Friday, July 29, 2011

Sally's Weekly Update 07/29/11

The latest update appears below.

Have a great weekend.

Sally Owen
The Mysterious Bookshop
sally@mysteriousbookshop.com


The Mysterious Bookshop

58 Warren Street

New York, NY 10007

Ph: 212-587-1011

Fax: 212-587-1126

Open Seven Days, 11.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.



Weekly Update 7/29/11



SIGNED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE



Very Bad Men is Harry Dolan’s second thriller. David Loogan, introduced in Bad Things Happen, is now living with Detective Elizabeth Waishkey and her daughter, Sarah. He’s the editor of the mystery magazine, Gray Streets, and when he finds a manuscript outside his office door with the hook "I killed Henry Kormoran" he is drawn into the deadly world of Anthony Lark. $25.95



John Hart signed Iron House, his fourth mystery. For two decades Michael has been an enforcer in New York’s world of organized crime. But the life he craves is back in North Carolina where he was born and where he lost the brother he loved. When he meets Elena and falls in love, he takes her there and encounters a world of deceit and violence that leads to the one place he’s been running from his whole life: Iron House. Hart’s previous three books were all nominated for Edgar Awards and two of them won. Expect more of the same. A Crime Collectors Club Main Selection. $25.99



A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

We don’t carry this series, but do have several SIGNED first editions of this collectable title, Book Five of A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin has been called "the American Tolkien" by Time magazine. A very scarce offering from us. $75.00

One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt is the ninth mystery to feature Andy Carpenter. When Noah Galloway is arrested for the arson murder of twenty-six people, he needs a defense lawyer. Andy Carpenter is not in the market for a new client but Noah was the first owner of Andy’s golden retriever Tara; he rescued her and made sure she was placed in a good home - Andy’s. So how can Andy refuse? $24.99



Peter Spiegelman stopped by to sign his latest thriller Thick as Thieves. Carr - ex CIA - is the leader of an elite crew planning a robbery of such extraordinary proportions that it will leave them all set for life. However, most of his crew are not what they seem, not even Carr whose own past will turn out to be built on a lie. $24.95



MAN-BOOKER PRIZE



The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst has been long-listed for the Man-Booker prize. Hollinghurst won that prestigious prize from the UK with his last book, The Line of Beauty. We still have some signed first editions. $50.00

ORANGE PRIZE

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht won the UK Orange Prize, which celebrates excellence in women’s writing. We have one signed copy of the UK edition (the true first) for $50.00 and two signed copies of the US edition for $35.00 each.



FOR COLLECTORS

Dirty Story by Eric Ambler, Atheneum, NY. 1967. $20.00

Fine in dust jacket, which has a trace of rubbing at corners.

The Intercom Conspiracy by Eric Ambler, Atheneum, NY. 1969. $25.00

Fine in dust jacket.

Situation Vacant by Mile Burton, Collins Crime Club, London. 1946. First Edition. $45.00

Free front endpaper excised, spine sunned, else very good.

(Catalogue) $35.00

The famous, seminal catalogue #15 from J&S Graphics with 4561 first editions of mystery fiction in a 340-page illustrated catalogue. A great reference source, though the 30-year old prices no longer apply, or I would buy the first edition of Dracula for $125. And the nice letter by Doyle about bookselling for $145. Fine in wrappers.

Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford In the Reducing Business by George Randolph Chester, Winthrop Press, NY. 1914. $20.00

First separate printing of this single short story about the American con man. Issued as a miniature book by Hearst to promote the series running in Cosmopolitan Magazine. Color illustration. Uncommon. Rubbed, else good.

Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore, Doubleday, NY. 1994. $45.00

Special preview edition printed for Booksellers. This is a 105-page proposal for the book, which went on to become a huge bestseller. Very fine hardcover in a very fine slipcase.

The Lonesome Badger by Frank Gruber, Rinehart, NY. 1954. First Edition. $75.00

Fine in dust jacket with light foxing to endpapers.

Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg, Harcourt, NY. 1978. First Edition. $75.00

A modern classic and the basis for a first-rate motion picture, Angel Eyes. Very fine in dust jacket which is, as usual for the glossy metallic ink used, slightly rubbed.

Murder by Scripture by Amelia Reynolds Long, Phoenix, NY. 1942. First Edition. $35.00

The first mystery involving Peter Piper, female mystery author; set in New Orleans and featuring voodoo and other weird occurrences. Ex-library copy with the great surreal dust jacket taped to the covers. Very scarce.

Weep for Me by John D. MacDonald, Gold Medal, NY. 1951. First Edition. $125.00

Early paperback original; the author’s fourth book. Small tears at base of spine, else near fine. Scarce in collectable condition.

Having Wonderful Crime by Craig Rice, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1943. $175.00

The gold lettering on the spine is a trifle faded, else a fine, fresh copy in dust jacket, which has light wear at spine ends and has the usual lightly faded spine panel. Much better than usually found copy of an uncommon book.

Wall of Eyes by Walter Satterthwaite, St. Martin’s, NY. 1987. First Edition. $350.00

Author’s excellent and very scarce first novel. A very fine copy in a pristine dust jacket. Review material laid in.

Miss Lizzie by Walter Satterthwaite, St. Martin’s, NY. 1989. First Edition. $275.00

A novel based on the Lizzie Borden murder case. A very fine, as new copy in a flawless dust jacket.

Briarpatch by Ross Thomas, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1984. First Edition. $45.00

Edgar Award-winning novel. Fine in dust jacket.

Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg, Little Brown, Boston. 1976. First Edition. $45.00

An excellent and under-appreciated noir novel which served as the basis for the cult film Cutter’s Way, which starred Jeff Bridges and John Heard. Very fine in dust jacket, which has a small nick at bottom of front panel.

Black Angus by Newton Thornburg, Little Brown, NY. 1978. First Edition. $25.00

Very fine in dust jacket, which remarkably shows no rubbing, as it usually does.

Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, Little Brown, NY. 2006. First Edition. $250.00

The basis for the Oscar-nominated film of the same title. An inexplicably scarce book in collectors’ condition. Very fine, as new copy in pristine dust jacket without the remainder mark that is on so many copies.

Sally

sally@mysteriousbookshop.com

Friday, July 22, 2011

Sally's Weekly Update for 07/22/11

Here's the latest update. Stay indoors. Read.

Sally Owen
The Mysterious Bookshop
sally@mysteriousbookshop.com


The Mysterious Bookshop

58 Warren Street

New York, NY 10007

Ph: 212-587-1011

Fax: 212-587-1126

Open Seven Days, 11.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.



Weekly Update 7/22/11



We have had a tremendous response to our notice about the different editions of The Drop by Michael Connelly.

Thank you for your orders.

We are sold out of the Lettered Editions published by The Mysterious Bookshop.

We do still have Numbered Editions. (I am out on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so I have not responded to many of your requests for this edition. I will confirm your orders in the next couple of days).

I am still taking orders for the UK trade edition and the US trade edition. We need to know numbers so we don’t over- or under-order, but there shouldn’t be any problem fulfilling those orders.

Please note that Ian Kern is on vacation. He will not be back in the store until August 1st. Until then, you may contact me via email or call the store with any questions or orders.





SIGNED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE



The End of Everything by Megan Abbott is set in a small 1980s suburb in the Midwest where thirteen-year-old Lizzie Hood and her next-door neighbor Evie Verver are inseparable. Then Evie disappears and Lizzie finds herself in the spotlight as best friend. But Lizzie is determined to find Evie herself and, as she investigates, she begins to wonder if she knew Evie at all. This is a Soft Boiled Club Main Selection. $23.99



The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan is the story of Jake, one of the last of his species, a werewolf. Jake is healthy at 201 years old but he’s alone, and very depressed. He’s even contemplating suicide thus putting an end to a legend thousands of years old. But there are two groups hunting him down and they both, for very different reasons, are bent on keeping him alive. This edition is signed on a tipped in page and has red edges. $25.95







We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey is the fourth thriller to feature Chicago cop turned private investigator Michael Kelly. In this nail biter, Kelly must try and save his city from a deadly new foe: a biological weapon unleashed underground. $24.95



Steal the Show by Thomas Kaufman is the second mystery featuring Willis Gidney who finds a baby girl while working on a case. Gidney knows all about the D.C. juvenile-justice system, having barely survived it himself, so he’s reluctant to give her up. But unmarried private eyes are not usually thought of as ideal parents, so Gidney needs a lawyer. But a lawyer means money, and that’s where Gidney starts to get into real trouble. $24.99

The Borrower is a first novel by Rebecca Makkai in which a librarian and a young boy, obsessed with reading, take to the road. Ian Drake, a ten-year old, addicted to reading, camps out in the library and asks Lucy to help him escape his parents. But there is a strange man on their tail. This is a light and lovely story - no need to get bogged down in questions about transporting minors across state lines - about reading, libraries, and a love of books. $25.95

Adam Ross follows up his novel, Mr. Peanut, with a collection of short stories, Ladies and Gentlemen. These seven dark stories about lives full of good intentions, misunderstandings, and obscure motives are unsettling, compelling, and gorgeously written. $25.95

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva finds Gabriel Allon and his team trying to take down a silver-tongued cleric who has a new plan for global terror. A Thriller/Espionage Club Main Selection. $26.99

Shut Your Eyes Tight is John Verdon’s second thriller featuring Dave Gurney whose latest case is monstrous and bizarre. A bride, newly wed to an eminent psychiatrist, is found decapitated, her head apparently severed by a machete. Gurney begins to uncover one of the darkest criminal schemes imaginable. $24.00



SIGNED FROM THE U.K.

In Blue Monday by Nicci French the abduction of a five-year-old provokes a national outcry. When his face is splashed across the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is troubled. One of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child; a child he can describe in detail; a child who looks exactly like the kidnapped boy. Signed by both authors. $33.00

The Stranger’s Child by Man Booker Prize winner Alan Hollinghurst is set in 1913 when aristocratic poet Cecil Valance comes to stay at the home of his close Cambridge friend George Sawle. Cecil writes a poem for George’s young sister and this will become a touchstone for a generation, an evocation of an England about to change forever. $50.00



Killer Move is a stand alone from Michael Marshall. The U.S. edition precedes this edition, but Marshall is not touring here. We have very few of these signed copies. $35.00

Dublin Dead by Gerard O’Donovan once again features DI Mike Mulcahy who uncovers a link between Ireland’s largest-ever drugs haul and the murder of a Dublin gangster in Spain. With the body count mounting, Mulcahy, together with journalist Siobhan Fallon, plunges into a world of lies, betrayal, and unexpected allegiances. $50.00



FOR COLLECTORS

The Three-Corpse Trick by Miles Burton, Collins Crime, London. 1944. First Edition. $65.00

Inscription on front endpaper, else near fine.

Letters - Raymond Chandler and James M. Fox, Neville & Yellin, Santa Barbara. 1978. First Edition. $45.00

Literary correspondence between these two writers. There were 350 copies of the trade edition for sale; this is one of 30 presentation copies. SIGNED by Fox.

Norgil the Magician by Maxwell Grant, Mysterious Press, NY. 1977. First Edition. $25.00

Only 1,000 copies were printed, most of which went to libraries. Pulp stories by the creator of The Shadow collected here for the first time. A bit of foxing to the tops of the covers, else fine in the Steranko dust jacket, which has a trace of wear to the top of the spine.

A Difficult Problem The Staircase at the Heart’s Delight and Other Stories by Anna Katharine Green, Lupton, NY. 1900. $100.00

Tips of spine a bit rubbed, name inside front cover, else a fine copy.

