Mercenaries, The by Westlake, Donald E - 1960

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

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

New and unread. Beautiful book.Slight push to top of spine.Very rare signed...

1930. 1930 Riddell, John THE JOHN RIDDELL MURDER CASE: A PHILO VANCE PARODY NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1930 "A" first printing 323pp "Sporting Offer" seal neatly opened illus Miguel Covarrubias 8vo slight offsetting front epage, else fine bright copy in near fine d/w.

London: Macmillan, 1977. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/fine. A very nice copy of the first Brother Cadfael novel. In this book Edith Pargeter combined her excellent historical novel abilities with her nom-de-plume Ellis Peters' well-constructed mysteries and started the boom in historical mysteries that continues to this day. There are many earlier examples of the form, but this is where it takes off and becomes a major publishing category. Historically important, well written, and a scarce book to find in nice condition. This copy has a previous owner's minuscule inscription on the front free endpaper (signature and date of 10 Dec 77, and the cryptic notation "F.E." indicating it was purchased through British bookseller Francis Edwards Ltd.), and very slight bumping to the spine, both head and tail, creasing the jacket slightly. The jacket is unclipped, and the book was not read more than once or twice. A nice copy of a cornerstone volume. Any photo attached to my listings are of the actual… Read More

Ultramarine Press, 1988. First. Hardbound. minor discoloration of the fore edge at the top else fine as issued. Additionally is nicely inscribed by Estleman to the subscriber in 1990. a handsome item. of en edition of 50 copies, this is one of 10 lettered copies signed by Estleman, finely bound in full leather by Denis Gouey. 210 pp.

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.

Very Good book has the common age toning along the board edges, tiny dings to corners, slight soiling to page edges, with lower inch and and half of spine slightly concave inward; in Very Good to Near Fine dust jacket that has very slight yellowing front and back panels with mild rubbing, and slight edge and corner wear. This was a very fragile production. Willeford's fictionalized story of the Son of Sam killer and the Sheriff Deputy who caught him. This copy has been signed by Willeford on the front end page and inscribed: To Lou Maradie – I think you'll like this. Dr. Schwartz thinks Berko faked his psychosis. Dr. Abrahamsen does not. So it goes. You may have a different opinion. All the best. Dr. Louis J. Maradie practiced Clinical Psychology in Miami for 35 years. This book appeared four years prior to Miami Blues, the first Hoke Mosley mystery.