THE MEMOIRS OF SOLAR PONS by Derleth, August - 1951

1933. BIGGERS, Earl Derr. THE HOUSE WITHOUT A KEY. [By the] Author of Seven Keys to Baldpate, etc...New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [c. 1930]. First Grosset and Dunlap Edition from first edition sheets. 8vo., red cloth, lettered in black, top-edge stained green. Slightly darkened just along the joints, with two negligible spots of faint soil to front board; minor offsetting to endpapers. Overall, a near fine, bright, tight copy, in a dust jacket with the same illustrations as the first printing, mildly darkened at the spine, and which bears a few small spots of damp, a two inch tear at the rear fold, and a small scuffed lacuna at mid-point; otherwise, the jacket shows minor chipping, nicking to the edges, with just slight soil & rubbing overall; the front panel illustration is still quite fresh and pleasing. The first edition of this title is almost impossible to obtain in collector's condition.

[Los Angeles: Universal Pictures], 30 June 1942.. [1],107 leaves. Quarto. Mimeographed typescript, printed on rectos only of salmon colored stock. Bradbound. Pencil name on title leaf ("Milton Feld," a Universal producer at the time), a few annotations in color pencil, very good or better. A first draft of this contribution to the Holmes screen canon. Released in April of 1943, SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON was directed by Roy William Neill, and starred Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The association of Lynn Riggs, the Oklahoma-born, part-Cherokee gay playwright and poet with this project is very interesting. It is one of at least two of the Universal Holmes titles that Riggs worked on, the other being an (until recently) uncredited revised draft of the screenplay for SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR (also dated 1942). Riggs is most widely known for his play, GREEN GROW THE LILACS, which was immensely popular as the musical adaptation, OKLAHOMA!, but little has been written about his years as… Read More

Fine unread book in a Fine clamshell box that has very tiny nick bottom edge front board – possibly a binding flaw; no jacket as issued. This is copy number 1 of 17 Collector's editions bound in simulated leather. These have an original Phil Parks B/W illustration from the book mounted on lid of box opposite the book. This copy, since it is number 1, has the first illustration. The front board has a color reproduction of a full-color Parks illustration of Haywood standing in front of Mickey's Trueblood Barbershop. Five Aaron Gunner short stories by Haywood, four of which have never appeared before. Introduction by Lawrence Block; Afterword by Jeffrey Deaver; illustrations by Phil Parks. This copy signed on the title page by Haywood, Block, Deaver, and Parks.

Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company / The Crime Club, 1930. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. Publisher's black cloth, front board and spine stamped in red. Top edge stained red. In the original price-clipped dust jacket. Binding is firm and bright, spine with light crease and spine ends slightly pushed. Dust jacket has vibrant colors with slightest wear to front corner tip. 289 pp. Dust jacket now in protective mylar cover. .

London: Macmillan And Co, 1942. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Good/Poor. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Exceptionally scarce 1st edition, 1st printing, of Crompton's entertaining - and in places quite dark - wartime novel. In general VG internal order with a spot or two to prelims, but otherwise clean and bright. Neat name and address in ink to front pastedown, dated 1943. Red cloth with bright gilt titling to spine a little bumped and lightly marked. Base of spine is lightly worn and faded. D/j, in removable protective sleeve, is heavily worn with numerous tears and loss to spine and edges of front panel. 8vo. 279pp

New York: Random House (1962).. First Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Signed by Westlake. A couple of minor bumps to boards. Dust jacket has a couple of tiny chips. The price is intact. Contents clean and tight. "My personal favorite of [Westlake's] hard-boiled period and, to my mind, the first book in which he found a voice that was uniquely his." - Lawrence Block

Portishead, Bristol: UK: Scorpion Press, 1991. 1st ed. A fine, unread copy, in clear protective jacket. Very scarce. ONLY 20 LETTERED DELUXE COPIES were produced for private distribution and were SIGNED BY BOTH GASH and H.R.F. KEATING who wrote the appreciation. This is LETTER "K". Features the likeable antiques trader Lovejoy. Cream leather with light pastel green marble paper sides, hubbed spine, green top edge and tan end papers. Laid in is a note on Scorpion Press letterhead describing the De Luxe Specifications : "The de luxe presentation copies are produced in small numbers as they are intended primarily for the use of the author, contributor, editor, publisher and others associated with the authors work. These books are given a letter rather than a number and are especially handsome, bound in goatskin rather than bonded leather with five raised bands. The spine blocking is horizontal because of the raised bands. In addition these books contain the signature of… Read More

Publisher’s lettered limited edition, Near Fine to Fine book with slight edge crease to middle of a couple pages around p. 150, tiny spot front page edges, and slight push top of spine, in a similar slipcase with slight shelf and edge wear; no dust jacket as issued. This is Hillerman’s completely out of series mystery. The story is about a man’s search for a relative, a missing grandchild,  that takes him into Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He has taken the liberty of naming the characters based upon his comrades in the 410 Infantry, C Company of WWII.
This is one of the very rare Harper lettered limited editions of which 26 were done for the last three limited titles produced by Harper (i.e., there were only 78 such lettered editions). The lettered limiteds were not for sale but were reserved for private distribution by the publisher and Hillerman. This copy originally belonged to dust jacket artist, Peter Thorpe. Thorpe did the jacket and slipcase designs for all the Harper Hillerman… Read More

[Los Angeles: Universal Pictures], 30 June 1942.. [1],107 leaves. Quarto. Mimeographed typescript, printed on rectos only of salmon colored stock. Bradbound. Pencil name on title leaf ("Milton Feld," a Universal producer at the time), a few annotations in color pencil, very good or better. A first draft of this contribution to the Holmes screen canon. Released in April of 1943, SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON was directed by Roy William Neill, and starred Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The association of Lynn Riggs, the Oklahoma-born, part-Cherokee gay playwright and poet with this project is very interesting. It is one of at least two of the Universal Holmes titles that Riggs worked on, the other being an (until recently) uncredited revised draft of the screenplay for SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR (also dated 1942). Riggs is most widely known for his play, GREEN GROW THE LILACS, which was immensely popular as the musical adaptation, OKLAHOMA!, but little has been written about his years as… Read More

Arlington Hts. Illinois: Dark Harvest, 1991. First Edition, so stated. This deluxe first edition is LIMITED to 26 individually SIGNED and LETTERED copies ( this being Letter "X"). Signed by F. Paul Wilson and Phil Parks on a special limitation page. Red boards in dust jacket with just a few tiny spots and unlike the limited edition the slipcase for the Lettered Edition is made of WOOD!. Beautiful. After vowing never to return, Kara Wade is back in New York City. She's come to claim the body of her twin sister Kelly, and to find out how she died. No secret as to the cause of death--a nearly nude, twelve-story plunge from a room in the Plaza Hotel--but Kara is determined to learn what led to that plunge. Enlisting the help of an old lover, now an NYPD detective, Kara delves into her sister's life. Startling and bizarre facts begin to surface. Instead of answers, Kara finds more questions. Who was the stranger Kelly became during the months prior to her death? What was behind… Read More