TBCL Electronic List

London: Hamish Hamilton, 1989 First Edition Signed by Isabel Allende with her characteristic flower. A fine copy in black cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a fine pictorial dustwrapper. 8vo. 272 pp. An engaging novel by this consummate story-teller. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

New York: Harper Collins, 1994 First Edition Signed by Isabel Allende with her characteristic flower. A fine copy in 1/4 red cloth over beige paper covered boards, gilt titles to the spine in a fine pictorial dustwrapper. 8vo. 330 pp. An exquisitely written memoir by this consummate story-teller. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

New York: Doubleday Doran/Crime Club, 1937 First Edition, preceding the British edition, of this Queen's Quorum title, collecting seven Campion cases. The Florence and Edward Kaye copy, their neat leather bookplate affixed to the front pastedown with Vincent Starrett's bookplate just above and Starrett's ownership signature to the half-title page. A near fine copy in black cloth, minor crease to the front and back board, red titles to the spine in a bright, fresh correctly priced pictorial dustwrapper with some old tape reinforcement on the verso. A handsome copy. 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: The Bodley Head, 1963 First Edition, second issue. A fine copy in rasberry-red cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a bright, fresh very good indeed pictorial dustwrapper with some light use. 8vo. 222 pp. A collection of true-crime pieces from the 1950's and 1960's with a classic Ambler take. "Ambler turns his sharp eye on film-writing, the pleasures of Maxim's, and there are lovely semifictional pieces on spies and spy-spotting. His new introduction has its share of graceful nuggets, too. Belongs on every fan's bookshelves". Publisher's Weekly. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: The Bodley Head, 1974 First Edition of this classic Eric Ambler thriller. A fine copy in blue cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a better than very good pictorial dustwrapper with some light overall use. 8vo. 250 pp. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1985 First Edition of this Edgar award-winning autobiography by ''the begetter of the modern thriller'', Julian Evans, The Guardian. A fine copy in blue cloth, silver titles to the spine in a near fine dustwrapper. 8vo. 234 pp. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: William Heinemann, 1959 First Edition of this classic Ambler thriller. A fine copy in black cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a better than very good pictorial dustwrapper with some light overall use. 8vo. 250 pp. A bright, fresh copy of this Gold Dagger winner.. 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: The Bodley Head, 1967 First Edition of the second book in Eric Ambler's unfinished trilogy, preceded by The Light of Day, featuring Arthur Abdel Simpson. A fine copy in brown cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a just about fine pictorial dustwrapper. 8vo. 210 pp. A bright copy of this Silver Dagger winner. Pronzini & Muller, 1001 Midnights. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: William Heinemann, 1956 First Edition of this classic Ambler thriller published in the United States as, State of Siege. A near fine copy in orange cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a near fine pictorial dustwrapper with some light overall use. 8vo. 233 pp. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1953 First Edition of this classic Ambler thriller. A near fine copy in orange patterned paper covered boards, black titles to the spine in a very good or better pictorial dustwrapper with some overall use. 8vo. 246 pp. . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Cape, (1965)., 1965 Uncorrected Proof. 8vo. Printed Wrappers. First Edition in the rare Proof State dw. The beginning of Amis's association with Cape & first photographic laminated dw. This proof dw is unlaminated and is printed "Proof only" with Provisional Publicatio n Date of October the 14th 1965. A fine copy in dw showing very light use. Unusual & very scarce.. 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

