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The Red Thumb Mark

Lot 62
28.09.2023 13:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 8 190
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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Archive
ID 1016379
Lot 62 | The Red Thumb Mark
Estimate value
£ 4 000 – 6 000
The Red Thumb Mark

R. Austin Freeman

FREEMAN, R. Austin (1862-1943). The Red Thumb Mark. London: Collingwood Bros., [1907].



The author’s own copy of a landmark detective novel: first edition of the first appearance of forensic detective Dr. Thorndyke. A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. Dr. Thorndyke, who would appear in 21 novels and 40 short stories across 35 years, is described by Otto Penzler as ‘the greatest medico-legal detective of all time’, and his first appearance in The Red Thumb Mark sets the stage for the modern-day ubiquity of forensic science in detective fiction in literature and on screen. Freeman is known for the 'inverted' detective story, also called 'howcatchem,' where the reader is made aware of the culprit from the beginning, and subsequently follows the detective’s attempts at solving the case. This copy also bears the ownership inscription of Ellery Queen, a collective pseudonym for American cousins Daniel Nathan and Manford Lepowsky and one of the most important names in American mystery fiction.



Octavo. (Title and fore-edge lightly spotted.) Original black cloth, red thumbprint stamped on upper cover, lettered in white on spine and upper cover (lettering somewhat rubbed); glassine dust-jacket (slightly chipped). Provenance: R. Austin Freeman (‘author’s own copy’ inscribed on half-title in the same hand as the following:) – ‘Barnaby Ross’ and ‘Ellery Queen’ [both collective pseudonyms for Daniel Nathan and Manford Lepowsky] (ownership inscriptions on half-title) – sold Sotheby’s London, 17 December 2009, lot 108.

Place of origin:Northern Europe, Europe, United Kingdom
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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28.09.2023 – 28.09.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
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