Bibliomysteries

Here's another list of Bibliomysteries to tempt you.

Sally Owen
The Mysterious Bookshop
sally@mysteriousbookshop.com


BIBLIOMYSTERIES



BIBLIOMYSTERIES

Since it has proven to be the most popular list we send out, we’re again offering some books in one of the most interesting sub-genres of the mystery world, "Bibliomysteries," which are books about books. They may be set in bookstores or libraries, they may involve collectors, librarians or authors, or they may involve rare books or manuscripts, but, for all of us who love the world of books, these are among the most satisfying books in the field, both for readers and for the many collectors who have specialized in these titles. If you would like to put together your own collection of bibliomysteries, whether reading copies or fine first editions, please make contact with Otto, who would enjoy working with you.


Anderson, Frederick Irving, "The Jorgenson Plates" contained in The Female of the Species edited by Ellery Queen, Boston, Little, Brown, 1943. Second printing Contains this story with much about the technical aspects of publishing in England and America. The Sophie Lang character served as the basis for three Paramount films, all starring Gertrude Michael: The Notorious Sophie Lang (1934), The Return of Sophie Lang (1936) and Sophie Lang Goes West (1937). Near fine copy. $15.00

Block, Lawrence, The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza, N.Y., Random House, 1980. First edition. Thief and bookstore owner Rhodenbarr becomes involved with a very rare coin and a fence who collects books on Spinoza. Very fine in dust jacket. Review slip laid in. $100.00

Block, Lawrence, The Burglar in the Library, London, No Exit, 1997. First trade edition, preceding the U.S. edition. The first issue with misprint of "settle" for "settled" on first page. This is one a very small number of copies (reputedly 47) misbound with the Scorpion Press title page. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed on the title page. $100.00

Caldwell, Ian, and Dustin Thomason, The Rule of Four, N.Y. First U.S. edition. In 1999, two Princeton students have been studying one of the world’s rarest books, hoping to unlock its secrets, as scholars have attempted to do for 500 years. When they locate a rare diary, they are almost there, only to have the campus in an uproar when another studier of the book is murdered. Signed by both authors. Very fine in dust jacket. $65.00

Carlisle, Kate, Homicide in Hardcover, N.Y., Obsidian, 2009. Paperback original. Brooklyn Wainwright is a book restoration expert whose friend is found dead with an allegedly cursed copy of Goethe’s Faust clutched in his hand. The first book in the series. Very fine. $6.99

Carlisle, Kate, If Books Could Kill, N.Y., Obsidian, 2010. First edition of this paperback original. Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is at the Edinburgh Book Fair when he ex shows up with an original manuscript that could change history and humiliate the British monarchy. Very fine. $6.99

Carlisle, Kate, The Lies that Bind, N.Y., Obsidian, 2010. Advance proof copy of this paperback original. Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is teaching a bookbinding class at Bay Area Book Arts when the nasty director of the event winds up dead. Original wrappers. Very fine. $10.00

Carlisle, Kate, The Lies that Bind, N.Y., Obsidian, 2010. First edition of this paperback original. New. $7.99

Clarins, Dana (pseudonym of Thomas Gifford), Woman in the Window, Unity, ME, Five Star, 1999. First hardcover edition. A successful literary agent looks out her window to see a man throw a gun onto a construction site, and he sees her. Very fine without dust jacket, as issued. $35.00

Dane, Clemence, and Helen Simpson, Enter Sir John, N.Y., Cosmopolitan, 1928. First edition. A murder in a London theater is solved by means of a neatly rewritten play. Frontispiece. Very good copy. $35.00

Derleth, August, The Casebook of Solar Pons, Sauk City, WI, 1965. First edition, limited to 3,000 copies. Contains "The Adventure of the Spurious Tamerlane" and "The Adventure of the Haunted Library." Very fine in dust jacket. $150.00

Derleth, August, The Chronicles of Solar Pons, Sauk City, WI, 1965. First edition, limited to 4,000 copies. Contains "The Adventure of the Unique Dickensians," a parody of Vincent Starrett’s great bibliomystery, "The Unique Hamlet. Very fine in dust jacket. $40.00

Devine, Dominic (pseudonym of D.M. Devine), This Is Your Death, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1982. First U.S. edition. When a popular novelist and television personality is murdered, his biographer investigates by searching for information in his diaries. Very fine, as new copy in dust jacket. $20.00

