by one of themselves.
Portsmouth, Charpentier, 1896.

True first edition. 8vo. Original purple cloth stamped in gilt.

A rare collection of nautical tales, many of a weird and supernatural bent. The collection is referenced in Bleiler's Guide to Supernatural Fiction, the main entry given to the 1899 Simpkin, Marshall edition, but noting 'There is an earlier edition of this book (Charpentier; Portsmouth, England 1896), which has not been seen.'

William Price Drury (1861-1949) was himself in the Royal Marines, as was the previous owner of this copy, General Sir Lewis Stratford Tollemache Halliday.

London, Heinemann, 1896.

First UK edition, first impression, issue with rear advertisement for The Time Machine on terminal leaf preceding publisher's list, beginning with The Nigger of the "Narcissus" and ends with Chun-ti-Kung by Claude Rees. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth, with publisher's monogram in black to lower board.

A very good first UK edition of Wells' "weird science" classic, contemplating the blurred lines between man and beast, civilisation and savagery...

A Story of Crime by...Ex-Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard Author of "The Crime Club" [London], Collins Detective Story Club, n.d. [c.1930].First edition thus. Small 8vo. Original near-black leather over limp boards, blocked in gilt.Originally published in 1913, and the source for the 1917 film of the same name. Froëst was apparently incredibly strong, and could tear a pack of cards in half and snap a sixpence "like a biscuit"...nice.

London, Cape, 1932.

First UK edition. 8vo. Original brown cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 15s.

Hemingway's famous work on the art of bull-fighting, illustrated with over eighty illustrations from photographs and paintings.

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.

London, John Gifford, 1961.

First edition. Signed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original boards. Dust-jacket, priced 10s6d.

Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, 'To George, With remembrance of a loyal friendship and unfailing help, George Bellairs'. Attractive jacket artwork on this later Inspector Thomas Littlejohn novel.

London, Blackie, 1886.First edition. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth.Henty's tale of the Luddite Riots.

London, Richards Press, 1927.

First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.

An attractive first edition of this later novel by the 'original' King of Redonda, here in the decidedly uncommon, and rather appealing dust-jacket. "Matthew P. Shiel (I believe he was Irish) wrote a few novels I thought highly worth reading. At the moment I can call to mind only two titles which I've read: Children of the Wind and How the Old Woman Got Home." (Paul Bowles, author of The Sheltering Sky).

and other Fantasies and Stories
London, Francis Griffiths, 1901.

First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth.

An uncommon collection of short stories by a relatively obscure imprint, many of a magical or mysterious bent; the title tale is one of a dual existence, topical today perhaps given the talk of an avatar driven metaverse...

London, Heath Cranton, 1930.

First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth, blocked in black. Dust-jacket.

Striking jacket artwork and a uncommon first edition, a collection of stories inspired by the sea.

(A Detective-Inspector McCarthy Yarn).First Edition. Wright & Brown, n.d. [c.1941].

London, Ward, Lock, 1940.

First edition. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 6/-.

One of the last books by a prolific author who had enjoyed literary success since 1900, as well as some controversy for her 1916 Sci-Fi book, The Last Weapon, A Vision, the anti-sentiment contained within resulting in the book being banned. Wilson was a founding member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

London, The Leisure Library, [c.1936].

First UK edition, '29th thousand'. Small 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket.

An attractive UK edition, not least for the advertisement for 'Kolynos dental cream' on the jacket's lower panel.

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.

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.

London, Robert Hale, 1952.

First UK edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket.

An attractive first UK edition, packed with thrills, romance, mystery, and suspense.

Poison in Africa
London, Ernest Benn, 1930.

First edition. 8vo. Original off-white boards. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.

Uncommon murder mystery set in Africa and involving poison. Adam Broome was a pseudonym of Godfrey Warden James, born 1888. He had two series characters Inspector Bramley and Commissioner Denzil Grison, whose stories are set in Africa.

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.

London, Hurst & Blackett, [1927].

First UK edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket correctly priced at 7/6 on spine.

Basis for a 1931 American Oscar winning pre-code film that tells the story of an alcoholic defence attorney in San Francisco who must defend his daughter's ex-boyfriend on a charge of murdering the mobster she had started a relationship with, whom he had previously achieved an acquittal for on a murder charge. Starred Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore, and Clark Gable

A very rare book into film title especially in such exceptional condition. Adela Nora Rogers St. Johns (1894-1988) was an American journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. She wrote a number of screenplays for silent movies but is best remembered for her groundbreaking exploits as "The World's Greatest Girl Reporter" during the 1920s and 1930s.

London, Faber & Faber, 1932.

First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth lettered in gilt to spine. Second issue dust-jacket.

An unusually good example of the second issue jacket on this collection of essays by Wodehouse, a variant typographic version distinct from the Rex Whistler first issue.

