Octavo, original black cloth stamped & titled in blue. 323 pp. A few marks to the endpapers, some date stamps on the rear endpaper - as if from a lending library - but no other marks suggesting such. Two ink names on front paste-down. Front flap blurb cut from the original dust jacket and affixed to the front paste-down. Overall, a solid very good copy. ¶ Sensational pulp locked room murder mystery novel. A very uncommon book.

THE SEVEN HEADED MONSTER; Or, Nick Carter's Midnight Calling. Edited by Chickerling Carter. New Nick Carter Weekly No. 538.
DIME NOVEL. NEW NICK CARTER WEEKLY No. 528. Edited by Chickering Carter.

Quarto, original colour pictorial wrappers. 28 pp., ads. Issued as No. 538 in the New Nick Carter Weekly Series, April 20, 1907 (5 cents). Paper lightly browned, all covers present but torn & frayed along spine panel, minor stains. Very good bright copy. ¶ Weird mystery with a secret society and advanced flying machines.

THE FACE AND THE MASK. Illustrated by A. Hencke.
BARR, Robert

Small format 12mo, original rough-grained green cloth titled in silver on spine, titled and with a decorative device in silver on front panel. 250 pp + [1] pp ads at rear for the publisher's "Twentieth Century Series", which includes this volume. Frontispiece and four additional full-page plates. Small closed tear to outer margin of page 71; contemporary ink name, spine panel a bit darkened and with a few small spots, light wear at extremities; a very good copy. ¶ Short story collection which includes"The Doom of London" (S.F. Catastrophe story) and "The Great pegram Mystery" (Sherlock Holmes Parody featuring Sherlaw Kombs), plus several fantasy tales.

FAREWELL NIKOLA. Illustrated by Harold Piffard.
BOOTHBY, Guy.

Octavo, original blue cloth over beveled boards, titled in white (or-reverse-titled in white within gilt edged white boxes) on spine, stamped in white and with a pictorial paper label on front panel. 315 pp + [4] pp. publisher's ads at rear. Frontispiece with tissue guard, plus seven additional full-page plates throughout the text. Foxing to the endpapers and the tissue guard; spine white lettering on spine faded otherwise a very good, bright copy. ¶ The final Doctor Nikola novel, concerning a criminal mastermind and sinister occultist who seeks immortality and plots to take over the world.

THE BROCKLEBANK MYSTERY.
WALES, Hubert.

Octavo, original decorated blue-gray cloth stamped in black and titled in gilt on spine & front panel. 329 pp. Inner hinges cracking, ink name on rear paste-down, light soiling & rubbing to the cloth; a very good, sound copy. ¶ Mystery novel, body-switch after death. Brocklebank dies in a mountaineering accident but later appears with a completely different personality. Theosophical philosophy of soul-transfer.

DARKNESS AND DAYLIGHT; Or, Lights and Shadows of New York Life. A Pictorial Record of Personal Experiences by Day and Night in the Great Metropolis. With Hundreds of Thrilling Anecdotes and Incidents, Sketches of Life and Character, Humorous Stories, Touching Home Scenes, And Tales of Tender Pathos, Drawn from Bright and Shady Sides of the Great Under World of New York. With Highly Interesting Descriptions of Little Known Phases of New York Life; and an Account of Detective Byrne's Thirty Years Experiences and Reminiscences Written by Himself from his Private Diary. Superbly Illustrated, with Two Hundred and Fifty Engravings from Photographs, Taken from Life Expressly for this Work, Mostly by Flash-Light, and Reproduced in Exact Facsimile by Eminent Artists.
CAMPBELL, Mrs. Helen; Rev. Lyman Abbott (Introduction), Col. Thomas W. Knox and Supt. Thomas Byrnes.

Large octavo, original pictorial brown cloth stamped elaborately in gilt and blind, the spine heavily decorated in gilt, floral endpapers. 740 pp. Frontispiece and extra illustrated title page with tissue guard, heavily illustrated throughout. Hairline crack along inner edge of title leaf; otherwise a remarkably fine copy, clean and unworn in every way. A sharp copy of a large subscription book which is oversized and heavily illustrated and rarely survives in decent condition. ¶ Mostly to do with the New York poor and the underworld, with sections on criminals, Chinatown and opium smoking, waifs, strays, street kids, tramps, Shantytown, rag pickers, shoplifters, pickpockets, gambling, beggars, etc., etc., etc. The work is divided into three parts, with Mrs. Campbell's part being the first, followed by Col. Thomas W. Knob's LIFE IN THE GREAT METROPOLIS BY DAY AND NIGHT AS SEEN BY A JOURNALIST; Part Three is CRIMINAL LIFE AND DETECTIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE GREAT METROPOLIS Portrayed by Inspector Thomas Byres, Chief of the New York Detectives.