Dolson, Hildegarde, Please Omit Funeral, Philadelphia, Lippincott, 1976. Book club edition. After a right-wing extremist demonstrates against "dirty" books in the library and burns them, a local author is murdered and she is the prime suspect. Near fine in dust jacket. $8.50

Dunning, John, The Bookman’s Wake, N.Y., Scribner, 1995. Book club edition. Denver rare book bookseller Cliff Janeway is happily buying and selling books when he is asked to pick up a young woman fugitive who may have stolen a priceless copy of Poe’s The Raven. He doesn’t like the job, but can’t resist because of the book. Fine in lightly worn dust jacket. $10.00

Engleman, Paul, Catch a Fallen Angel, N.Y., Mysterious Press, 1986. First edition. When the centerfold model for a magazine disappears before her photos run, suspicion falls on a rival magazine publisher planning his first issue—with the same model. Edges of boards sunned, else very good in dust jacket. $10.00

Fearing, Kenneth, The Big Clock, N.Y., Harcourt, 1946. First edition. A young woman involved with a large publishing company is murdered by a member of the prestigious publishing house. The basis for the outstanding 1948 Paramount film noir directed by John Farrow, with a screenplay by Jonathan Latimer; it starred Ray Millan and Charles Laughton. It was remade by Orion in 1987 as No Way Out. Fine in dust jacket, which has a sunned spine and small chips. Uncommon. $125.00

Fiechter, J(ean) J(acques), Death by Publication, N.Y., Arcade, 1995. First edition in English. Advance reading copy. (Translated from the French Tire a Part, Paris, 1993). The head of one of England’s most prestigious publishing houses has always seemed quite content to be the silent supporter of his great authors as editor, translator and publisher. But when his best-selling French author delivers his greatest work, he recognizes it as a true story about the only woman he ever loved, reduced to ruin by the charismatic Frenchman, and determines to ruin him. Very fine in wrappers. $12.50

Fenster, Bob, The Last Page, N.Y., Perseverance Press, 1989. Second printing Trade paperback original. A New York mystery editor is found slumped across her desk with a rejection slip stapled to her sleeve and a bullet hole in her heart. Could a writer have accepted rejection badly? Very fine. $10.00

Fish, Robert L., Kek Huuygens, Smuggler, N.Y., Mysterious Press, 1976. First edition. A collection of clever short stories including one in which the gentleman smuggler manages to help steal the original manuscript of a Bach cantata. One of 1,000 copies. Fine in dust jacket. $10.00

Fuller, Timothy, Harvard Has a Homicide, 1936. Reprint. The murder of a professor sets off an investigation throughout Harvard, the Hasty Pudding Club and its famous library. Very good reading copy. $15.00

Furutani, Dale, Death in Little Tokyo, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1996. First edition. A mystery fan masquerades as a private eye at his local mystery club’s weekend event when a femme fatale turns up. The author’s first book. Very fine in dust jacket. $35.00

Garland, Lawrence (pseudonym of Lawrence Toppman and Steven Garland), The Affair of the Unprincipled Publisher, New Castle, DE, Oak Knoll, 1983. First edition, wrappered issue, limited to 275 copies. (There was also a simultaneous hardcover state limited to 50 copies.) Dr. Watson discovers a manuscript that proves Sherlock Holmes and Thomas J. Wise, the notorious forger, crossed paths. Very fine. $50.00

Gifford, Thomas, see Clarins, Dana

Harrison, Michael, The Exploits of the Chevalier Dupin, Sauk City, WI, Mycroft & Moran, 1968. First edition. A collection of short stories featuring Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin, including "The Mystery of the Fulton Documents." Very fine in dust jacket. $75.00

Harrison, Michael, Murder in the Rue Royale, London, Stacey, 1972. First U.K. edition of The Exploits of the Chevalier Dupin with four additional stories. Fine in dust jacket, which has two small tears at top of front and rear panels. $60.00

Hart, Carolyn G., Death on Demand, N.Y., Bantam, 1987. First edition. Paperback original. The first mystery in the series about Annie Laurence, the proprietress of the "Death on Demand" mystery bookstore on Broward’s Rock Island, S.C., holds a weekly meeting of mystery writers called "The Sunday Night Regulars" which doesn’t turn out as planned when one of the authors is murdered. Very fine, unread copy. $100.00