The Silver Jackass by Frank Gruber writing as Charles K. Boston, Reynal and Hitchcock, NY. 1941. First Edition. $375.00

Name and address on front endpaper, else near fine with minor edge wear. Jacket shows light wear at extremities.

Diagnosis: Impossible by Edward D. Hoch, Crippen & Landru, VA. 1996. First Edition. $20.00

A collection of locked room mysteries and other impossible crimes involving Dr. Sam Hawthorne, including the vanishing of a horse and carriage from inside a covered bridge, the vanishing of a small boy from a swing, etc. One of a very small number of hardcover copies that were produced as an overrun on the signed limited edition. This copy not numbered or signed.

Johnny Havoc, Havoc for Sale, Holiday for Havoc and Johnny Havoc and the Siren in Red by John Jakes, Armchair Detective Library, NY. 1990-91. $45.00 for the set

First hardcover editions; originally published in the 1960s. These semi-hard-boiled private eye novels were written before Jakes became a huge best-seller. The complete series of four volumes, each with an original introduction by the author, all very fine in dust jacket.

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane, Morrow, NY. 2001. First Edition. $45.00

The basis for the great movie. Fine in dust jacket.

Hail to the Chief by Ed McBain, Random House, NY. 1973. First Edition. $45.00

An 87th Precinct novel. Very fine in dust jacket.

So Long as you Both Shall Live by Ed McBain, Random House, NY. 1976. First Edition. $45.00

An 87th Precinct novel. Very fine in dust jacket.

A Bullet for Cinderella by John D. MacDonald, Dell, NY. 1955. $75.00

First edition of this early paperback original.

The Ferguson Affair by Ross Macdonald, Knopf, NY. 1960. First Edition. $275.00

An exceptionally fine, fresh copy in dust jacket, which is lightly soiled on back panel.

Gun in Cheek by Bill Pronzini, Coward, McCann, NY. 1982. First Edition. $35.00

A cornerstone reference work devoted to the worst mystery fiction of all time. Utterly hilarious. Tiny remainder dot on lower page edge, else very fine in dust jacket.

The Lamp of God by Ellery Queen, Dell, NY. 1951. First Separate Edition. $45.00

One of the greatest impossible crime stories. Fine in wrappers.

If You Can’t Be Good by Ross Thomas, Morrow, NY. 1973. First Edition. $150.00

Fine in dust jacket.



Sally

sally@mysteriousbookshop.com

Friday, July 15, 2011

Sally's Weekly Update for 07/15/11

Thanks to all the authors who showed up for our Thrillerfest party last week, we have lotsa signed books, although not a lot of copies of each title thanks to all the customers who also showed up for the party.

Hope your weekend is a good one. I'm planning to watch Zen on Mystery this Sunday. Rufus Sewell is playing Michael Dibdin's detective, Aurelio Zen, and the reviews are smashing.

Sally Owen
The Mysterious Bookshop
sally@mysteriousbookshop.com


The Mysterious Bookshop

58 Warren Street

New York, NY 10007

Ph: 212-587-1011

Fax: 212-587-1126

Open Seven Days, 11.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.



Weekly Update 7/15/11



EVENTS



Tuesday, July 19th 6.30 p.m. - 8.00 p.m

Hardboiled authors Brian Wiprud and Thomas Kaufman will be here to discuss their latest novels.

Ringer by Brian Wiprud follows Morty Martinez as he plots to steal a sacred relic from a New York billionaire. $26.99



Steal the Show by Thomas Kaufman finds Willis Gidney trying to protect an abandoned baby girl and stop a blackmailer from ruining his life. $24.99

Refreshments will be served.



SIGNED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE



A Death in Summer is Benjamin Black’s latest novel, set in Dublin and featuring Quirke. Black is the pseudonym of John Banville. $25.00



Long Gone is Alafair Burke’s first stand alone thriller. Alice Humphrey is hired by Drew Campbell to manage a new art gallery in Manhattan’s trendy Meatpacking District. But when Alice arrives for work she discovers the gallery gone - stripped bare - and Campbell’s dead body on the floor. Alice has been set up. But by whom? And why? $24.99



An African Affair is a first novel by Nina Darnton. After the assassination of a prominent Nigerian politician, New York journalist Lindsay Cameron moves to Lagos to follow a trail of corruption, drug smuggling, and murder. A First Mystery Club Main Selection. $25.95



Joseph Finder’ latest, Buried Secrets, features Nick Heller a former intelligence operative. When the teenaged daughter of a billionaire hedge-fund titan is kidnapped, her father turns to family friend, Heller. A Thriller/Espionage Club Main Selection $25.99

Eyes Wide Open is the latest thriller from Andrew Gross. A family tragedy may not be what it seems in this tale of two brothers, one successful, one wayward, who try to come to terms with what tore them apart. $25.99

Judgment and Wrath by Matt Hilton features Joe Hunter who, after barely escaping with his life while trying to save his half brother from a deranged killer, has a new and quieter life in Florida. But not for long. $24.99

Dominance by Will Lavender is a nail biting thriller which is almost impossible to describe without giving away plot surprises. Those of you fascinated by the mysteries of literature and authorship will lap this up and the construction of the plot will keep you guessing right up until the last page. Sorry about that description, but the surprises are key and we must give nothing away. $25.00



Paul Malmont signed copies of The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown, in which Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and other science fiction authors try to stop a devastating Nazi Plot. An Unclassifiable Crime Club Main Selection. $26.00

Trader of Secrets is the new Paul Madriani novel from Steve Martini. Defense Attorney Madriani is embroiled in a perilous case that involves an angry killer who will stop at nothing short of vengeance, and two missing NASA scientists who are holding secrets that a hostile government desperately wants to purchase. $26.99



East of Sunset is Ken Mercer’s second mystery featuring ex-cop Will Magowan. Will, retired, has moved back in with his wife and landed his dream job. When a figure from Will’s past turns up and makes a mysterious demand, that new life is threatened. $25.99