London, Collins Crime Club, 1945.

First UK edition. 8vo. Original dark orange cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

A very good UK first edition of this Asey Mayo novel.

London, Faber, 1932.

First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.

A very good first edition of an intriguing sci-fi title with Christian apologetical overtones.

A story of love in the desert
London, Eveleigh Nash & Grayson, 1922.

First edition. 8vo. Original blue. Dust-jacket, priced 2/6.

A very good first edition of this Egyptian tale by travel writer Douglas Sladen.

London, The Literary Press, n.d..

First edition thus. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jacket.

What was the secret of Chesterton Square?

First edition, [1942].A collection of Wheatley's short stories, rare in the dust-jacket.Included with this is a signed photograph of the German singer & actress Renate Müller (1906-1937), who was the inspiration for the Wheatley short story 'Espionage'. A tragic life cut short on the back of a blossoming career, either being murdered by the Gestapo or intimidated by them sufficiently that she seemingly took her own life. The story and a short discussion of the incident involved are included in this collection.

New York, Harrison Smith & Robert Haas, 1935.

First edition. 8vo. Original green cloth. Dust-jacket, priced $2.00.

Aeronautical crime-thriller featuring King's series character Michael Lord, investigating murder aboard a transcontinental flight. An intricate plot combined with "locked room" element, the mystery was praised by The New York Times as "a very thrilling story." Very much in the S.S. Dine vein, and one of only seven genre titles recorded by this author.

London, Michael Joseph, 1954.

First edition. 8vo. Original black boards. Dust-jacket, priced 10s6d.

The 27th title in Mitchell's long-running series featuring the psychoanalyst and amateur sleuth Mrs Bradley.

London, Mills & Boon, 1929.

First UK edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 2/6.

The first UK edition of this crime thriller; Mills & Boon today have a reputation for "romantic fiction", but they were early champions of several subsequently famous authors, including Jack London and P.G. Wodehouse.

London, Herbert Jenkins, [1942].

First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.

The first of fourteen 'Tiger Lester' titles, written under the pseudonym "Don Betteridge", in an attractive dust-jacket.

A real curiosity for Verne collectors. A key title with each volume issued by a different publisher.
London, Ward Lock (vol 1) Sampson Low (vol 2) 1876

London, Michael Joseph, 1945.

First UK edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.

A very good first UK edition of aviator Ernest Gann's exciting, realistic aeronautic adventure set in the far north of Canada.

London, Longmans, 1957.

First edition. 8vo. Original green boards. Dust-jacket, price sticker of 15/- to inside flap.

A very good first edition of this uncommon cookery book, "not merely a collection of recipes, but a compendium of useful information on every aspect of cookery. No Nigerian home should be without it." (jacket). The pink here is fresh and bright in the main.

New York, Appleton-Century, 1935.

First edition. 8vo. Original yellow pictorial cloth. Dust-jacket.

"Perhaps the most intensely mythic and symbolic of all Mundy's work." (Taves, Philosophy Into Popular Fiction: Talbot Mundy and The Theosophical Society)

Talbot Mundy was an English writer of adventure fiction. Based for most of his life in the United States, he also wrote under the pseudonym of Walter Galt. Best known as the author of King of the Khyber Rifles and the 'Jimgrim' series, much of his work was published in pulp magazines.

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.

London, Longmans, Green and Co., 1932.

First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.

A scarce detective fiction title, one of only three titles by this author recorded in Hubin.

The Turning of the Screw; Covering End
London, Heinemann, 1898.

First edition. Title printed in red & black. 8vo. Original blue cloth, lettered in gilt with Beardsley-esque blind-stamped design to upper cover.

The first publication in book form of James's iconic ghost story 'The Turn of the Screw' as well as his 'Covering End'. 'The Turn of the Screw' was first published in Collier's Weekly and revised slightly for book publication, and 'Covering End' was first published in this edition.

London, Gollancz, 1944.

First edition. 8vo. Original green boards. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6 and with 'The Fanfare Press, London' printed to bottom edge of lower panel.

The first edition of the debut of the pseudonymous Crispin (in reality, composer Bruce Montgomery), whom the New York Times once called the heir to John Dickson Carr. Gervase Fen's first outing.

London, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1935.

First edition. 8vo. 1p. advertisements. Original cloth. Dust-jackets, correctly priced 7s 6d.

A very good first edition of this intriguing novel, based on the story Mon premier crime by Gustave Macé, in the series "La Police parisienne."

First edition thus.
London. Reader's Library, [1934 according to COPAC but could be earlier]
Death by poisoning in a locked bedroom at Staups, an isolated manor house on the Yorkshire Moors. Weird elements, a supposedly cursed jewel and sacrificial knives looted from the temple of Aztec descendants living in Central America, Author’s first crime novel, published in the UK by Bles in 1927.