Background For Murder by Smith, Shelley - 1942

Gerald G Swan, London, 1942. First Edition. Hardcover. Good/No Jacket. 223 pages (complete). Shelley Smith was the pen-name of Nancy Bodington. This was her first crime novel. Printed according to wartime economy standards. The cover has some patient wear and scuffing. The pages have tanning about the edges. There is some very light wear. Other than this the pages are assured, clean, clear, companionable and competent. fk. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services.

London: Gerald Swan, 1942. First Edition. Hard Cover. Dust Jacket. First UK Edition. 223 pages. Publisher's blue boards with gilt spine lettering with title, author and publisher's logo blind-stamped to the front board. Shelley Smith was the pen-name of Nancy Bodington. This was her first crime novel. Printed according to wartime economy standards. The boards are bright, clean and un-faded. Internally the pages are tanned (due to the poor quality of paper used). No inscriptions. The dustwrapper is priced 5s net to the inside flap (as called for). The dustwrapper is VG indeed with a 3.5 cm closed tear at the bottom right-hand corner of the front panel adjacent to the front fold-over. Background for Murder is a classic whodunit and stark exposé of human horror in the tangled worlds of sanity and insanity. The novel features private investigator Jacob Chaos looking into the murder of the head of a psychiatric hospital. Photographs/scans available upon request.