A HAIR DIVIDES by Houghton, Claude - 1930

New. New Book; Fast Shipping from UK; Not signed; Not First Edition; The A Hair Divides (Valancourt 20th Century Classics).

Paperback / softback. New.

London: Thornton Butterworth, 1930. Hardcover (no jacket). First printing. Spine ends are lightly bumped; page block and first and last two or three pages are a little foxed. Very good for age. TS. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. Used.

Garden City NY: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc.. Very Good. 1931. 1st (U.S.) edition. Hardcover. (no dust jacket) [quite a decent copy, with light fraying to cloth at bottom corners, various scratches and abrasions to spine; front hinge weak but not split]. A psychological suspense novel, of sorts, about a man who accidentally kills his enemy, then spends the next twenty years or so fretting about: (a) getting away with "murder"; and (b) whether it actually was murder, since he didn't mean to do it -- at least not consciously. The narrative is divided into two sections: "London, 1910" and "London, 1930." The author was known for writing "metaphysical thrillers" with occasional supernatural elements. The American edition of this book seems to be considerably more uncommon than the true (British) first edition, published the previous year. .

[CLAUDE HOUGHTON OLDFIELD]. A HAIR DIVIDES. Thorton Butterworth Limited, London, 1930. First Edition. With original black cloth covers, red titles stamped on spine, title and author blind stamped on cover. Condition: Very Good. Appears barely read, mild soiling to cloth covers and hinges starting typical of vintage books of this age. All else excellent, covers are intact with no separation, all pages of text block generally very clean and near fine, all pages present with no tears or visible foxing. Lacking only dust jacket. Overall a very good plus copy. Not a ex-library, not a facsimile signature and not a reprint. Scarce signature by Claude Houghton on first endpaper. Neat inscriptions on pastedown and ffep next to autograph (possibly from author). Classic mystery pulp fiction from a talented and overlooked early twentieth century British author, scarce collectible. 284 pgs. [plus 2 pages publisher ads, recto/verso]. 8vo.

London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, 1930. First edition. 8vo, 283, [3]pp. Publisher's ads at rear. Signed by Houghton on the ffep. Publisher's black cloth stamped in blind and red in illustrated jacket by John Morton-Sale. Few smudges to boards, small pink stain to lower corner of final two blank pages else nearly fine. Jacket with light foxing to verso and flaps, similar pink stain to lower corner of rear panel and base of spine, else nicely preserved. Advertising card from the publisher laid in. Sharp signed copy of this psychological thriller from British writer, Claude Houghton Oldfield (1889-1961).  This book was published right on the heels of his most well known work, I Am Jonathan Scrivener, which remains quite influential and widely read today.   The jacket art by John Morton-Sale (1901-1990) on this title is particularly sinister and striking. Hubin pg 213..

London: Thornton Butterworth. 1930. First edition, first printing. First edition, first printing. Original black cloth with red titles to the spine and blind stamped titles to the upper board. In the dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the lightly toned contents, with two tiny marks to the text block edges, are otherwise clean throughout and without stamps or inscriptions. Complete with the the lightly rubbed dustwrapper that has some small nicks to the spine tips and hinges, and a 1 cm closed tear to the rear panel. An attractive example. A mystery novel. Claude Houghton was know for his ability to mix reality with mysticism and speculation. Hugh Walpole described him as "one of the most interesting and one of the most important novelists now writing in England". (Hubin) Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.

London: Thornton Butterworth. Near Fine in Very Good dust jacket. 1930. First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition Signed by Author. Near Fine black cloth with red title lettering on spine and title embossed on cover. Very Good Plus Dust Jacket with minor chipping at bottom of spine. Protected by Archival Plastic Cover. "A writer of metaphysical thrillers. A keen eye for human foibles, fine characterisation, and a strong suspense element give his books an outwardly naturalistic form: but this masks a deep interest in spiritual forces… Virtually all his books are permeated by his metaphysical ideas. Admired by Hugh Walpole, P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Miller and others, his work was widely acclaimed in the Thirties and Forties…His full name was Claude Houghton Oldfield." -A Guide to Metaphysical Fiction; Signed by Author(s) .

London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, 1930. First edition. 284, [2] ads pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Black cloth. Fine in pictorial dust jacket by J. M. Sale (spine panel darkened with minor chipping along top, else fine). First edition. 284, [2] ads pp. 1 vols. 8vo.

London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, [1930]., 1930. First edition. First edition. Signed by the author. Fine, bright, tight copy in a fine dust jacket. This is the story of a friendship between two unusual men. Its tragic culmination provides not only a study in fear but a mystery in terms of motives, which elevates the book to a lofty level rarely attained by most stories. The first part of the book is set in 1910, and the second part in 1930, and the story bridges the most critical epoch in the history of England. The author presents not only two different time periods, but two different worlds, where episode after episode reveals the dramatic transition from the solidity of 1910 to the chaotic possibilities of 1930. An exceptional copy.