The Vault is the latest international thriller from Boyd Morrison in which former combat engineer Tyler Locke races against time to unearth the truth about the fabled touch of King Midas. $24.99

The Devil Colony is James Rollins’ latest Sigma Force novel which asks the question: Could the founding of the United States be based on a fundamental lie? The shocking truth lies hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains. $27.99

Excavation by James Rollins was reissued in hardcover and we have just three signed copies of this early work. While on expedition in Peru, archaeologist Dr. Henry Conklin discovers a mysterious mummy in a cave in the Andes. And in the jungle below there are the remains of an ancient Incan city. $23.99

Karin Slaughter stopped by to sign copies of Fallen. When the mother of cop Faith Mitchell does not answer her phone, Mitchell goes over there and finds the front door open, a bloodstain on the doorknob and Faith’s infant daughter hidden in a shed behind the house. But she doesn’t see her mother. When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith turns to her partner Will Trent. Faith isn’t just a cop anymore. She’s a witness. And a suspect. $26.00

The Beginners by Rebecca Wolff is a first novel receiving much positive attention. When Theo and Racquel Motherwell move into the sleepy town of Wick, fifteen-year-old Ginger Pritt is immediately attracted to the worldliness and sophistication of the dashing couple. But the Motherwells may be more than they seem and Ginger becomes fascinated with their past. This is both a coming-of-age story and a tale of ghostly menace. $26.95





FOR COLLECTORS

The Care of Time by Eric Ambler, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. 1981. First Edition. $35.00

Fine in dust jacket.

The King of Terrors by Robert Bloch, Mysterioius Press, NY. 1977. First Edition. $35.00

Limited to 1,000 copies of the trade edition. Very fine in dust jacket, which has a small tear at the top of the front hinge.

The Bloomsbury Wonder by Thomas Burke, Mandrake, London. 1929. First Edition. $100.00

Very fine in dust jacket with a slightly darkened spine but otherwise fine.

The Mask of Midas by G.K. Chesterton, Classica, Trondheim, Norway. 1991. $35.00

A Father Brown story, published for the first time in this edition of 1,000 numbered copies. Also contains a comprehensive bibliography of all the Father Brown stories. Very fine in dust jacket.

Deadly is the Diamond by Mignon Eberhart, Random House, NY. 1958. First Edition. $100.00

Collection of novelettes. Fine in dust jacket.

Game without Rules by Michael Gilbert, Harper, NY. 1967. First Edition. $75.00

A Queen’s Quorum title. Precedes the U.K. edition. Very fine in dust jacket.

X Y Z by Anna Katharine Green, Putnam, NY. 1883. First Edition. $375.00

Very scarce short story collection. Issued in stiff wrappers, there are chips on the two lower corners of the front cover, a bit of rubbing to a portion of the lower spine, else very good - an unusually tight copy.

The Gift Horse by Frank Gruber, Farrar & Rinehart, NY. 1942. First Edition. $125.00

Very good-near fine in like dust jacket. Gift inscription on front pastedown, jacket has small chips along edges and spine extremities.







HARRY STEPHEN KEELER

For fans of this loony author, here is a special treat. The following are new trade paperback editions of Keeler novels that have never before been published in book form. The price is $29.95 each.

The Street of a Thousand Eyes (with Hazel Goodwin Keeler)

The Straw Hat Murders

The Crimson Cube 30915

The Gallows Wait, My Lord

Strange Journey (with Teriza Rinaldo Keller)

The White Circle

Hangeman’s Nights



Goldilocks by Ed McBain, Arbor House, NY. 1977. First Edition. $50.00

Very fine in dust jacket.

The Miernik Dossier by Charles McCarry, Saturday Review Press, NY. 1973. First Edition. $300.00

Author’s brilliant first novel, introducing Paul Christopher. A small label has been removed from the inside of the front cover, leaving a triangular outline and some red staining - small but noticeable. The dust jacket has an inked price on the front flap, otherwise is exceptionally fine and has a scarce wrap-around band with a quote from Eric Ambler.

Weep for Me by John D. MacDonald, Gold Medal, NY. 1951. First Edition. $125.00

Early paperback original; the author’s fourth book. Small tears at base of spine, else near fine. Scarce in collectable condition.

Cat’s-Paw by Bill Pronzini, Waves Press, Richmond. 1983. First Edition. SIGNED. $75.00

Nameless Detective locked room mystery, limited to only 150 copies in stiff wrappers. Signed by Pronzini and with an additional inscription from publisher/printer to Edward D. Hoch. Very fine.

The Strange Adventure by Mary Roberts Rinehart, Doubleday, Doran, NY. 1929. First Edition. $300.00

A remarkably fine copy in a bright, fresh dust jacket with a couple of tiny nicks at top of folds. The best jacket for this vintage mystery one could hope to find.

Too Many Cooks by Red Stout, Farrar & Rinehart. 1938. First Edition. $1,250.00

A long inscription is on the last page (not in Stout’s hand), else a fine, bright copy in the original dust jacket, which is sunned on the spine, price-clipped, a dime-sized chip at bottom corner of front panel, some closed tears and lightly frayed at spine ends. Overall, a very nice copy of a very scarce book in collector’s condition.



Spies, Thumbsuckers, etc. by Ross Thomas, Lord John Press, Northridge, CA. 1989. First Edition. SIGNED. $75.00

Collection of essays and the author’s only short story. Limited to 300 copies; there was also a deluxe edition of 50 copies. Very fine without dust jacket, as issued.

Wild Town by Jim Thompson, Signet, NY. 1957. First Edition. $125.00

Paperback original. Reading creases, else very good-near fine.



Sally

sally@mysteriousbookshop.com

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Bibliomysteries

Otto has compiled another list of books about books.