Toronto: Ryerson, 1946 Anderson, Patrick. THE WHITE CENTRE. Toronto: The Ryerson Press. (1946).  First Edition of Canadian poet and co-founder of Preview and Northern Review Patrick Anderson's second book. 8vo. 72 pp. A fine copy in white paper covered boards, red titles in a bright, fresh fine dustwrapper. Lovely example.$250.00. 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Virago Press, (1988)., 1988 First Edition. A lovely copy in the publisher's illustrated stiff card wraps. 8vo. 275 pp. Black and white authorial photographs throughout. An inciteful and revealing collection of interviews with two generations of women authors including Maya An gelou, Eudora Welty, Rosamond Lehmann, Grace Paley, Rebecca West et al.. 1st Edition. Soft cover. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, nd (1842 & 1847), 1847 First Edition. 12mo. Original boards, paper spine label with some rubbing. A very good copy with some foxing. Whip 456.. 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Brett Limited, 1890 DICK AND HIS FRIEND DUKE. A Tale Of Adventure In the Fiji Islands. London: Edwin J. Brett, Limited. n.d. [c.1890] 4to., 138pp. Half dark blue cloth over plain beige boards. Illustrated throughout. Original Illustrated front cover carefully backed & bound-in [some early sympathetic colour enhancement]. Complete. In very good antiquarian condition. [Brett published Jack Harkaway in America, c. 1890] Penny Dreadful [Dime Novels were the American version] was a term applied to nineteenth century British fiction publications, usually lurid serial stories appearing in parts over a number of weeks, each part costing a penny. The term, however, soon came to encompass a variety of publications that featured cheap sensational fiction, such as story papers and booklet "libraries." The Penny Dreadfuls were printed on cheap pulp paper and were aimed primarily at teenage boys from the working class, though there is some evidence that many girls read them as well. Penny Parts The penny part stories got underway in the 1830s, originally as a cheaper alternative for the working class adults, but by the 1850s the serial stories were aimed exclusively at teenagers. The stories themselves were reprints or sometimes rewrites of Gothic thrillers such as The Monk or The Castle of Otranto , as well as new stories about famous criminals. Some of the most famous of these penny part stories were The String of Pearls (which ostensibly introduced Sweeney Todd), The Mysteries of London (inspired by the French serial, The Mysteries of Paris) and Varney the Vampire. Highwaymen were popular heroes. Black Bess or the Knight of the Road, outlining the largely imaginary exploits of real-life highwayman Dick Turpin, continued for 254 episodes. Working class boys who could not afford a penny a week often formed clubs that would share the cost, passing the flimsy booklets from reader to reader. Other enterprising youngsters would collect a number of consecutive parts, then rent the volume out to friends. Penny Dreadfuls In 1866, Boys of England was introduced as a new type of publication, an eight page magazine that featured serial stories as well as articles and shorts of interests. It was printed on the same cheap paper, though sporting a larger format than the penny parts. Numerous competitors quickly followed, with such titles as Boy’s Leisure Hour, Boys Standard, Young Men of Great Britain, etc. As the price and quality of fiction was the same, these storypapers also fell under the general definition of Penny Dreadfuls (also known as Penny Bloods or Blood and Thunders in their early days). American dime novels were edited and rewritten for a British audience. These appeared in booklet form, such as the Boy’s First Rate Pocket Library. Frank Reade, Buffalo Bill and Deadwood Dick were all popular with the Penny Dreadful audience. Half-penny Dreadful In the mid-1890s a publisher, Alfred Harmsworth, decided to do something about what was widely perceived as the corrupting influence of the Penny Dreadfuls. He issued new story papers, The Half-penny Marvel, The Union Jack and Pluck, all priced at one half-penny. At first the stories were high-minded, moral tales, reportedly based on true experiences, but it was not long before these papers started using the same kind of material as the publications they competed against. A.A. Milne once said, "Harmsworth killed the penny dreadful by the simple process of producing the ha’penny dreadfuller." Legacy Two phenomenally popular characters to come out of the "Penny Dreadfuls" were Jack Harkaway, introduced in the Boys of England in 1871, and Sexton Blake, who began in the Half-penny Marvel in 1893. Blake soon took over the lead spot in Union Jack and appeared in roughly 4,000 adventures, right up into the 1970s, a record only exceeded by Nick Carter and Dixon Hawke. Harkaway was also popular in America , and had many imitators. Over time, the Penny Dreadfuls morphed into the British comic magazines. Owing to their cheap production, their perceived lack of value, and such hazards as war-time paper drives, the Penny Dreadfuls, particularly the earliest ones, are fairly rare today. A demon in the Terry Brooks novel Angel Fire East takes the name "Penny Dreadful" after seeing one of the novels. American experimental/indie artists Avey Tare and Panda Bear, members of the band Animal Collective, have a song named "Penny Dreadfuls" on their album Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished. A metal band in the United States has used the name "The Penny Dreadfuls" and do songs based on some of the stories from old penny pages. British folk metal band Skyclad have a track named "Penny Dreadful" on their 1996 album Irrational Anthems. ............"With one bound Jack was free" became the archetypal phrase writers used to release their hero/heroine from an impossible situation, for example, hanging from a branch half-way down a cliff at the end of one installment (hence "cliff-hanger"). The phrase could also be in reference to Spring Heeled Jack, an urban legendary character further popularized in Penny Dreadfuls. Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers is a horror host show based out of New England that airs on cable access in several US states. The witch hostess, Penny Dreadful, is based on the name of the cheap paperbacks, as is her show, Shilling Shockers (which were publications similar to penny dreadfuls and available in the early 19th century). The Penny Dreadful Players is the oldest student-run theatre group at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. They perform 8-10 shows a year for hundreds of students and community members. Further reading Anglo, Michael Penny Dreadfuls and Other Victorian Horrors Haining, Peter Penny Dreadfuls Penny Dreadfuls and Comics, catalogue of exhibition, Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood Turner, Ernest Sackville Boys Will be Boys (survey of penny dreadfuls up until the 1960s), ISBN 0-810-34091-7 Derivative works Penny Dreadfuls have been the subject of other cultural works. Some include: Dave Sim's award-winning independent comic book Cerebus the Aardvark featured Penny Dreadfuls written by the main character Cerebus at the behest of Weisshaupt in the Church & State I issues of the series. See also Dime novel, Gothic novel, Story paper, Pulp magazine, History of the British Comic - [Source Wikipedia] . