The Corpse on the Bridge

N.Y.: McKinlay, Stone, and Mackenzie, 1928 Book. Illus. by Front. Drawing. Good Plus to Very Good. Hardcover. Fourth Printing. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Original red cloth on boards. A funny thing happened in the bookstore. I saw the previous owner's name scrawled in pencil and judged him to be of low-average intelligence. I wondered what had led him to buy this book, and to read it, presumably. I've told lots of people that I never read fiction since there are so many non-fiction books I want to read in the limited time I have allowed in my schedule. Out of pure curiosity I started to read, and soon came to the term, "costermonger." Since I didn't know the term, I told myself I might look it up later. The author then described Gilmartin, the detective protagonist, as "indolent," but "capable of extraordinary spurts of energy." I began to feel sorry for him because he was late, and pictured him as a roly-poly huffer-puffer about to face a dressing-down, or worse. "A tall, handsome Irishman was Gilmartin" brought me to my senses, and I continued to read. Somewhere about page 75 it was time to close the shop. I shut the book and tossed it back onto the pile to be uploaded. I still don't know what a costermonger is, but I'm re-thinking my former approach to fiction. This book has minor wear at cover foot, and has 270 pp..