Sally Owen
The Mysterious Bookshop
sally@mysteriousbookshop.com





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

Babson, Marian Murder on a Mystery Tour, N.Y., Walker, 1987. First U.S. edition A mystery weekend in England, sponsored by an American mystery bookstore, is attended by mystery fans, crime novelists–and murder. Very fine in dust jacket. $20.00

Bayard, Louis, The School of Night, N.Y., Holt, 2011. First edition. A collector of manuscripts commits suicide and a rival collector offers $100,000 to retrieve a stolen letter by Sir Walter Raleigh that allegedly pertains to a secret society, The School of Night, which numbered Christopher Marlowe among its members. New. $25.00

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

Breen, Jon L(inn), The Gathering Place, N.Y., Walker, 1984. First edition. A Los Angeles bookseller becomes involved in murder when she uncovers some curious facts about an early Hollywood screenwriter. Very fine in dust jacket. $45.00

Clason, Clyde B., The Man from Tibet, N.Y., Doubleday, 1938. First edition. A Chicago collector buys a scared eighth-century Tibetan manuscript and the seller is soon murdered. Professor Theocritus Lucius Westborough must prove that the manuscript was not the agency that killed him. Address label and rubber stamps on endpapers, corners bumped; about very good. $40.00

Clason, Clyde B., The Man from Tibet, N.Y., Sun Dial, 1939. Early reprint. A Chicago collector buys a scared eighth-century Tibetan manuscript and the seller is soon murdered. Professor Theocritus Lucius Westborough must prove that the manuscript was not the agency that killed him. Blinding glue shadow at gutters of endpapers, else about fine in a colorful dust jacket with a thumbnail-sized chip in spine. Very uncommon jacket. $45.00

Daly, Elizabeth, The House without the Door, N.Y., Farrar & Rinehart, 1942. First edition. Henry Gamadge, an expert on types, inks, old manuscripts, etc., in a mystery with only tangential interest as a bibliomystery. Spine ends worn, else about very good. A scarce first edition. $35.00

Daly, Elizabeth, The House without the Door, London, Hammond, 1950. Reprint; second printing. Henry Gamadge, an expert on types, inks, old manuscripts, etc., in a mystery with only tangential interest as a bibliomystery. Fine in dust jacket. $35.00

Daly, Elizabeth, Evidence of Things Seen, N.Y., Farrar & Rinehart, 1943. First edition. Gamadge’s wife is the primary suspect in a murder case. Covers spotted, a little shaken. $20.00

Daly, Elizabeth, Evidence of Things Seen, N.Y., Farrar & Rinehart, 1943. First edition. Gamadge’s wife is the primary suspect in a murder case. Ex-library reading copy. $12.50

Daly, Elizabeth, Evidence of Things Seen, London, Hammond, 1946. First U.K. edition. Gamadge’s wife is the primary suspect in a murder case. Cover stained, else very good, tight copy. $15.00

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. A very good or better copy in the uncommon dust jacket, which has a couple of tiny chips and a bit of sunning to the purple color, as usual. $125.00

Another copy of the first U.S. edition. Very good copy. $35.00

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

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

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

pictorial dust jacket, which is lightly chipped along the top edge. $300.00

FRANK GRUBER

One of the most popular pulp writers of his time, he was an important contributor to Black Mask and most of the top pulps of the 1930s and ‘40s; he was also a historian of the pulp era and wrote frequently on the subject. His bibliomysteries feature Simon Lash and the encyclopedia salesmen, Johnny Fletcher and his sidekick, Sam Cragg.

Gruber, Frank, The Talking Clock, N.Y., Farrar & Rinehart, 1941. First edition. The booksellers Johnny Fletcher and Sam Cragg get involved with a fabulous collection of rare clocks. Near fine in dust jacket, with large chips at spine ends and closed tear on rear panel. Inscribed and signed by Gruber. $100.00

Gruber, Frank, The Hungry Dog, N.Y., Farrar & Rinehart, 1941. First edition. Bookseller extraordinaire Johnny Fletcher’s partner Sam Cragg inherits an estate that includes 200 St. Bernard dogs. Minor bibliophilic content. Bottom of spine shelf-worn, else a fine copy in rubbed dust jacket which also has small chips along fore-edge. Inscribed and signed on front endpaper. $450.00

Gruber, Frank, The Gift Horse, N.Y., Farrar & Rinehart, 1942. First edition. After an unexpected opportunity to sell books at the race track, Fletcher is given a racehorse named Ulysses, with enough money to support it, but there’s always a catch. Foxing to endpapers, else a fine copy in a dust jacket that is chipped at top of spine. $100.00

Gruber, Frank, The Silver Tombstone, N.Y., Farrar & Rinehart, 1945. Fletcher and Cragg are selling books in Tombstone, AZ. Fine in dust jacket with heavy chipping on spine. $45.00

Gruber, Frank, The Whispering Master, N.Y., Rinehart, 1947. First edition. The publisher of the book that Fletcher and Cragg sell goes missing. Bottom edge shelf-worn, else very good in dust jacket that is chipped at spine ends and along bottom edge. $50.00

Gruber, Frank, The Honest Dealer, N.Y., Rinehart, 1947. First edition. Fletcher and Cragg get mixed up with murder in Las Vegas. Minor bibliophilic content. Fine in dust jacket, which has a tape repair along top of spine and some staining on back panel. $75.00

Gruber, Frank, Murder ‘97, N.Y., Rinehart, 1948. First edition. Simon Lash is hired to trace the ownership of a copy of Horatio Alger’s Ralph Raymond which had been inscribed "to Stuart from Aunt Clarissa." A fine, fresh copy in a bright dust jacket with just a trace of wear. $150.00

Gruber, Frank, The Scarlet Feather, N.Y., Rinehart,1948. First edition. Johnny Fletcher, a tireless seller of books, and his partner Sam Cragg, become involved with cockfighting. Good in dust jacket. $25.00