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1904 TRUE BLUE LIBRARY. [Published Weekly]. 4to., 32 pages per issue. THE RIVAL HALVES OF PODGER'S SCHOOL plus 11 other titles. London : Aldine Publishing Co., 1904. 4to., tan cloth backed untitled plain beige boards. Original coloured wrappers bound-in. Illustrated throughout in black & white. A run of 12 isssues: Nos 263, 264, 265, 267, 268, 270, 271, 276, 277, 278, 282, 286. In very good antiquarian condition. TRUE BLUE weekly magazine was published for boys just prior to the turn of the 19th century & featured one complete & patriotic adventure story per issue set. Intended to celebrate Britain 's glorious national past in a creative range of historical periods, each issue had a full colour illustrated themed wrapper, with black & white drawings inside. Each issue generally ran 32 pages. Extremely popular in their day, these junior magazines had a lengthy run waning only as alternative forms of entertainments gradually took over their audience's attention. Penny Dreadful [Dime Novels were the American version] was a term applied to nineteenth century British fiction publications, usually lurid serial stories appearing in parts over a number of weeks, each part costing a penny. The term, however, soon came to encompass a variety of publications that featured cheap sensational fiction, such as story papers and booklet "libraries." The Penny Dreadfuls were printed on cheap pulp paper and were aimed primarily at teenage boys from the working class, though there is some evidence that many girls read them as well. Penny Parts The penny part stories got underway in the 1830s, originally as a cheaper alternative for the working class adults, but by the 1850s the serial stories were aimed exclusively at teenagers. The stories themselves were reprints or sometimes rewrites of Gothic thrillers such as The Monk or The Castle of Otranto , as well as new stories about famous criminals. Some of the most famous of these penny part stories were The String of Pearls (which ostensibly introduced Sweeney Todd), The Mysteries of London (inspired by the French serial, The Mysteries of Paris) and Varney the Vampire. Highwaymen were popular heroes. Black Bess or the Knight of the Road, outlining the largely imaginary exploits of real-life highwayman Dick Turpin, continued for 254 episodes. Working class boys who could not afford a penny a week often formed clubs that would share the cost, passing the flimsy booklets from reader to reader. Other enterprising youngsters would collect a number of consecutive parts, then rent the volume out to friends. Penny Dreadfuls In 1866, Boys of England was introduced as a new type of publication, an eight page magazine that featured serial stories as well as articles and shorts of interests. It was printed on the same cheap paper, though sporting a larger format than the penny parts. Numerous competitors quickly followed, with such titles as Boy’s Leisure Hour, Boys Standard, Young Men of Great Britain, etc. As the price and quality of fiction was the same, these storypapers also fell under the general definition of Penny Dreadfuls (also known as Penny Bloods or Blood and Thunders in their early days). American dime novels were edited and rewritten for a British audience. These appeared in booklet form, such as the Boy’s First Rate Pocket Library. Frank Reade, Buffalo Bill and Deadwood Dick were all popular with the Penny Dreadful audience. Half-penny Dreadful In the mid-1890s a publisher, Alfred Harmsworth, decided to do something about what was widely perceived as the corrupting influence of the Penny Dreadfuls. He issued new story papers, The Half-penny Marvel, The Union Jack and Pluck, all priced at one half-penny. At first the stories were high-minded, moral tales, reportedly based on true experiences, but it was not long before these papers started using the same kind of material as the publications they competed against. A.A. Milne once said, "Harmsworth killed the penny dreadful by the simple process of producing the ha’penny dreadfuller." Legacy Two phenomenally popular characters to come out of the "Penny Dreadfuls" were Jack Harkaway, introduced in the Boys of England in 1871, and Sexton Blake, who began in the Half-penny Marvel in 1893. Blake soon took over the lead spot in Union Jack and appeared in roughly 4,000 adventures, right up into the 1970s, a record only exceeded by Nick Carter and Dixon Hawke. Harkaway was also popular in America , and had many imitators. Over time, the Penny Dreadfuls morphed into the British comic magazines. Owing to their cheap production, their perceived lack of value, and such hazards as war-time paper drives, the Penny Dreadfuls, particularly the earliest ones, are fairly rare today. A demon in the Terry Brooks novel Angel Fire East takes the name "Penny Dreadful" after seeing one of the novels. American experimental/indie artists Avey Tare and Panda Bear, members of the band Animal Collective, have a song named "Penny Dreadfuls" on their album Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished. A metal band in the United States has used the name "The Penny Dreadfuls" and do songs based on some of the stories from old penny pages. British folk metal band Skyclad have a track named "Penny Dreadful" on their 1996 album Irrational Anthems. ............"With one bound Jack was free" became the archetypal phrase writers used to release their hero/heroine from an impossible situation, for example, hanging from a branch half-way down a cliff at the end of one installment (hence "cliff-hanger"). The phrase could also be in reference to Spring Heeled Jack, an urban legendary character further popularized in Penny Dreadfuls. Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers is a horror host show based out of New England that airs on cable access in several US states. The witch hostess, Penny Dreadful, is based on the name of the cheap paperbacks, as is her show, Shilling Shockers (which were publications similar to penny dreadfuls and available in the early 19th century). The Penny Dreadful Players is the oldest student-run theatre group at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. They perform 8-10 shows a year for hundreds of students and community members. Further reading Anglo, Michael Penny Dreadfuls and Other Victorian Horrors Haining, Peter Penny Dreadfuls Penny Dreadfuls and Comics, catalogue of exhibition, Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood Turner, Ernest Sackville Boys Will be Boys (survey of penny dreadfuls up until the 1960s), ISBN 0-810-34091-7 Derivative works Penny Dreadfuls have been the subject of other cultural works. Some include: Dave Sim's award-winning independent comic book Cerebus the Aardvark featured Penny Dreadfuls written by the main character Cerebus at the behest of Weisshaupt in the Church & State I issues of the series. See also Dime novel, Gothic novel, Story paper, Pulp magazine, History of the British Comic - [Source Wikipedia] . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1900 TRUE BLUE LIBRARY. [Published Every Monday]. 4to., 32 pages per issue. THE SAUCY ARETHUSA plus 11 other titles. London: Aldine Publishing Co., [c.1900]. Blue cloth backed untitled plain tangerine boards. Original coloured wrappers bound-in. Illustrated throughout in black & white. A run of 12 issues: Nos 66, 85, 130, 141, 152, 159, 160, 171, 172, 190, 191, 193. In very good antiquarian condition. TRUE BLUE weekly magazine was published for boys just prior to the turn of the 19th century & featured one complete & patriotic adventure story per issue set. Intended to celebrate Britain 's glorious national past in a creative range of historical periods, each issue had a full colour illustrated themed wrapper, with black & white drawings inside. Each issue generally ran 32 pages. Extremely popular in their day, these junior magazines had a lengthy run waning only as alternative forms of entertainments gradually took over their audience's attention. Penny Dreadful [Dime Novels were the American version] was a term applied to nineteenth century British fiction publications, usually lurid serial stories appearing in parts over a number of weeks, each part costing a penny. The term, however, soon came to encompass a variety of publications that featured cheap sensational fiction, such as story papers and booklet "libraries." The Penny Dreadfuls were printed on cheap pulp paper and were aimed primarily at teenage boys from the working class, though there is some evidence that many girls read them as well. Penny Parts The penny part stories got underway in the 1830s, originally as a cheaper alternative for the working class adults, but by the 1850s the serial stories were aimed exclusively at teenagers. The stories themselves were reprints or sometimes rewrites of Gothic thrillers such as The Monk or The Castle of Otranto , as well as new stories about famous criminals. Some of the most famous of these penny part stories were The String of Pearls (which ostensibly introduced Sweeney Todd), The Mysteries of London (inspired by the French serial, The Mysteries of Paris) and Varney the Vampire. Highwaymen were popular heroes. Black Bess or the Knight of the Road, outlining the largely imaginary exploits of real-life highwayman Dick Turpin, continued for 254 episodes. Working class boys who could not afford a penny a week often formed clubs that would share the cost, passing the flimsy booklets from reader to reader. Other enterprising youngsters would collect a number of consecutive parts, then rent the volume out to friends. Penny Dreadfuls In 1866, Boys of England was introduced as a new type of publication, an eight page magazine that featured serial stories as well as articles and shorts of interests. It was printed on the same cheap paper, though sporting a larger format than the penny parts. Numerous competitors quickly followed, with such titles as Boy’s Leisure Hour, Boys Standard, Young Men of Great Britain, etc. As the price and quality of fiction was the same, these storypapers also fell under the general definition of Penny Dreadfuls (also known as Penny Bloods or Blood and Thunders in their early days). American dime novels were edited and rewritten for a British audience. These appeared in booklet form, such as the Boy’s First Rate Pocket Library. Frank Reade, Buffalo Bill and Deadwood Dick were all popular with the Penny Dreadful audience. Half-penny Dreadful In the mid-1890s a publisher, Alfred Harmsworth, decided to do something about what was widely perceived as the corrupting influence of the Penny Dreadfuls. He issued new story papers, The Half-penny Marvel, The Union Jack and Pluck, all priced at one half-penny. At first the stories were high-minded, moral tales, reportedly based on true experiences, but it was not long before these papers started using the same kind of material as the publications they competed against. A.A. Milne once said, "Harmsworth killed the penny dreadful by the simple process of producing the ha’penny dreadfuller." Legacy Two phenomenally popular characters to come out of the "Penny Dreadfuls" were Jack Harkaway, introduced in the Boys of England in 1871, and Sexton Blake, who began in the Half-penny Marvel in 1893. Blake soon took over the lead spot in Union Jack and appeared in roughly 4,000 adventures, right up into the 1970s, a record only exceeded by Nick Carter and Dixon Hawke. Harkaway was also popular in America , and had many imitators. Over time, the Penny Dreadfuls morphed into the British comic magazines. Owing to their cheap production, their perceived lack of value, and such hazards as war-time paper drives, the Penny Dreadfuls, particularly the earliest ones, are fairly rare today. A demon in the Terry Brooks novel Angel Fire East takes the name "Penny Dreadful" after seeing one of the novels. American experimental/indie artists Avey Tare and Panda Bear, members of the band Animal Collective, have a song named "Penny Dreadfuls" on their album Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished. A metal band in the United States has used the name "The Penny Dreadfuls" and do songs based on some of the stories from old penny pages. British folk metal band Skyclad have a track named "Penny Dreadful" on their 1996 album Irrational Anthems. ............"With one bound Jack was free" became the archetypal phrase writers used to release their hero/heroine from an impossible situation, for example, hanging from a branch half-way down a cliff at the end of one installment (hence "cliff-hanger"). The phrase could also be in reference to Spring Heeled Jack, an urban legendary character further popularized in Penny Dreadfuls. Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers is a horror host show based out of New England that airs on cable access in several US states. The witch hostess, Penny Dreadful, is based on the name of the cheap paperbacks, as is her show, Shilling Shockers (which were publications similar to penny dreadfuls and available in the early 19th century). The Penny Dreadful Players is the oldest student-run theatre group at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. They perform 8-10 shows a year for hundreds of students and community members. Further reading Anglo, Michael Penny Dreadfuls and Other Victorian Horrors Haining, Peter Penny Dreadfuls Penny Dreadfuls and Comics, catalogue of exhibition, Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood Turner, Ernest Sackville Boys Will be Boys (survey of penny dreadfuls up until the 1960s), ISBN 0-810-34091-7 Derivative works Penny Dreadfuls have been the subject of other cultural works. Some include: Dave Sim's award-winning independent comic book Cerebus the Aardvark featured Penny Dreadfuls written by the main character Cerebus at the behest of Weisshaupt in the Church & State I issues of the series. See also Dime novel, Gothic novel, Story paper, Pulp magazine, History of the British Comic - [Source Wikipedia] . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Aldine Publishing Co., 1903 TRUE BLUE LIBRARY. [Published Every Saturday]. ** 32 pages per issue. THE HUG OF THE BEAR plus 11 other titles. A Story Of Russian Despots. London: Aldine Publishing Co., [c. 1903]. 4to., blue cloth backed untitled plain beige boards. Original coloured wrappers bound-in. Illustrated throughout in black & white. A run of 12 issues: Nos 222, 223, 230, 231, 232, 243, 245, 247, 249, 259, 260, 261, 262. In very good antiquarian condition. TRUE BLUE weekly magazine was published for boys just prior to the turn of the 19th century & featured one complete & patriotic adventure story per issue set. Intended to celebrate Britain 's glorious national past in a creative range of historical periods, each issue had a full colour illustrated themed wrapper, with black & white drawings inside. Each issue generally ran 32 pages. Extremely popular in their day, these junior magazines had a lengthy run waning only as alternative forms of entertainments gradually took over their audience's attention. Penny Dreadful [Dime Novels were the American version] was a term applied to nineteenth century British fiction publications, usually lurid serial stories appearing in parts over a number of weeks, each part costing a penny. The term, however, soon came to encompass a variety of publications that featured cheap sensational fiction, such as story papers and booklet "libraries." The Penny Dreadfuls were printed on cheap pulp paper and were aimed primarily at teenage boys from the working class, though there is some evidence that many girls read them as well. Penny Parts The penny part stories got underway in the 1830s, originally as a cheaper alternative for the working class adults, but by the 1850s the serial stories were aimed exclusively at teenagers. The stories themselves were reprints or sometimes rewrites of Gothic thrillers such as The Monk or The Castle of Otranto , as well as new stories about famous criminals. Some of the most famous of these penny part stories were The String of Pearls (which ostensibly introduced Sweeney Todd), The Mysteries of London (inspired by the French serial, The Mysteries of Paris) and Varney the Vampire. Highwaymen were popular heroes. Black Bess or the Knight of the Road, outlining the largely imaginary exploits of real-life highwayman Dick Turpin, continued for 254 episodes. Working class boys who could not afford a penny a week often formed clubs that would share the cost, passing the flimsy booklets from reader to reader. Other enterprising youngsters would collect a number of consecutive parts, then rent the volume out to friends. Penny Dreadfuls In 1866, Boys of England was introduced as a new type of publication, an eight page magazine that featured serial stories as well as articles and shorts of interests. It was printed on the same cheap paper, though sporting a larger format than the penny parts. Numerous competitors quickly followed, with such titles as Boy’s Leisure Hour, Boys Standard, Young Men of Great Britain, etc. As the price and quality of fiction was the same, these storypapers also fell under the general definition of Penny Dreadfuls (also known as Penny Bloods or Blood and Thunders in their early days). American dime novels were edited and rewritten for a British audience. These appeared in booklet form, such as the Boy’s First Rate Pocket Library. Frank Reade, Buffalo Bill and Deadwood Dick were all popular with the Penny Dreadful audience. Half-penny Dreadful In the mid-1890s a publisher, Alfred Harmsworth, decided to do something about what was widely perceived as the corrupting influence of the Penny Dreadfuls. He issued new story papers, The Half-penny Marvel, The Union Jack and Pluck, all priced at one half-penny. At first the stories were high-minded, moral tales, reportedly based on true experiences, but it was not long before these papers started using the same kind of material as the publications they competed against. A.A. Milne once said, "Harmsworth killed the penny dreadful by the simple process of producing the ha’penny dreadfuller." Legacy Two phenomenally popular characters to come out of the "Penny Dreadfuls" were Jack Harkaway, introduced in the Boys of England in 1871, and Sexton Blake, who began in the Half-penny Marvel in 1893. Blake soon took over the lead spot in Union Jack and appeared in roughly 4,000 adventures, right up into the 1970s, a record only exceeded by Nick Carter and Dixon Hawke. Harkaway was also popular in America , and had many imitators. Over time, the Penny Dreadfuls morphed into the British comic magazines. Owing to their cheap production, their perceived lack of value, and such hazards as war-time paper drives, the Penny Dreadfuls, particularly the earliest ones, are fairly rare today. A demon in the Terry Brooks novel Angel Fire East takes the name "Penny Dreadful" after seeing one of the novels. American experimental/indie artists Avey Tare and Panda Bear, members of the band Animal Collective, have a song named "Penny Dreadfuls" on their album Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished. A metal band in the United States has used the name "The Penny Dreadfuls" and do songs based on some of the stories from old penny pages. British folk metal band Skyclad have a track named "Penny Dreadful" on their 1996 album Irrational Anthems. ............"With one bound Jack was free" became the archetypal phrase writers used to release their hero/heroine from an impossible situation, for example, hanging from a branch half-way down a cliff at the end of one installment (hence "cliff-hanger"). The phrase could also be in reference to Spring Heeled Jack, an urban legendary character further popularized in Penny Dreadfuls. Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers is a horror host show based out of New England that airs on cable access in several US states. The witch hostess, Penny Dreadful, is based on the name of the cheap paperbacks, as is her show, Shilling Shockers (which were publications similar to penny dreadfuls and available in the early 19th century). The Penny Dreadful Players is the oldest student-run theatre group at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. They perform 8-10 shows a year for hundreds of students and community members. Further reading Anglo, Michael Penny Dreadfuls and Other Victorian Horrors Haining, Peter Penny Dreadfuls Penny Dreadfuls and Comics, catalogue of exhibition, Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood Turner, Ernest Sackville Boys Will be Boys (survey of penny dreadfuls up until the 1960s), ISBN 0-810-34091-7 Derivative works Penny Dreadfuls have been the subject of other cultural works. Some include: Dave Sim's award-winning independent comic book Cerebus the Aardvark featured Penny Dreadfuls written by the main character Cerebus at the behest of Weisshaupt in the Church & State I issues of the series. See also Dime novel, Gothic novel, Story paper, Pulp magazine, History of the British Comic - [Source Wikipedia] . 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