Hart, Carolyn G., Something Wicked, N.Y., Bantam, 1988. First edition. Paperback original. An Annie Laurence mystery in which the bookshop owner must deal with the surprising fact that her fiancé Max is accused of murdering the leading man in a summer stock production of Arsenic and Old Lace. Very fine, unread copy. Inscribed and signed. $45.00

Another copy. First edition. Very fine, unread copy. Not signed. $20.00

Hart, Carolyn G., Design for Murder, N.Y., Bantam, 1988. First edition. Paperback original. Annie Laurence, owner of the "Death on Demand" mystery bookstore, is invited to stage a mystery night that ends in murder. Very fine, unread copy. $20.00

Hart, Carolyn G., The Christie Caper, N.Y., Bantam, 1991. First edition. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birth, Annie Laurence hosts a spectacular mystery convention at her Death on Demand bookshop, only to have it crashed by a literary critic who prefers hard-boiled crime and is writing a biography that will trash the memory of Dame Agatha. How many attenders want to kill him for that? Very fine in dust jacket. A signed bookplate is affixed inside the front cover. $20.00

Another copy. Unsigned. Very fine in dust jacket. $18.00

Hart, Carolyn G., Mint Julep Murder, N.Y., Bantam, 1995. First edition. Annie Darling, owner of the Death on Demand Bookstore, attends the Dixie Book Festival and finds a publisher poisoned. Advance reading copy. Very fine in original wrappers. $7.50

Hess, Joan, Strangled Prose, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1986. First edition. The first novel about Claire Malloy, who operates the Book Depot, a classy college bookshop located in an old train station. She reluctantly agrees to host a book signing party at her shop for the author of a steamy romance, a roman a clef about escapades of faculty members. Very fine in dust jacket. $100.00

Hess, Joan, Murder at the Murder at the Mimosa Inn, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1986. A Claire Malloy mystery set at a murder mystery weekend. Very fine in dust jacket. $75.00

Hess, Joan, Dear Miss Demeanor, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1987. First edition. A Claire Malloy mystery in which her daughter’s principal falls dead from a mouthful of poisoned peach compote. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Hess, Joan, Busy Bodies, N.Y., Dutton, 1995. First edition. Claire Malloy becomes involved with an artist whose front yard showcases a coffin and a nude model, causing so large a crowd and commensurate noise that the local mystery writer can’t finish her book. Advance proof copy. Very fine in original wrappers. $10.00

James, P.D., Original Sin, N.Y., Knopf, 1995. First U.S. edition. Murder occurs at a reputable old London publishing house, established in 1792, when the new owner decides that major changes are in order. Fine in dust jacket. $24.00

Kaminsky, Stuart M(elvin), Never Cross a Vampire, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1980. First edition. Bela Lugosi hires Hollywood private eye Toby Peters to clear William Faulkner of the murder of his literary agent. Very fine in dust jacket, which has extremely trivial rubbing at spine ends. $65.00

Kaminsky, Stuart M., He Done Her Wrong, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1983. First edition. Hollywood private detective Toby Peters is hired to find Mae West’s stolen diary. Very fine in dust jacket. $35.00

Kenney, Susan, Garden of Menace, N.Y., Scribner, 1983. First edition. A Vassar professor is hired to edit the papers of famed author Lady Viola Montfort-Snow and learns that some people will do anything to prevent her—including murder. A fine fresh copy in dust jacket; advance copy with review slip and publicity letter laid in. $20.00

Kurnitz, Harry, Invasion of Privacy, N.Y., Random House, 1955. First edition. A hot young Hollywood producer acquires the rights to a book by a beautiful woman and, after the film is shot, learns it was based on a true story. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. $17.50

Lewis, Roy Harley, Miracles Take a Little Longer, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1986. First edition. Rare bookseller Matthew Coll answers a late night knock on his door and confronts a figure seemingly out of a Gothic novel. Light glue stains on endpapers, else about fine in dust jacket rubbed at edges. $20.00

Ludlum, Robert, The Chancellor Manuscript, N.Y., Dial, 1977. 4th printing. Peter Chancellor learns of a secret group of men who were involved in killing J. Edgar Hoover and reveals many secrets in the form of a novel. Much information about publishing. Fine in dust jacket. $12.50

