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Detective Fiction: 15 works

Lot 368
29.09.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 7 560
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1029019
Lot 368 | Detective Fiction: 15 works
Estimate value
£ 4 000 – 6 000
A group of fifteen volumes, comprising:

August W DERLETH (1909-1971). Three Who Died. A Judge Peck Mystery. New York: Loring & Mussey, 1935.
First edition, presentation copy to the American author H. P. Lovecraft. Derleth was to become Lovecraft’s literary executor after his death. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in black (corners faintly bumped); original dust-jacket (top edge and backstrip sunned, edges worn with short closed tears and chips restored). Provenance: Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937, American author of weird, science and fantasy fiction, most known for his creation of the fictional universe The Cthulhu Mythos; author’s presentation inscription to front free endpaper) — Ethel and Walter (later gift inscription to verso of front free endpaper).

GARDNER, Erle Stanley (1889-1970). The D. A. Calls It Murder. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1937.
First edition, presentation copy with endearing letter from the author to one of his readers. Octavo. Original black cloth, spine and upper cover lettered and decorated in red (board edges faintly marked, endpapers partially browned); original dust-jacket (lightly creased at edges, a few short closed tears and nicks, most repaired on verso with tape, backstrip sunned). Provenance: George W. Nilsson (authorial presentation inscription to front free endpaper) — tipped-in typed letter from author to Nilsson, with autograph signature — marginal annotation to p.5 and inscription to rear pastedown.

— The D. A. Goes to Trial. London: Cassell and Company Limited, 1941.
First UK edition. Octavo. Original red cloth, spine lettered in red on black ground (a few bumps to edges); original dust-jacket (lightly rubbed, lower panel lightly soiled).

KEELER, Harry Stephen (1890-1967). By Third Degree. London: Ward Lock & Co, 1948.
First UK edition, presentation copy, apparently to the author’s wife: ‘I need not tell you how much I love you […]’. First published in the US in 1941 as The Sharkskin Book. Octavo. Original brown cloth, spine lettered in black (endpapers browned); original dust-jacket priced 8/6 on front flap (lightly rubbed and nicked). Provenance: Hazel Goodwin (author’s wife; authorial presentation inscription to front free endpaper).

SPILLANE, Mickey (1918-2006). My Gun is Quick. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc., 1950.
First edition of the second Mike Hammer mystery, signed by the author. Octavo. Original grey cloth, spine and upper cover with titles and decoration stamped in red (top edge and spine ends sunned); original dust-jacket (slightly short, spotting to flaps).

— Vengeance is Mine! New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc., 1950.
First edition of the third Mike Hammer mystery, signed by the author. Octavo. Original blue cloth, decoration and titles to spine in gilt (extremities lightly rubbed, spine faded); original dust-jacket designed by Hoffman (lightly rubbed and frayed, a few splits and tears).

BABCOCK, Dwight V. (1909-1979). A Homicide for Hannah. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1941.
First edition, presentation copy to the editor of popular crime fiction magazine Black Mask: ‘To Captain Joe, Who is greatly responsible for whatever merit there is in this book'. Octavo. (Last four leaves unopened.) Original red cloth, upper cover and spine lettered and decorated in blue, top edge stained blue (headcap a little bruised, endpapers browned); original dust-jacket (lightly rubbed and spotted, faint creases to top edge of upper panel). Provenance: Joseph T. Shaw (editor and chief of periodical Black Mask, 1874-1952; authorial presentation inscription to front free endpaper).

KING, Rufus (1893-1966). Murder by the Clock. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company for The Crime Club, Inc., 1929.
First edition of the first Lieutenant Valcour mystery. A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. Octavo. Original black cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in red, with The Crime Club emblem stamped to upper cover (spine gently rolled, tiny stain to upper cover); original dust-jacket designed by E. McKnight Kauffer (short closed tears to edges and tiny chip to lower edge of upper panel, evenly sunned).

BOOTH, Christopher B. (fl. 1928). Killing Jazz. A Detective Story. New York: Chelsea House, 1928.
First edition. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in gilt (spine lightly rubbed, gilt somewhat oxidised); original dust-jacket (backstrip sunned with small chip to centre and nicks to ends).

STARRETT, Vincent (1886-1974). Dead Man Inside. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company for The Crime Club, Inc., 1931.
First edition, presentation copy to the author’s bibliographer. Octavo. (Small chip to half-title, lightly browned.) Original black boards, spine and upper cover with titles and upper cover with The Crime Club emblem in red, red endpapers with emblem repeated in white (spine ends just bruised); original dust-jacket (spine sunned, lightly rubbed and tanned, a few small tears and nicks); housed in modern black leather box. Provenance: Charles Honce (authorial presentation inscription to title).

MEADE, Dorothy Cole (1893-1979). The Shadow of a Hair. London: John Hamilton Limited, 1939.
First edition. Octavo. Original brown cloth, spine lettered in blue (spine lightly marked); original dust-jacket (creased, backstrip faded, lower panel soiled, repaired chip to upper flap, several other small chips and closed tears along edges, chip to foot of backstrip resulting in loss of a couple of letters of publisher’s name).

CONDÉ, Phillip (fl. c.1937). Death Takes the Joystick. London: Wright & Brown Ltd., 1937.
First edition of a ‘thrilling mystery of the air’. Octavo. 5pp. of publisher’s ads at end (light spotting). Original orange boards, spine lettered in black; original dust-jacket (some light creases, marks and a few short closed tears).

COHEN, Roy Octavus (1891–1959). Florian Slappey. New York: D. Appleton-Century Company Incorporated, 1938.
First edition. Octavo. (A few leaves with very light marginal spotting.) Original brown cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in black, top edge stained brown; original dust-jacket (the whole somewhat tanned, several short closed tears and nicks repaired with clear tape, brown tape residue on verso).

MARQUAND, John P. (1983-1960). It’s Loaded Mr Bauer. London: Robert Hale Limited, [1949].
First edition. Octavo. (Some spotting, small marginal tear, minor splits to textblock.) Original salmon cloth, spine lettered in gilt (slightly cocked, spine sunned); original price-clipped dust-jacket (lightly worn, with a few closed tears to top edge, paper strengthening to verso).

BRAND, Max [Frederick Schiller Faust] (1892-1944). Mystery Valley. London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1930.
First UK edition. Octavo. Four leaves of publisher’s ads at end (light occasional marginal soiling). Original blue cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in black (faintly rubbed, endpapers partially browned); original dust-jacket (lightly rubbed and soiled, minor tears to edges concentrated to the backstrip, some tape residue or staining on verso). Provenance: ownership inscription (front free endpaper).
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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