London: Faber & Faber, (1961)., 1961 First Edition. 8vo. A fine copy ( neat owner's name on ffe in pc dustwrapper. Twenty two stories by postwar Australian writers including: Peter Cowan, Desmond O'Grady, Geoffrey Dutton, Hal Porter, Ray Methuen & Judith Wright.. 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1984 First edition. 8vo., pp. 231, Gilt spine lettered navy cloth backed light blue paper covered boards. A fine copy in dustwrapper.. 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

New York: Coward-McCann, 1946 First Edition of this Haycraft-Queen cornerstone title by this prolific Edgar Award winning crime novelist. 8vo. 217 pp. A fine copy in navy cloth, (the Florence and Edward Kaye copy with their neat leather bookplate affixed to the front pastedown), gilt titles to the spine in a bright, fresh very good indeed pictorial dustwrapper with some edgewear, closed tears and minor chipping to the back panel. Adapted into film with Claude Rains, Audrey Totter and Joan Caulfield. Noted in Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward's, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style.. 1st Edition. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

New York: Frederick Unger, (1972)., 1972 Inscribed First Edition. Small 8vo. Near fine in near fine dustwrapper.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

Offered by TBCL The Book Collector's Library (Canada)

New Haven: Yale University Press, 1956. First Edition Inscribed by Ashbery on the front endpaper. A fine, fresh copy in black cloth, gilt titles to the spine in a near fine correctly priced pictorial dustwrapper [one tiny chip at the top margin of the back panel] of Ashbery's highly regarded and uncommon first book consisting of 35 poems. Nicely Inscribed and dated 'John', 11/4/66 Signed to his friend, Arthur A. Cohen, publisher, writer and himself a bibliophile. A handsome copy. With a foreword by W. H. Auden.. Signed by Author. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. more information