Gruber, Frank, The Limping Goose, N.Y., Rinehart, 1954. First edition. Down on their luck as usual, booksellers Fletcher and Cragg have taken a temporary job as collection agents and run into trouble when they accept a bank in the shape of a goose as payment. Very fine in dust jacket, which has a sunned spine. $75.00

Gruber, Frank, Swing Low, Swing Dead, N.Y., Belmont, 1964. First edition. Paperback original. Fletcher and Cragg are still selling books but now they’re involved in the music business and own the manuscript to a single song. Fine and unread. $25.00

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. $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

Houston, Robert, The Fourth Codex, Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1988. First edition. A U.S. Customs Service agent investigates the disappearance of a priceless pre-Maya codex only weeks after it was discovered. Review material laid in. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

Hoyt, Richard, The Siskiyou Two-Step, N.Y., Morrow, 1983. First edition. The body of a nude woman floating down an Oregon river is connected to an international plot to steal a manuscript reputedly written by Shakespeare. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

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, Where Agents Fear to Tread, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1984. First U.S. edition. A librarian is needed to identify priceless Arabic manuscripts that had been stolen from British museums and libraries, then smuggled back to Pakistan. Very fine in dust jacket. $25.00

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

McAleer, John, Coign of Vantage, Woodstock, VT, Foul Play Press, 1988. First edition. When three members of a venerable Boston literary society die horribly, the investigation leads to the world’s foremost gentleman’s library where some scandal-filled manuscripts, kept secret for 40 years, have just surfaced. 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

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

Miller, Agnes, The Colfax Book-Plate, N.Y., Century, 1926. First edition. A young female bookseller in a staid rare bookstore discovers an unrecorded bookplate designed for an American client by the famous artist, Colfax, and murders begin to occur. A very good copy of this important and scarce bibliomystery. $75.00

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

Monfredo, Miriam Grace, Blackwater Spirits, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1995. First edition. Each chapter begins with a quote from an early publication as Glynis Tryon, the librarian of a small town in Seneca Falls, N.Y., becomes involved in a murder investigation. Very fine in dust jacket. $20.00

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

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

Page, Marco (pseudonym of Harry Kurnitz), Fast Company, N.Y., Dodd, Mead, 1938. First edition. A rare book dealer (said to have been based on Ben Abramson, the first publisher of The Baker Street Journal), is murdered, and the investigation leads through the arcane and fascinating world of rare books. Page co-wrote the screenplay for Fast One, the 1938 MGM film based on the novel; it starred Melvyn Douglas, Florence Rice, Claire Dodd and Louis Calhern. It was filmed again by MGM in 1939 as Fast and Loose, this time with the screenplay credited to Harry Kurnitz; it starred Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. Some wear to the spine, but a very good copy in the scarce dust jacket, which has a chip at the front hinge and light wear to spine ends. $250.00

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, Labyrinth, N.Y., St. Martin’s, 1980. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket, which has a very light water stain at base of spine. By far the rarest of Pronzini’s "Nameless" detective series. Inscribed from one Grand Master to another: "For Ed & Pat Hoch, Best as always, Bill Pronzini" and dated 2/28/80 $150.00

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, 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, Breakdowny, N.Y., Delacorte, 1991. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket, which has a small closed tear in the middle of the spine. $15.00

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

Pronzini, Bill, Hardcase, N.Y., Delacorte, 1995. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $20.00

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

Pronzini, Bill, Crazybone, N.Y., Carroll & Graf, 1998. Second printing. Very fine in dust jacket. $15.00

Pronzini, Bill, and Marcia Muller, Duo, Unity, ME, Five Star, 1998. First edition. A short story collection with two "Nameless" stories. Very fine. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, Oddments, Unity, ME, Five Star, 2000. Second printing.. A short story collection with a "Nameless" story and "Prose Bowl" (with Barry Malzburg). Very fine. $15.00

Pronzini, Bill, More Oddments, Unity, ME, Five Star, 2003. First edition A short story collection with a "Nameless" story and "The Man Who Collected the Shadow. Very fine. $25.00

Pronzini, Bill, Spook, N.Y., Carroll & Graf, 2003. First edition. Very fine in dust jacket. $24.00

Pronzini, Bill, Scenarios, Unity, ME, Five Star, 2003. First edition. A "Nameless" short story collection. Very fine in dust jacket. $30.00

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 Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, N.Y., Otto Penzler. First of this edition. Contains "The Adventure of the Unique Hamlet," which many believe to be the finest Sherlock Holmes pastiche ever written.." 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

Friday, July 8, 2011

Sally's Weekly Update for 07/08/11

We hope to see some of you at the Thrillerfest party this evening.

Here's the latest update.

Sally Owen
The Mysterious Bookshop
sally@mysteriousbookshop.com


The Mysterious Bookshop

58 Warren Street

New York, NY 10007

Ph: 212-587-1011

Fax: 212-587-1126

Open Seven Days, 11.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.





Weekly Update 7/8/11



EVENTS



Tuesday, July 12th 6.30 p.m.- 8.00 p.m.

Ken Mercer will be here discussing and answering questions about

East on Sunset

Ex-LAPD detective Will Magowan has just settled into a new job and has renewed his marriage. All it takes is one man to ruin it... $25.99

Thursday, July 14th 6.30 p.m. - 8.00 p.m.