McCrumb, Sharon, Zombies of the Gene Pool, N.Y., Simon & Schuster, 1992. First edition. Murder at a science fiction convention attended by many of the giants of the genre. Very fine in dust jacket. $20.00

MacDonald, Marianne, Road Kill, London, Hodder, 2000. First edition. Antiquarian bookseller Dido Hoare becomes involved in a mystery when her nanny is locked up and her house is burgled. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed. $40.00

MacDonald, Marianne, Blood Lies, London, Hodder, 2001. First edition. Antiquarian bookseller Dido Hoare becomes involved in a mystery in an idyllic Georgian mansion in a picture postcard village. Signed. Very fine in dust jacket. $40.00

MacDonald, Marianne, Die Once, London, Hodder, 2002. First edition. Dido Hoare has the perfect customer—polite, enthusiastic, loyal and rich. Three days after she sells him a first edition of Dickens’ The Haunted Man, he jumps to his death—and his check bounces. Signed. Very fine in dust jacket. $42.50

McGaughey, Neil, Otherwise Known as Murder, N.Y., Scribner, 1994. First edition. America’s leading authority on mystery fiction takes a pseudonym to attempt his own novel but before he can begin he is asked to find one of the mystery world’s most influential writers and finds murder. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed. $25.00

McGaughey, Neil, A Corpse by Any Other Name, N.Y., Scribner, 1998. First edition. The author known as Stokes Moran decides to divest himself of his more famous identity. Then his wife and literary agent is asked to identify the body of Stokes Moran. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed. $25.00

Manson, Cynthia, ed., Murder by the Book, N.Y., Carroll & Graf, 1995. First edition. An anthology of mystery stories, all of which involve rare books, manuscripts, rare book dealers and mystery writers. Contributors include Lawrence Block, Joseph Hansen, Michael Innes, Margaret Maron, Bill Pronzini and Dorothy L. Sayers. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Monteilhet, Hubert, Murder at the Frankfurt Book Fair, N.Y., Doubleday, 1976. First edition. A novel about the publishing industry involving "a young librarian," "a plump publisher" and "a distinguished professor¼and plagiarist." Non-authorial gift inscription on front endpaper, else fine in dust jacket. $22.50

Morley, Christopher, The Haunted Bookshop, N.Y., Doubleday, Page, 1919. First edition. One of the greatest of all bibliomysteries. This is the presumed second state, with page 76 not numbered. A very good copy of an uncommon highspot, lacking the rare dust jacket. $65.00

Neri, Kris, Revenge of the Gypsy Queen, Highland City, FL, Rainbow, 1999. First edition. First edition. Mystery writer Tracy Eaton uses her sleuthing skills to find a kidnapped bride. Praised by Carolyn Hart. Fine in dust jacket. Signed. $20.00

Offord, Lenore Glen, Walking Shadow, N.Y., Simon & Schuster, 1959. First edition. At the Ashland, Oregon, Shakespeare Festival, someone adds a line to one of Shakespeare’s plays, leading to murder. First edition. Very good in dust jacket. $15.00

O’Scollain, Shuggie, The Printer’s Proof, London, Cadds, 2006. First edition (The book states "First Paperback Edition" but there is no record of a hardcover edition ever having been produced). Many over tones of Sherlock Holmes in a case involving England’s printer’s union, notably the NUPBW, which represented the men who did the folding, guillotining (cutting the page edges) and binding of books. Fine trade paperback edition. $19.95

Penzler, Otto, ed., Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop, N.Y., Vanguard, 2010. The ultimate bibliomystery! All 17 stories are mysteries set during the holiday season and at least partially set in the Mysterious Bookshop. Stolen books, priceless manuscripts, murder—it’s all here. Includes stories by Donald E. Westlake, Lawrence Block, Ed McBain, Michael Malone, Mary Higgins Clark, Anne Perry, Thomas H. Cook, Jonathan Santlofer, S.J. Rozan, Rupert Holmes, Edward D. Hoch, George Baxt, Ron Goulart, Jeremiah Healy, Charles Ardai, Andrew Klavan and Lisa Atkinson. Signed. $24.95