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New York: E.P. Dutton, 1970 Ashbery, John. THE DOUBLE DREAM OF SPRING. Inscribed. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1970. First Edition Inscribed and dated in the year of publication by Ashbery on the ffe. to Howard Moss, long-time Poetry Editor at the New Yorker magazine. A near fine copy in the original 1/4 black cloth over green cloth covered boards, gilt lettering on the spine in a near fine dustwrapper. 8vo. 95 pp. Includes the poet's, Sunrise In Suburbia, For John Clare and The Bungalows. An Excellent Association Copy indeed. $1450. 1st Edition. more information

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New York: Gnome Press 1951-1953, 1957 Beautiful Clamshell Trilogy Bookcase. [Not with Books] Hand-Crafted by our conservation team, each box has a gilt-stamped burgundy leather spine title piece, & features an embossed / 'sculpted' upper cover Nebula design. Each box is finished inside & out in gilt decorated fine black cloth & dark grey Nuba® - a fine, supple & durable covering with a neutral ph, that has the feel of velvety soft Italian Nubuck® leather. The box is perfectly sized to accommodate the first editions in their dustwrappers. Protect your investment. A Terrific Collector's Custom Case for an important set. Web Site photo/link available for dozens of generally in-stock titles. Custom Craft available.. Custom Clamshell Case. more information

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London: Turnstile Press, 1951., 1951 First edition. 8vo vii,192pp. A very good copy without dustwrapper but with the pocket chess bound on to the rear pastedown intact. From the distinguished library of Maurice Fox, several times Canadian Chess Champion, with his signature & date; & with prize inscription to Fox on the ffe from the Montreal Chess League 1953-54, ."for Highest score in any board in Class A Team Championship. Score 7-0 1st Board. 'En Passant Chess.Club'". A very neat copy.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. more information

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London: Collins, , 1987 First Edition, second impression Inscribed by the author on the half-title page. A near fine copy, (minor bump at the crown of the spine), in blue cloth, silver titles to the spine in a bright, fresh, price-clipped pictorial dustwrapper. 8vo. 240 pp. Map eps. Lovely colour plates throughout. A stunning book exploring the history of the Mediterranean. . 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Anansi Press, 1972 Usually considered the first edition, this issue is actually the second edition with the number 1 present on verso of title page, and the last number 73. Printed by T.H. Best, not Webb Offset. 8vo, 287 pp. This copy is neatly iscribed by Atwood on t he title page. Fine in the publisher's original black cloth covered boards stamped red on the spine in a near fine - very bright dustwrapper with three reviews on the back panel & showing two quite small chip at the top and minimal edgewear. A lovel y copy of this rather scarce hardcover of Atwood's important early offering of a witty and wholly unorthodox tour of Canadian literature.. 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Coach House Press, 1992 First Edition Signed by the author on the title-page. A lovely copy in the publisher's bright orange paper covered boards, black titles to the spine in a fine pictorial dustwrapper designed by Margaret Atwood. Small 8vo. 163 pp. A brilliant, witty and often ironic collection of short-pieces.. 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Contact Press, 1966 Atwood, Margaret. THE CIRCLE GAME. Toronto, Contact Press, 1966. 1 OF 200 Copies printed in wrappers with French flaps. Alan Walker's Copy. Inscribed by Atwood on the ffe.: "To Alan Walker / the president of the / Dracula Society / from / Margaret Atwood / 1967". In the late '50's, Alan Walker, Dennis Lee & Margaret Atwood formed a tight knit group at the University of Toronto, The Dracula Society being one of its handles. One of the earliest & most formative of literary associations, a most desirable copy of Atwood's first regularly published book. In fine condition. $11500.00 . 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1976 First Edition Inscribed by Margaret Atwood on the title-page. A fine copy in red cloth, gilt titles, in a bright, fresh pictorial dustwrapper with some light use at the extremities. 8vo. 345 pp. A stunning third novel by this highly acclaimed, award-winning Canadian woman of letters.. 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: House of Anansi, , 1967 Atwood, Margaret. THE CIRCLE GAME. Toronto: House of Anansi, 1967. The second edition overall preceded by the 1966 Contact Press first edition. 1 OF 100 HARDCOVER COPIES in silk screened white decorated & lettered black cloth in black cloth slipcase. Signed & numbered by Atwood with a neat presentation by the author on the title page. House of Anansi Press was founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and David Godfrey. $7500. 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Hawkshead Press, 1961 Atwood, Margaret. DOUBLE PERSEPHONE. Toronto: Hawkshead Press, [1961]. First Edition of the Author's Rare First Book published in a run of about 125 copies. White stiff printed wrappers. 12mo., 16pp. 7 poems. A very fine unblemished copy which won the E. J. Pratt Medal. $7500.00   . 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Key Porter Books, 1990 First Edition. [No American or British Editions]. A very fine copy in a like dustwrapper. Small 8vo. pp. 112. A deliciously biting compendium of satirical verse about Canada by some of Canada's finest writers. Pierre Berton, Robertson Davies, Dennis Lee, Charles Pachter, Tomson Highway, Susan Musgrave, Al Purdy and more.. 1st Edition. Illus. by AISLIN.. more information