Local author Paul Malmont, author of The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril, returns to the world of pulps as Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, and other science fiction greats try to stop a dastardly Nazi plot to creat a devastating weapon. The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown is fast, pulpy fun. Join us for a fascinating discussion with the author. $26.00

Refreshments will be served





SIGNED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE



Peter Lovesey was here signing copies of Stagestruck, in which Peter Diamond investigates strange happenings at Bath’s Theatre Royal. Pop diva Clarion Calhoun is making a celebrity appearance in the production of I Am a Camera, but she is no sooner on stage than she is screaming and clawing at her face. Tainted stage makeup is found to have caused the disfiguring burns and fingers are pointed at her makeup artist, who is then pushed from a catwalk. Diamond must confront his own mysterious theater phobia to find the killer. A Soft Boiled Club Main Selection. $25.00



Fighting in the Shade by Sterling Watson is an unsettling look at the culture of sports in a small Florida Town. In 1964 young Billy Dyer is a newcomer to Oleander and must fight for a starting place on the town’s team, The Spartans. Michael Koryta raves "...An uncompromising look at sports, secrets, sexuality, and the South that makes a commentary on relationships ranging from personal to universal." You already know that Dennis Lehane, a huge fan of the book, was here last week to interview the author. A Trade Paperback Original. $15.95



A Bad Night’s Sleep is Michael Wiley’s third book featuring private investigator Joe Kozmarski. Working late-night surveillance at a condominium development, he interrupts a burglary crew who arrive in a police cruiser dressed in uniform. In the ensuing chaos, Kozmarski shoots and kills one of the thieves who, like the rest of the crew, really is one of Chicago’s finest. Kozmarski is in for more than one bad night’s sleep! $24.99





FOR COLLECTORS

The Problem of the Wire Cage by John Dickson Carr, Harper, NY. 1939. First Edition. $35.00

Base of spine worn, else very good.

(Crime Writers’ Association) A large collection of the British professional organization’s monthly newsletter, Red Herrings, from 1976 to 1989, with an additional dozen or so issues from the 1990s. Not a complete run, but a fascinating inside look at the membership, and with numerous articles written by and about most of the major (and minor) mystery and thriller writers in the U.K. All about fine. $35.00

The Devil’s Apprentice by G. Davison, Jenkins, London. 1933. First Edition (?) $20.00

Another adventure with the "demoniac creature" battling the British Secret Service. Fine.

Hades & Hocus Pocus by Lester Dent, Pulp Press, Chicago. 1979. First Edition. $25.00

Two pulp novels by the creator of Doc Savage. Fine in dust jacket with a small closed tear.

The Possessions of a Lady by Jonathan Gash, Century, London. 1996. First Edition. $35.00

A Lovejoy novel. Very fine in dust jacket.

Found in the Street by Patricia Highsmith, Heinemann, London. 1986. First Edition. $25.00

Find in dust jacket.

The Man Who Walked Like a Bear by Stuart M. Kaminsky, Scribners, NY. 1990. First Edition. $25.00

A Porfiry Rostnikov novel. Very fine in dust jacket.

Wylder’s Hand by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Carleton, NY. 1865. First Edition. $65.00

Rare, early and important novel of crime fiction. Unfortunately, this copy has worn covers and a bit of staining and foxing on some pages. A fair copy only.



(Mystery Writers of America) The Annual given out at the Edgar Allan Poe Awards Dinner. 1948. $35.00

With a Charles Addams cartoon on the front cover, and SIGNED by Stanley Ellin, a future Grand Master. A very early and rare historical document of the third MWA dinner. Five pages, stapled. Fragile, but a very good copy.

(Mystery Writers of America) The Annual given out at the Edgar Allan Poe Awards Dinner. 1949. $45.00

With a Whitney Darrow cartoon on the front cover. Fine. SIGNED by Stanley Ellin, and SIGNED and inscribed to Ellin’s daughter Susan by Boris Karloff in pencil. Laid in is the list, which is lightly frayed along the front edge.

Please note: We have other copies of The Annual given out at the Edgar Allan Poe Awards Dinner. $5.00 each

These contain original articles by mystery writers of yesterday and today. Please ask about these.

(Mystery Writers of America) A remarkable collection of the organization’s monthly newsletter, The Third Degree, from January 1987 to April 2003; nearly 200 issues, all in about fine condition. In addition to covering the arcana of the organization, there are numerous articles, all with original content, by such mystery luminaries as Kinky Friedman, Jane Burke, Margaret Maron, John Lutz, Damon Knight, Harold Qu. Masur, and Mary Higgins Clark. $50.00

No More Dying Then by Ruth Rendell, Hutchinson, London. 1971. Advance Proof Copy. $200.00

Very scarce. Fine in wrappers

The Killing Doll by Ruth Rendell, Hutchinson, London. 1984. First Edition. $45.00

Edges a bit thumbed, else about fine in dust jacket.

The Red Right Hand by Joel Townley Rogers, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1945. First Edition. $175.00

A fine, fresh copy in dust jacket, which has a rubbed spot along the front hinge, a small closed tear and a light crease on front panel, otherwise very bright and clean. A very scarce locked room mystery.

Where There’s a Will by Rex Stout, Farrar & Rinehart, NY. 1940. First Edition. $225.00

Endpapers stained; very good.

The Winter Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine, Scribner, NY. 1940. Later Printing. $35.00

Very good.

Sally

sally@mysteriousbookshop.com

Party for RINGER by Brian Wiprud and STEAL THE SHOW by Thomas Kaufman 07/19/11




The Mysterious Bookshop
is proud to present:

Brian Wiprud
discussing his new novel
Ringer
and
Thomas Kaufman
discussing his new novel
Steal the Show

Tuesday, July 19th
from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.



Admission is free.

The Mysterious Bookshop
58 Warren Street (Between Church and West Broadway)
New York, NY 10007
(212) 587-1011
info@mysteriousbookshop.com

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Sally's Weekly Update for 07/01/11

We hope everybody has plans to share this holiday weekend with family and friends.

Don't get any barbecue sauce on the books!

Enjoy

Sally Owen
The Mysterious Bookshop
sally@mysteriousbookshop.com


The Mysterious Bookshop

58 Warren Street

New York, NY. 10007

Ph: 212-587-1011

Fax: 212-587-1126

Open Seven Days, 11.00 a.m.- 7.00 p.m.



