High Window, The by Chandler, Raymond - 1942

Portishead, Bristol: UK: Scorpion Press, 1991. 1st ed. A fine, unread copy, in clear protective jacket. Very scarce. ONLY 20 LETTERED DELUXE COPIES were produced for private distribution and were SIGNED BY BOTH GASH and H.R.F. KEATING who wrote the appreciation. This is LETTER "K". Features the likeable antiques trader Lovejoy. Cream leather with light pastel green marble paper sides, hubbed spine, green top edge and tan end papers. Laid in is a note on Scorpion Press letterhead describing the De Luxe Specifications : "The de luxe presentation copies are produced in small numbers as they are intended primarily for the use of the author, contributor, editor, publisher and others associated with the authors work. These books are given a letter rather than a number and are especially handsome, bound in goatskin rather than bonded leather with five raised bands. The spine blocking is horizontal because of the raised bands. In addition these books contain the signature of… Read More

Blakeney, Glos: England: Scorpion Press, 1998. 1st ed. A fine, unread copy. With an appreciation by Carol O'Connell. Only 16 LETTERED DELUXE COPIES were produced for private distribution and were SIGNED by both RENDELL and CAROL O'CONNELL. THIS IS LETTER "K". Very fine in green goatskin with five raised bands, with green patterned marble paper sides with green top edge and green end papers in transparent dust wrapper. Laid in is a note typed on Scorpion Press letterhead describing the De Luxe Specifications : "The de luxe presentation copies are produced in small numbers as they are intended primarily for the use of the author, contributor, editor, publisher and others associated with the authors work. These books are given a letter rather than a number and are especially handsome, bound in goatskin rather than bonded leather with five raised bands. The spine blocking is horizontal because of the raised bands. In addition these books contain the signature of the… Read More

1947 E.P. Dutton Stated TRUE FIRST EDITION of Spillane's 1st mystery with a **SIGNED** CARD of Mickey Spillane tipped in.
A VeryGood+ Hardback and VeryGood+ Dustjacket:
The HB is very clean and tight with the only real wear being some small chips at the spine ends and tiny bumps at the corners.
It is wrapped in a Facsimile DJ also in VG+ condition with almost no wear or marks as well. A VERY RARE COLLECTIBLE!
**BONUS** Also receive a Signet paperback of another early book, The Long Wait in Good condition.
***Brenbooks specializes in first edition mysteries, many signed***

New York: Smith & Durrell, 1941. First Printing . Red Cloth, Gilt. Near Fine Book/Very Good + DJ. 309 Pp. Gothic Novel By G.M. V. Long, Nee Campbell, (1886 Or 1888-1952), Who Wrote 156 Books Under Pseudonyms Including Marjorie Bowen, Robert Payne, Mrs. Arthur Long, Margaret Campbell, Gabriella Margaret Long, George Preddy, John Winch, And Joseph Shearing. Imdb States That The 1947 Movie "Moss Rose", Was Based On This Novel, Credited As Written By This Author (As Joseph Shearing). Book Is Clean And Bright, No Names Or Marks, Spine Gilt Brilliant. Dj Lightly Used, No Fading, Not Price-Clipped [$2.00], Light Wear Along Top And Bottom Edges Of Spine And At Tips, A Few Tiny Edge Chips, Largest Is 1/8" X 1/8" At Upper Front Tip. Scarce.

Ultramarine Press, 1988. First. Hardbound. a fine bright as issued. here offered is copy letter "E". one of 10 lettered copies signed by Willeford and finely bound in full leather by Denis Gouey. 245 pp.

London: Macmillan, 1977. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/fine. A very nice copy of the first Brother Cadfael novel. In this book Edith Pargeter combined her excellent historical novel abilities with her nom-de-plume Ellis Peters' well-constructed mysteries and started the boom in historical mysteries that continues to this day. There are many earlier examples of the form, but this is where it takes off and becomes a major publishing category. Historically important, well written, and a scarce book to find in nice condition. This copy has a previous owner's minuscule inscription on the front free endpaper (signature and date of 10 Dec 77, and the cryptic notation "F.E." indicating it was purchased through British bookseller Francis Edwards Ltd.), and very slight bumping to the spine, both head and tail, creasing the jacket slightly. The jacket is unclipped, and the book was not read more than once or twice. A nice copy of a cornerstone volume. Any photo attached to my listings are of the actual… Read More

NY: Alfred Knopf, 1939. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Good/Fair. 1939 Knopf Stated First edition in G+/Fair condition. A classic and very rare true first with a first state DJ! The HB is missing it's ffep and a small square from the rear end paper. The book is unmarked and clean with only minor edge and corner wear. There is a bookseller stamp on the inside board. The unclipped DJ shows a price of $ 2.00 and still has bright coloring. The rear cover is missing a large "V" affecting Ambler's picture and part of the top 1/2 of text. There is wear and minor paper loss at the corners. edges and spine ends. However despite these flaws a solid copy of this elusive mystery!

NY: Morrow, 1932. First edition. Hard cover in original cloth. Author's scarce first book. Published NY: William Morrow Company, 1932, first printing. 8vo., 266pp., purple cloth with yellow titles. Spine and cover edges sunned, pastedowns and a few pages have mild foxing, else clean and bright. Very good. Only eight copies in WorldCat. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo.

320 pages. Small octavo (7 1/2" x 5 1/4") bound in original publisher's maroon with silver lettering to spine in original pictorial jacket. Jacket design by Fritz Wegner. (Bruccoli A10.1.a.) First edition, first printing. The English edition preceded the American by a few months.Critics and writers, ranging from W. H. Auden to Evelyn Waugh to Ian Fleming, greatly admired the finely wrought prose of Raymond Chandler. Although his swift-moving, hardboiled style was inspired mostly by Dashiell Hammett, his sharp and lyrical similes are original: "The muzzle of the Luger looked like the mouth of the Second Street tunnel"; "The minutes went by on tiptoe, with their fingers to their lips", defining private eye fiction genre, and leading to the coining of the adjective 'Chandleresque', which is subject and object of parody and pastiche. Yet, Philip Marlowe is not a stereotypical tough guy, but a complex, sometimes sentimental man of few friends, who attended university, speaks some Spanish and, at times,… Read More

x+533 pages. Octavo (8 1/4" x 5 3/4") bound in original publisher's beige cloth with brown lettering to spine and cover in original pictorial jacket.The Simple Art of Murder is hard-boiled detective fiction author Raymond Chandler's critical essay, a magazine article, and his collection of short stories. The essay was first published in The Atlantic Monthly in December 1944. The magazine article appeared in the Saturday Review of Literature, April 15, 1950. The article, somewhat rewritten, served to introduce the collection The Simple Art of Murder, 1950 (Houghton Mifflin Co.), which contained eight of Chandler's early stories pre-dating his first novel, The Big Sleep. The essay is considered a seminal piece of literary criticism. Although Chandler's primary topic is the art (and failings) of detective fiction, he touches on general literature and modern society as well. Chandler reserves his praise for Dashiell Hammett. Although Chandler and Hammett were contemporaries and grouped as the founders of… Read More