A CENTURY OF SCARLET. A Centenary Catalogue.
[DOYLE, Sir Arthur Conan] Rupert Books [David G. Kirby].

Octavo, original full red leather titled in gilt. [34] pp, colour illustrations throughout. Issued as Catalogue Number 8. One of only 30 leather bound copies for Special Friends and Customers. This copy is inscribed to Sherlockian and Conan Doyle Collector John Ruyle: "For John / With all good wishes and regards to a fine printer and publisher, John Kirby". A fine copy without dust jacket, as issued.

SANCTUARY ISLAND. From the Film Scenario by Edgar Wallace. Told by Robert Curtis.
WALLACE, Edgar; CURTIS, Robert.

Octavo, original red cloth titled in black on spine & front panel. 288 pp + 40 pp publisher's catalogue at rear, dated "Spring, 1936". Ex-lending library copy, with four small rubberstamps on the front free endpaper from lending libraries in Vancouver, BC; one small stamp at base of first page of text, no other marks at all. Front hinge lightly cracking, spine a bit canted (cocked), a very good, bright copy. ¶ One of the posthumous novelizations of Wallace's film screenplays, done by his long-time secretary. This is the true first edition, and it is rare.

STAR OVER BETHLEHEM AND OTHER STORIES. Decorations by Elsie Wrigley.
CHRISTIE, Agatha [as Agatha Christie Mallowan].

Octavo, original decorated cloth. 79 pp; illustrated. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket, lower front flap of dust jacket - the price corner - clipped. A sharp clean copy with no markings of any sort. ¶ Collection of stories with a Christmas theme.

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. Reprinted Pieces And Other Stories. With Thirty Illustrations by L. Fildes, E.G. Dalziel, and F. Barnard.
DICKENS, Charles.

Large octavo, bound in contemporary half-lather (calf) over marbled paper boards, the spine with raised bands, diced in the compartments, gilt rules, black title labels with gilt lettering. Marbled endpapers and page edges. 348 pp. Printed in two columns, illustrated throughout. Large format, the volume measures 250 mm x 185 mm. A volume of THE HOUSEHOLD EDITION, although unidentified as such. Scuffin to leathergeneral light rubbing, overall an attractive copy with tight hinges; internally clean. ¶ Dickens last novel, unfinished on his death, combined with 35 (!) other miscellaneous pieces.

THE DEVIL FINDS WORK.
DELVING, Michael.

Octavo, original green cloth titled in black on spine panel. 210 pp. A few spots to page edges, some dings and light wear to edges; a very good copy in dust jacket. ¶ Bibliomystery, the detective is a rare book dealer, the plot concerns the theft of a silver chalice and the descration of churches by a 'notorious Satanist', Tristram Vail, once called "the wickedest man in the world': a character based on Aleister Crowley.

A MAYFAIR MAGICIAN. A Romance of Criminal Science.
GRIFFITH, George.

Octavo, original blue cloth titled in black on front panel and in gilt on the spine. 306 pp. Cloth generally somewhat soiled & worn, a good copy. ¶ Fantasy and crime. A master criminal who practices hypnotism and the invention of a device which can transfer human thoughts.

IN SECRET.
LE QUEUX, William

Small octavo, original red cloth decorated in blind, spine titled and decorated in black. 319 pp. Pencil name on front free endpaper, dated 1935. A near fine copy in the original colour pictorial dust jacket which has a few small closed tears which are mended on the verso with small pieces of tape. Quite a nice copy. A Hodder & Stoughton smaller format Yellow Jacket, issued at 2/ net.

THE QUEEN'S TREASURE. By R. Austin Freeman & John J. Pitcairn, writing as Clifford Ashdown. Edited & Introduced by Norman Donaldson. Frontispiece by William Dixon.
ASHDOWN, Clifford [pseudonym of R. Austin Freeman & John J. Pitcairn].

Octavo, original blue cloth, gilt titles on spine. 238 pp. About a fine copy in dust jacket. ¶ Old-fashioned adventure tale, set in Kent during the Edwardian era and featuring a ruined chapel, a decaying manor house, and the quest for Sir Francis Drake's legendary treasure. Previously unpublished.