Weekly Update 7/1/11



HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

We will be closed on Monday, July 4th. We will re-open on Tuesday, July 5th at the usual time.



EVENT



Friday, July 8th. 5.30 p.m. - 7.00 p.m.

The Mysterious Bookshop, in association with HarperCollins, Publishers, is proud to present

Thrillerfest 2011

Guests include James Rollins, Hallie Ephron, Jessica Speart, Wendi Corsi Staub, Katia Leif, W. Craig Reed, Kate White, Philip Margolin, Jonathan Hayes, Alafair Burke, Matt Hilton, Steve Martini, Jamie Freveletti, Caroline Todd, James Barney and Andrew Gross.

Refreshments will be served.



SIGNED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE

The Ranger by Ace Atkins is set in contemporary Mississippi and introduces Quinn Colson and Lillie Virgil. Colson, an army ranger and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, returns home to find Tibbehah County corrupted by meth peddlers and out-of-control greed, and his uncle, the sheriff, is dead in a questionable suicide. Colson, with deputy Virgil, starts cleaning the place up...with explosive consequences. $25.95



We now have our signed copies of The Informant by Thomas Perry. Perry’s vengeful assassin, known as The Butcher’s Boy, has been quiet for a decade but this memorable killer is back to play a deadly psychological game with Elizabeth Waring, the only justice department official who ever believed he existed. If you pre-ordered this title, you will be receiving your copy soon. We do have extra copies. $27.00

Bright’s Passage is a first novel by songwriter Josh Ritter. Henry Bright has returned to West Virginia from the battlefields of the First World War. Grieving for his dead wife and caring for an infant son, Bright, a cantankerous goat, and an angel who has followed him to Appalachia, make their way through a landscape ravaged by fire shadowed by his dead wife’s father, the Colonel, and his two brutal sons. $22.00



NOT SIGNED, BUT...

I’ve just started reading The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma. This novel, already a bestseller in Europe, is set in Victorian London where a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics including Dracula and The Time Machine from being wiped from existence. This imaginative fantasy weaves several plots together as it explores the question: What happens if we change history? We do not have true first editions (it is translated from the Spanish) and we do not have signed copies. What we can get is first U.S. editions. So far, I’m loving this book and urge you to order a copy - preferably from us! $26.00



FOR COLLECTORS

Hit and Run by Lawrence Block, Morrow, NY. 2008. First Edition. SIGNED. $24.95

As new in dust jacket.

Cimarron Rose by James Lee Burke, Orion, London. 1997. First Edition. $35.00

Precedes the U.S. edition. As new in dust jacket.

The Eight of Swords by John Dickson Carr, Harper, NY. 1934. First Edition. $300.00

Scarce early title. Name inside front cover, else very good-near fine.

The Crooked Hinge by John Dickson Carr, Harper, NY. 1938. First Edition. $60.00

Very good.

The Finger Man and Other Stories by Raymond Chandler, Avon Murder Mystery Monthly, NY. 1946. First Edition. $200.00

Important collection. Pages toned, as usual, and a tiny nick at the top of the title page, else a fine copy with none of the usual cover wear.



The Man with the Twisted Face by G. Davison, Jenkins, London. 1931. Fourth Printing. $17.50

Early British espionage novel about a German villain.

The Prince of Spies by G. Davison, Jenkins, London. 1932. First Edition. $35.00

Sequel to The Man with the Twisted Face. Very scarce.

Carambola by David Dodge, Little Brown, Boston. 1961. First Edition. $25.00

Fine copy in dust jacket, which has minor rubbing at top of spine.

The Man-Hunter by Dick Donovan, Lovell, NY. 1889 . $25.00

Queen’s Quorum #14. A very rare title, published one year after the first edition. Original wrappers, covers detached but present. A good reading copy only of a book almost impossible to find in any edition.

Finding Davey by Jonathan Gash, Allison & Busby, London. 2008. First Edition. SIGNED. $47.50

Very fine in dust jacket.

The G-String Murders by Gypsy Rose Lee, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1941. Second Printing. SIGNED. $175.00

A mystery by the famous burlesque queen, ghosted by Craig Rice. Fine in a bright dust jacket that has tape reinforcement at the top of the spine. Inscribed and signed by Lee.

The Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy, Dodd, Mead, NY. 1909. First U.S. Edition. $175.00

Queen’s Quorum and Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone title, titled The Old Man in the Corner in the U.K. An exceptionally fine, tight copy.

Soul Circus by George Pelecanos, Little Brown, Boston. 2003. First Edition. SIGNED. $24.95

Fine in dust jacket.

The Detective Short Story: A Bibliography by Ellery Queen, Little Brown, Boston. 1942. First Edition. SIGNED. $250.00

Important, pioneering reference work. Limited to only 1,000 copies. Signed on the title page by Queen. A fine copy in a fine, price-clipped dust jacket.

The Detective Short Story: A Bibliography by Ellery Queen, Biblio & Tannen, NY. 1969. Reprint. SIGNED. $100.00

First printing of this reprint edition, limited to 150 copies, numbered and signed by Queen. Very fine in a very fine price-clipped dust jacket.

Alphabet Hicks by Rex Stout, Farrar & Rinehart, NY. 1941. First Edition. $375.00

Publisher’s monogram on the copyright page. Very good-near fine in chipped dust jacket.

Where There’s a Will by Rex Stout, Farrar & Rinehart, NY. 1941. First Edition. $2,250.00

Endpapers foxed, a stain on one page, else an exceptionally bright and fresh copy in the scarce dust jacket, which is lightly worn at corners and spine tipos. A lovely collector’s copy.

The Broken Vase by Rex Stout, Grosset & Dunlap, NY. 1941. Reprint. $45.00

A Tecumseh Fox mystery. Very good in dust jacket.

The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout, Viking, NY. 1965. First Edition. $100.00

Fine in a near fine dust jacket.

Sally

sally@mysteriousbookshop.com