The Bishop Murder Case: A Philo Vance Story

viii+349+[3 ad] pages with illustrations one folding. Small octavo (7 1/2" x 5 1/2") bound in original publisher's black cloth with Art-Deco style printing in blue lettering to spine and cover with "Scribner's seal" appearing at the bottom of the copyright page and same year is listed to title and copyright page in original jacket which the index card is printed with a teal background. Early photograph of the author laid in. (Firsts, volume 14, Number 9 page 29) First edition Inscribed by the author and dated 1929.

The Bishop Murder Case is not as common and The Green Murder Case. The fourth title in the series.

The Bishop Murder Case (1928) is the fourth in a series of mystery novels by S. S. Van Dine about fictional detective Philo Vance The detective solves a mystery built around a nursery rhyme. The Bishop Murder Case is believed to be the first nursery-rhyme mystery book.

The story involves a series of murders taking place in a wealthy neighborhood of New York City. The first murder, of a Mr. Joseph Cochrane Robin, who is found pierced by an arrow, is accompanied by a note signed "The Bishop", with an extract from the nursery rhyme, "Who Killed Cock Robin". This crime takes place at the home of an elderly physicist with a beautiful young ward and a private archery range. District Attorney Markham finds the circumstances so unusual that he asks his friend Philo Vance to advise upon the psychological aspects of the crime. Further murders connected with the physicist's family and neighbours are accompanied with similar extracts from Mother Goose, such as the case of Johnny Sprigg, "who was shot through the middle of his wig, wig, wig." Midway through the book, an elderly woman confesses to the crimes, but this possibility is discounted by the police for physical reasons and by Philo Vance for psychological ones. Vance and the police luckily discover the kidnapping and confinement of a little Miss Moffatt before the child suffocates in the closet in which she has been locked. Vance finally realizes the significance of one character's pointed reference to The Pretenders, a play written by Henrik Ibsen; Bishop Arnesson of Oslo was a prominent character in the play. Vance arranges a spectacular finale in which the criminal is poisoned by a glass of liqueur which that person prepared for another suspect.

A film starring Basil Rathbone was made of The Bishop Murder Case in 1930. The film was an early "talkie" and lacks a music soundtrack.

Condition:

Inscription to front end paper. heal points rubbed and beginning to show. Jacket spine ends chipped, some closed edge tears, some rubbing to spine and hinges. Photograph corners torn not affecting the image else very good in a better than very good jacket with an early photograph of the author in good condition.