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Toronto: Oxford University Press First Edition Signed by Margaret Atwood on the half-title in the year of publication. A fine copy in the publisher's pictorial stiff card wrappers, as issued. 8vo. 96 pp. A superb collection of the author's poetry, inclusive of her signature poem, You Are Happy. A paperback original.. 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: McClelland And Stewart Signed First Edition of Atwood's fourth novel. 8vo. Fine in a fine dustwrapper [neat previous owners signature]. A nice copy.. 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Pachter, 1965 Atwood, Margaret. KALEIDOSCOPES BAROQUE. A Poem by Margaret Atwood. Illustrated by Charles Pachter. Toronto: Pachter, January 1965. 12mo., 16pp. Plain nubby cloth binding, rich blue card endpapers. Lovely handmade paper stock by Pachter. 6 woodcuts by the artist who has signed & numbered the limitations page. 20 copies only produced. This is copy number 19. In addition to the present book, Pachter illustrated the original covers for several early & rare editions for Atwood including: Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein, Expeditions, What Was in the Garden?, The Circle Game & The Edible Woman. $4875.00   . 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Oxford University Press First Edition Signed by Margaret Atwood on the half-title. A fine copy in the publisher's pictorial stiff card wrappers, as issued. 8vo. 103 pp. A sterling collection of the author's poetry, inclusive of her signature poems, Notes Towards A Poem That Can Never Be Written, Variations On The Word Love, Variations On The Word Sleep and Small Poems For The Winter Solstice. A paperback original. . 1st Edition. more information

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Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992 First Edition. A fine copy in the publisher's black cloth covered boards, gilt lettering to the spine in a lovely pictorial dustwrapper. 4to. 256 pp. Superb colour illustrations throughout. Essays on reading, in celebration of the bi-centenary of W. H. Smith, Booksellers, by Jeanette Winterson, A.S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood, Doris Lessing, Hermione Lee, Stephen Spender, John Fowles, J.G. Ballard et al.. 1st Edition. more information

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New York: Marsilio, 1997 First Edition Signed by Paul Auster on the title-page. A fine copy in the publisher's pictorial stiff card wrappers. Auster's superbly intelligent and learned translations of Mallarme, Joseph Joubert, Andre Du Bouchet and Philippe Petit. 8vo. 407 pp. 1st Edition. more information

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New York: Sun, 1982., 1982 First Edition Signed by Auster on the title-page. Fine in the publisher's stiff card pictorial wrappers. 12mo. 173 pp.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Soft cover. more information

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New York: Henry Holt, (1997)., 1997 First Edition. Advance Reader's Copy Signed by the author on the title- page. Fine in the publisher's pictorial stiff card wrappers. 8vo. 449 pp. Auster's memoir of his early days as a struggling writer. With Laurel and Hardy Go to Heaven, Hide And Seek, Blackouts, Squeeze Play and Action Baseball.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Soft cover. more information

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New York: Viking. (1994)., 1994 First Edition. Advance Uncorrected Proof Signed by the author on the title-page. Fine in the publisher's pictorial stiff card wrappers. 8vo. 293 pp.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Soft cover. more information

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Barrytown: Station Hill Press, (1980)., 1980 First Edition. One of 1,000 cc. This copy Signed by Auster on the title-page but not numbered. Near fine in the publisher's pictorial stiff card wrappers. 16 pp.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Soft cover. more information

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New York: Viking (1989)., 1989 First Edition. A fine copy in 1/4 black cloth over gray paper covered boards, silver titles to the spine in a fresh, bright near fine pc. pictorial dustwrapper. 8vo. 307 pp.. 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

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Los Angeles: Sun & Moon Press, (1992)., 1992 First Edition Signed by Auster on the title-page. A fine copy in 1/4 green cloth over beige paper covered boards, gilt titles to the spine in a fine pictorial dustwrapper. 12mo. 312 pp.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

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New York: Henry Holt, (1997)., 1997 First Edition of publisher Henry Holt's tribute to Paul Auster, (not for public sale), Signed by Auster on the title-page. Illustrated by Frieder Blickle's blue-toned photographs of New York City. Slim 8vo. 97 pp. Fine in slate blue illustrated clot h, red titles to the spine and front panel. Without dustwrapper, as issued.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. more information

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New York: Miramax/Hyperion, (1995)., 1995 First Edition Signed by Auster on the title-page. A fine copy in pictorial stiff card wrappers portraying Harvey Keitel in his role as 'Auggie' Wren on the front and back covers. 8vo. 290 pp.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Soft cover. more information

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New York: Henry Holt, (1999)., 1999 First Edition Signed by Auster on the title-page. A fine copy in 1/4 black cloth over silver paper covered boards, gilt titles to the spine in a fine pictorial dustwrapper. Small 8vo. 181 pp. A deceptively simple story about a dog and his master. Quintessential Auster.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

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New York: Viking (1992)., 1992 First Edition Signed by the author on the title-page. A fine copy in 1/4 gray cloth over white paper covered boards, navy and white titles to the spine in a fine pictorial dustwrapper. 8vo. 275 pp.. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. Hardcover. more information

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