Perez-Reverte, Arturo, The Club Dumas, N.Y. Harcourt, 1996. First U.S. edition of The Dumas Club. Translated from the Spanish; first published in Spain in 1993. An obsessed book hunter is asked to authenticate a manuscript chapter of Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. The basis for the 2000 Artisan film, The Ninth Gate, starring Johnny Depp and directed by Roman Polanski. Very fine in dust jacket. $65.00

Peterson, Linda Lee, Edited to Death, Henderson, NV, 21st Century Publishing, 2005. First edition. A writer for San Francisco’s Small Town magazine investigates a murder at the chi-chi publication, taking her from Pacific Heights to a legendary North Beach bookstore. Very fine in dust jacket. $23.00

Bill Pronzini Collection

The Nameless detective series, all feature mention of and musings about his extensive collection of rare pulp magazines. The author is a collector of mystery fiction and pulp magazines, as well as an expert who has written extensively on both subjects and compiled numerous anthologies. Collecting is important to his detective and there are numerous references to the subject. Some titles inevitably place a greater emphasis on rare books, magazines and book stores than others. No attempt has been made to quantify the extent of bibliophilic content in all of the following books.

Pronzini, Bill, Dragonfire, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1982. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, Bindlestiff, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1983. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, Quicksilver, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1984. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket, which has minuscule wear at base of spine. $20.00

Pronzini, Bill, Nightshades, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1984. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, and Marcia Muller, Double, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1984. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $35.00

Pronzini, Bill, Bones, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1985. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket, which is lightly rubbed at spine ends. Signed and inscribed: "6-14-85/For Ed & Pat/Hoch/With all/best regards/Bill Pronzini." Nice association from one Grand Master to another. $60.00

Pronzini, Bill, Graveyard Plots, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1985. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, Deadfall, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1986. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket, which has a tiny chip at top of front panel. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, Shackles, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1988. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket, which is lightly rubbed at spine ends. Signed and inscribed: "6-3-88/For Pat & Ed/Hoch/Very best/as ever/Bill Pronzini." Nice association from one Grand Master to another. $60.00

Pronzini, Bill, Small Felonies, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1988. First edition. A collection containing some Nameless stories and "The Man Who Collected The Shadow." Very fine in dust jacket. Signed and inscribed: "Nov. 1988/For Pat & Ed Hoch/Very Best,/as always/Bill Pronzini." Nice association from one Grand Master to another. $65.00

Pronzini, Bill, Jackpot, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1990. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed and inscribed: "March 1990/For Pat & Ed Hoch/Best/Regards,/Always/Bill Pronzini. Nice association from one Grand Master to another. $50.00

Pronzini, Bill, Breakdown, N.Y., Delacorte, 1991. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, Quarry, N.Y., Delacorte, 1992. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $20.00

Pronzini, Bill, Demons, N.Y., Delacorte, 1993. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket with a bit of creasing at top of front panel. Signed and inscribed: "For Ed and Pat/Hoch/With warmest regards, as/ever/Bill Pronzini/’93." $50.00

Pronzini, Bill, Sentinels, N.Y., Carroll & Graf, 1996. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed and inscribed: "June ‘96/For Ed and Pat Hoch/Warm regards/as always/Bill Pronzini." Nice association from one Grand Master to another. $45.00

Pronzini, Bill, Illusions, N.Y., Carroll & Graf, 1997. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed and inscribed: "For Ed and Pat Hoch/With Warm regards/as ever/Bill Pronzini/July ’97." Nice association from one Grand Master to another. $45.00

Pronzini, Bill, Boobytrap, N.Y., Carroll & Graf, 1998. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $23.00

Pronzini, Bill, Sleuths, Unity, ME, Five Star, 1999. First edition. A collection containing several Nameless stories. Very fine without dust jacket, as issued. $25.00

Reno, Marie, Final Proof, N.Y., Harper, 1976. Book club edition. The editorial director of a major book club is found slumped over a set of galley proofs. Written by a long-time publishing insider. Near fine in dust jacket. $7.50

Schorr, Mark, Red Diamond, Private Eye, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1983. First edition. Simon Jaffe is a New York cab driver by day, an avid pulp fiction reader and collector by night. Fine in dust jacket. Inscribed and signed. $45.00