FROM A SURGEON'S DIARY. By R. Austin Freeman & John J. Pitcairn, writing as Clifford Ashdown. With an Introduction by Norman Donaldson and Illustrations by William Dixon.
ASHDOWN, Clifford [pseudonym of R. Austin Freeman & John J. Pitcairn].

Octavo, original brown cloth, gilt titles on spine. 196 pp + [8] pp ads at rear. Light foxing to page edges, a nearly fine copy in dust jacket. ¶ Medical detective stories, first published in Cassell's Magazine in 1904 and 1905. This is the first book edition, and the first publication of these stories in the United States.

Octavo, original two-tone cloth, gilt titles to spine. 81 pp. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. ¶ Short crime novella, originally published in Liberty Magazine in 1933, then as a cheap pulp paperback in 1952; this edition includes a new introduction by Robert B. Parker.

A MODERN ANTIQUE. A Florentine Story. With Frontispiece.
NOBILI, Riccardo.

First edition. Octavo, bright red cloth titled in gilt on spine, titled and decorated in white on upper cover. Frontispiece. 329 pp. Endpapers lightly browned, small marks to covers; a very good, bright copy. Very scarce. ¶ Edwardian novel of mystery and intrigue concerning the world of art & antiquities.

THE DIAMOND MASTER. With Illustrations by Herman Pfeifer.
FUTRELLE, Jacques.

Reprint, first issued in the USA by Bobbs-Merrill in 1909. Octavo, original gray cloth titled in white on spine panel, pictorial paper label on front panel. [305] pp. Frontispiece. Pencil name on front free endpaper. A very good clean copy. ¶ Mystery novel. A perfect diamond worth millions is mailed, in a plain package, to a diamond dealer. Then he finds that identical diamonds were delivered to other diamond dealers.

A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.
HOLMES, Gordon [pseudonym of Louis Tracy].

Second American edition, first issued by Clode in 1905. Octavo, original pictorial peach cloth titled and decorated in red and black. 303 pp. Ink name on inner front cover, dated 1910, small price sticker removed from lower edge of front flyleaf, covers a bit dust soiled; a very good copy. ¶ Detective fiction novel by Louis Tracy, who wrote under the "Gordon Holmes" pseudonym with M.P. Shiel; Shiel was apparantly not involved in writing this title.

THE CHRONICLES OF MARTIN HEWITT DETECTIVE. New Illustrated Edition. Illustrated by W. Kirkpatrick.
MORRISON, Arthur.

Second impression of the Illustrated edition, originally issued a year earlier in 1907. Octavo, original gray cloth titled and decorated in dark green and red. 267 pp + 2 publisher's catalogues at the rear, the first 4 pp, the second 10 pp.nFrontispiece with tissue guard, decorated title page. Front free endpaper lacking, Spine panel dull, front hinge a bit cracked and the text block slightly shaken; a good copy. ¶ The second collection of Martin Hewitt tales, first issued in London by Ward, Lock & Bowden 1895 and later in the US by Appleton in 1896.

THE GREEN DIAMOND. Illustrated by F.H. Townsend.
MORRISON, Arthur.

Second American edition, first issued in the USA by Page in 1904. Octavo, original tan cloth decorated in green and red. 304 pp. Frontispiece and two plates by Townsend, decorated title page. Small chip to lower margin of one page, a very good, attractive copy. ¶ Connected detective stories set in India. Originally published in London in 1904 as THE GREEN EYE OF GOONA. Arthur Morrison was one of the very few late Victorian rivals of Conan Doyle in the detective fiction field.

ANDERSON CROW DETECTIVE. Illustrated by John T. McCutcheon.
McCUTCHEON, George Barr.

First Canadian edition. Octavo, original green cloth titled in black and with decorations in blind on front cover. 353 pp., Frontispiece and 23 additional full-page black & white plates in the text. Hairline crack to inner front hinge, spine panel slightly dusty, a very good copy. ¶ Short stories featuring McCutcheon's small-town Deputy Marshal Anderson Crow.

EAST OF MANSION HOUSE.
BURKE, Thomas.

First edition. Octavo, original gren cloth titled in gilt on spine panel. [270] pp. Spine just a trifle darkened, a clean, very good copy. ¶ Tales of mystery, suspense and horror set in London's Chinatown.

THE CHEYNE MYSTERY [An Inspector French Story].
CROFTS, Freeman Wills

First American edition. Octavo, original brown cloth titled in red on spine & front cover. 290 pp. Spine panel a bit darkened otherwise a near fine copy; quite sharp. ¶ The second Inspector French mystery novel.

