Search Results: Authors starting with D from Uncommon Sense

Early play by this reclusive mystery writer. Her play RICHARD OF BORDEAUX gave Sir John Gielgud his start; this one featured, among others, Sir Lawrence Olivier. The Ian Fleming in the cast was not the creator of James Bond, but appears to be the one who played Dr. Watson in a series of 1930s Sherlock Holmes films. This copy was from the collection of Adrian Homer Goldstone, major mystery collector, and has his bookplate on the front endpaper; there is also a 1934 gift inscription. Laid in is Goldstone's catalog card for the book. Book is tight and clean with no other writing. Jacket is slightly rubbed, with some edge-wear and spine browning.The jacket lists prices for both hardcover and paperback editions. Black cloth, red paper label on spine. Uncommon.

First American edition of the first novel from one of the classic mystery writers -- she later wrote as Josephine Tey, and this book was reissued under that name. Scarce in jacket. Extremely scarce with a signature, even though the book is not signed: this copy is accompanied by a postcard to Miss Katherine King, postmarked at Inverness in March 1950, thanking her for sending the Pocket Books "which I find fascinating," signed by Gordon Daviot. The book is in very good condition -- it is slightly cocked, the spine is slightly discolored and worn, and there are two worn spots on the front edges of the bottom. I've left the previous bookseller's pencil notes on the flyleaf, because the book came from Otto Penzler's Mysterious Bookshop in NY, and I believe they're in his hand. The postcard was in the book when I bought it -- when I asked him if that was the correct price in it, he said "Yep -- blew that one, didn't I!" and he let me buy it at an astonishing price. He was a gentleman as a bookseller, and… Read more

Copy inscribed by de Camp to Chicago area fan Ben Solon. Dust jacket is very close to complete, but badly torn (all tears closed) with minor chipping and tape on the back cover. Pix available on request. This copy has orange printing for the spine information: there are copies with gold printing.i presume the gold printing is an earlier state because it was more expensive. The book has bumped corners, but is tight and solid. The jacket has been placed in a new protector, and it presents far better than this description would indicate. One of the best humorous books of SF/fantasy.

New York: Viking Press, 1954. First edition. Hardcover. near Fine/very good. A reasonably nice copy of this memoir of a POW from the Korean War who got the Congressional Medal of Honor. This copy is signed by Worden (not by Dean, unfortunately!) with the words "the ghost" underneath the signature in parenthesis on the verso of the half-title, facing the title page. No indications of later printings on verso of title page, as fits with Viking policy at this time for a first printing; dustjacket is unclipped with a price of $5.00 present. Book shows slight bowing of the spine on the top, is otherwise clean and tight. Jacket is noticably faded on the spine and slightly frayed at the top and bottom edges. An acceptable copy of a book that is seldom encountered signed by either author. garage sale

Sauk City WI: Arkham House, 1959. First edition. Staplebound Wraps. Near Fine/no dustjacket (as issued). A nice copy of this 815-copy ephemeron from Arkham House. This is the "wrappers" state, with three staples holding it together. A nice item for the Arkham lover. Cover somewhat stained, edges of cover bumped (as usual), inside clean and bright. Appears unread. Superseded, bibliographically, several times in later years. TW

Sauk City WI: Arkham House, 1941. First edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. True first edition of this second book from Arkham House, containing Derleth's favorites of his weird fiction shorts up to this date. One of 1115 copies of this version. Shorter than the reprint, with thinner boards and (easiest way to tell without a comparison copy) with no headband or footband on the spine. Nice copies of this version are scarcer than the 300 copy (unacknowledged) reprint from the 1960s. This is a very nice copy: spine slightly faded on the dustjacket, minimal wear, book clean, bright and tight. In jacket protector. Much more desirable than the reprint. TW

Sauk City WI: Arkham House, 1959. First edition. Staplebound Wraps. Fine/no dustjacket (as issued). Three essays on Lovecraft by Derleth, a diary of Lovecraft's visit to W. Paul Cook (by Cook) and four letters from Lovecraft to Cook. Moderately scarce pamphlet (1044 copies) from AH; as with most copies, this copy shows some crushing of the outside corners of the card-stock cover, which extends well beyond the page block. The pages are crisp and clean, the staples show no rust, and the overall condition is just as it might have been received from Arkham House (Derleth did not always pack books with an eye to exceptional condition). Any photo accompanying my descriptions are an actual photo of the book listed: no stock photographs. TW

Sauk City WI: Arkham House, 1941 (actually 1966). Second edition. Hardcover. Fine/fine. Second edition of this second book from Arkham House, containing Derleth's favorites of his weird fiction shorts up to this date. One of 300 copies of this version. Most of the copies of this version are in excellent condition -- many more are signed (like this one) than are copies of the first. This one is inscribed to a collector. A comparison of the jackets shows the second is much muddier than the first, in terms of reproduction -- it was probably shot from a printed copy of the first. Derleth did a remarkable job of matching the paper on the jacket, though, right down to its lamentable tendency to fade if one shines so much as a flashlight on it. A serious "Tell me again why I wanted to become an Arkham House completist?" item, with a nice Derleth inscription as some justification for going for this copy. TW

London: Macmillan, 1976. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good +/near fine. The second Inspector Morse novel. A VG+ copy in jacket (unclipped) of this elusive book. Small dents at the corners, previous owner's discreet name and date of purchase on front free endpaper -- a very presentable copy of a book that didn't sell many copies to individuals. Pages browning as is usual in books from this publisher at this time. Scans of cover, photos of owner inscription available on request. pa

A well worn copy, NOT XLIB of this scarce historical novel, the fifth book in the Lymond Chronicles. Jacket shows many small tears and fraying, small amount missing from the bottom of the spine; price is still present (see picture). Jacket is now protected by a jacket protector, but it's rather like closing the barn door after the horse has gone. Book has a somewhat bowed-in spine and a lean, and a previous owner's name and address boldly written on the front free endpaper. Not a serious collector's copy, but one with a great many reads still in it: and it's a book that's worth re-reading. (For those who collect first printings of these, how do you deal with the fact that the American was the true first on the first book and the British the first on all the rest? I recommend collecting two full sets, one British and one American. It's not easy.)