Bad Companions.

Edinburgh, Scotland W. Green and Son, 1930. Hardcover First Edition (1930), unstated. First Edition (1930), unstated. Good+: Shows moderate use. the binding shows leans slightly; moderate wear to the extremities; mild rubbing and a little faint soiling to the panels; foxing to the endpapers; the expected faint tanning to the text pages, due to aging; the binding remains secure; the text is clean. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, or labels. A good used copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing moderate wear and minor cosmetic imperfections. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (9 x 6.3 x 1.25 inches). 301 pages. Foreward by Hugh Walpole. Nine illustrations in black & white. Language: English. Weight: 30.3 ounces. Brown cloth over boards with gilt titles at the front panel and backstrip. First Edition (1930), unstated. Hardback: Lacks DJ. Scots and English crimes by a master story-teller. William Roughead (pronounced Ruff-head) (1870–1952) was a well-known Scottish lawyer and amateur criminologist, as well as an editor and essayist on "matters criminous". He was an important early practitioner of the modern "true crime" literary genre. According to Joyce Carol Oates: "Roughead's influence was enormous, and since his time "true crime" has become a crowded, flourishing field, though few writers of distinction have been drawn to it…. Roughead, much admired by Henry James, wrote in a style that combined intelligence, witty scepticism, and a flair for old-fashioned storytelling and moralising; his accounts of murder cases and trials have the advantage of being concise and pointed, like folk tales."[1] Perhaps Roughead's greatest achievement was his analysis of Oscar Slater's trial for the murder of the Glasgow spinster Marion Gilchrist in 1908. Roughead assisted Arthur Conan Doyle, Craigie Aitchison and William Park for nearly 20 years exposing weaknesses in the Crown's case and indeed he was cited as a witness in the 1928 appeal.