Traps Need Fresh Bait by Fair, A.A. (Erle Stanley Gardner) - 1967

New York: William Morrow, 1967. Hardcover. pp. 216. 8vo. Red binding with black lettering to spine. Light edgewear. Dustjacket lightly worn and soiled, some creasing, protected in plastic brodart sleeve; very good+ in very good dustjacket.

New York: William Morrow and Company, 1967. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo (19.25cm); red paper-covered boards, titled in black on the spine; dustjacket by Susan Mccarthy; 216pp.; minor rubbing to rear board; faint soil mark inside front cover, else Fine. The dustjacket is unclipped (priced $3.95) with sticker residue on front flap; minor rubbing to the extremities; short, closed tears, Very Good+. Cool and Lam #2. "Someone is advertising for a witness to an auto accident in such a way as to seem to be suborning perjury. Also, an earlier claim was settled with evidence obtained in this way. The client wants Cool and Lam to find out what is back of it all. Gardner kept up with the law, and knew of the implications of the recent Miranda Rights decision of the Supreme Court for gathering evidence. He believed he had found a loophole allowing evidence improperly gathered under the new rules to be admissible, if obtained investigating another incident, such as a private detective searching a flat… Read More

New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1967, 1967. First edition. First edition. Inscribed by the author on the front free fly leaf: "To Helen Moore, my Hollywood Della Street, with love from Uncle Erle. Erle Stanley Gardner." Helen Moore was secretary to the author. Bertha Cool was purring like a kitten. A client had just hired the agency to investigate a suspected insurance swindle, and in Bertha's glittering eyes, that was just the respectable sort of case they needed. Donald Lam had his doubts, but he began looking around for suitable bait to set a trap. What he didn't know was that the trap was already baited -- and more than ready to spring. Fine, bright copy in dust jacket with two small closed tears at bottom of front cover panel and reinforced on the verso with a small strip of cellophane tape.