Sims, George R., The Despain Papers, Philadelphia, PA, Holmes, 1992. First U.S. and first hardcover edition; trade edition limited to 650 copies. Very fine in lightly rubbed dust jacket. $25.00

Sladek, John (Thomas), Invisible Green, London, Gollancz, 1977. First edition. A locked room mystery in which the victims of various bizarre murder methods are a group of detective story aficionados who call themselves The Seven Unravellers. Very fine in dust jacket. $100.00

Starrett, Vincent, "The Adventure of the Unique Hamlet," contained in 221B: Studies in Sherlock Holmes, N.Y., Macmillan, 1940. The first publication after the very rare privately printed edition of 1920 of what many believe to be the finest Sherlock Holmes pastiche ever written. A very fine, fresh copy in a bright dust jacket with a small chip at head of spine and a piece torn from the front flap, which is price-clipped. $150.00

Starrett, Vincent, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, N.Y., Otto Penzler. First of this edition. Contains "The Adventure of the Unique Hamlet." Fine in wrappers. $7.95

Straus, Ralph, Pengard Awake, N.Y., Appleton, 1920. First U.S. edition. An English book collector travels to Chicago and meets an antiquarian bookseller in his shop in Chicago and tries to help him cope with a dark mystery. Gift inscription on front endpaper, else a very nice, about fine copy in the scarce dust jacket, which has a few nicks and tears. A classic bibliomystery. $150.00

Strong, Tony, The Poison Tree, London, Doubleday, 1997. First edition. A young woman moves to Oxford to study for her doctorate in detective fiction and learns that her home was once the site of a brutal murder. Soon, strange and frightening events begin. Very fine in dust jacket. $35.00

Symons, Julian, The Colour of Murder, London, Collins, 1957. First edition. A happily married visits the library, where he begins an affair with a pretty young woman, leading to murder. Covers marked, else very good in dust jacket, which is sunned at the spine and has a closed tear. $25.00

Taylor, Phoebe Atwood, Proof of the Pudding, N.Y., Norton, 1945. First edition. This tangential bibliomystery involves primary source material being used to write an unwanted biography. Very fine in price-clipped dust jacket, which has light wear at the top of the spine. $75.00

Trocheck, Kathy Hogan, To Live and Die in Dixie, N.Y., Harper, 1993. First edition. An authentic Civil War diary is fervently pursued by numerous characters, from various university librarians to a lunatic Civil War buff. Very fine in dust jacket. $20.00

Valin, Jonathan, Final Notice, N.Y., Dodd, Mead, 1980. Private detective Harry Stoner is hired to stop a psychopath who has been mutilating books in a Cincinnati library by cutting out parts of the female anatomy from art books before he escalates to the real thing. Very fine in dust jacket. $125.00

Vance, G. Warlock, The Missing Narrative of Neptune, Morristown, N.Y., Scrybe Press, 2008. First edition. Trade paperback original. A private eye novel in which three people die over a stolen 16th-century manuscript. "I mean, really, how hard can it be to find a one-of-a-kind book in Greensboro, N.C.?" Very fine. $15.00

Van Gieson, Judith, The Stolen Blue, Albuquerque, N.M., University of New Mexico, 2000. First edition. Claire Reynier’s job is to buy books for the University of New Mexico’s library, a job she loves. But when a collector invites her to a remote wilderness ranch, her dream job becomes a nightmare. Very fine in dust jacket. Signed. $22.95

Wallace, Edgar, The Door with Seven Locks, N.Y., Doubleday, 1928. A man of evil repute steals a book of biology from a library–not the least of his crimes. Filmed in London by Rialto in 1940 with a screenplay by Norman Lee, Gilbert Gunn and John Argyle; it was directed by Lee and starred Leslie Banks and Lilli Palmer. It was released in the United States by Monogram as Chamber of Horrors. Very good. $15.00

Wren, Lassiter, and Randle McKay, The Baffle Book, N.Y., Doubleday, 1928. Later printing. A collection of solve-them-yourself mysteries, including "The Problem of Napoleon’s Signatures." Fine in dust jacket, which has minor spine wear. $45.00

Wren, Lassiter, and Randle McKay, The Third Baffle Book, N.Y., Doubleday, 1930. First edition. Another collection of solve-them-yourself mysteries, including "The Stolen Endymion." Very good. $15.00