THE CLOSED BOOK. Concerning the Secret of the Borgias. By the Chevalier William Le Queux.
LE QUEUX, William.

Reprint, first issued in the USA by The Smart Set in 1904. Octvo, original green cloth stamped in black & green. 350 pp. Rubbing & light wear to edges of the cloth binding, a very good copy, clean & tight. ¶ Bibliomystery.

THE FIVE FRAGMENTS.
DYER, George.

First British edition. Octavo, original red cloth titled and bordered in black on spine & front panel. 288 pp + 24 pp publisher's catalogue at rear, dated Spring, 1933. Spine panel a trifle faded, a nice clean copy, very good. The British edition is very scarce. ¶ Murder mystery set in San Francisco and Honolulu. Filmed twice, first in 1934 as "Fog Over Frisco" starring Bety Davis, and in 1942 (with the addition of enemy agents) as "Spy Ship".

THE LOCKED BOOK.
PACKARD, Frank L.

First Canadian Edition. Octavo, original brown pictorial cloth with a fabulous wrap-around dragon motif in gilt on all covers. 320 pp. The Canadian edition utilizes the sheets of the American (George H. Doran) edition, here it is the true first printing, with the publisher's monogram and code -A- on the copyright page. Covers slightly rubbed, a clean very good copy. ¶ A bibliomystery set in Malasia, of a quest for a rare book of hidden knowledge.

TALES OF MEAN STREETS. Lizerunt. Squire Napper. Without Visible Means. Three Rounds, And Others.
MORRISON, Arthur.

Fourth edition, so stated on the title page. The first edition was issued in 1894. Octavo, original green cloth titled & ruled in gilt. 301 pp + [38] pp publisher's catalogue at rear, dated November 1896. Small marks to covers, a few pages roughly opened, a very good copy. ¶ Thirteen tales of crime and immorality set in the East London slums.

MY LADY'S GARTER.
FUTRELLE, Jacques.

First edition. Octavo, original pictorial gray cloth stamped in black, white and gold. 332 pp + [4] pp ads at rear. Frontispiece portrait of the author. This is the later issue; an earlier issue exists which bears the frontispiece plus 12 black & white plates by F.R. Gruger, with the illustrator credited on the title page - this issue has none of the Gruger plates and no mention of him on the title. Spine slightly leaned, minor dust soiling to the cloth; very good. ¶ Crime novel, listed in Hubin. Dedicated by the author's widow, May Futrelle "To the Heroes of the Titanic I Dedicate This My Husband's Book". Jacques Futrelle died in the sinking of the Titanic earlier in 1912.

THE BIG BOW MYSTERY.
ZANGWILL, Israel.

Twelvomo, original red cloth stamped in blind on front & rear panels, spine panel decorated & titled in gilt. Decorated title page and frontispiece on glossy paper. 143 pp + [16] pp catalogue of "Heinemann's Cheaper Novels" dated 1912 at rear. Inner hinges cracking, text block browned (as usual); a very good copy. ¶ Celebrated 'Locked Room' mystery novel, originally issued by Henry in 1892. The first edition is a great rarity, this early edition is rather scarce. Queen's Quorum #15.

THE BLACKMAILER. Illustrations by Edward Read.
OAKLEY, John.

First edition. Octavo, original brick-red cloth staped in blind & gilt, gilt titles. 376pp + [8] pp publisher's ads at rear. Frontispiece with tissue guard and one additional plate by Read. Old ink inscription on front free endpaper, dated 1910. A few small stains in the text, endpapers browned, light rubbing to cloth at the edges; a very good copy.

THE LUCK OF THE VAILS.
BENSON, E.F.

Octavo, original tan cloth titled and decorated in gray, black and red on spine and front cover. 323 pp + [32] pp publisher's catalogue at rear. Ink name on front endpaper, browning & dust soiling to the fragile cloth covers; a very good, sound copy. ¶ Murder mystery with supernatural elements. "The Luck of the Vails" is an ancient jewel encrusted golden goblet - with an ancient curse. See Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction (1983).

Early reprint. Octavo, original orange cloth titled in black. 765 pp [!!]. Some stress marks to spine, a very good clean copy.

Early reprint. Octavo, original orange cloth titled in black. 765 pp [!!]. Very good clean copy.

Early reprint. Octavo, original gray cloth titled in red. 384 pp. Very good copy.

Early reprint. Octavo, original red cloth titled in black. 320 pp. Ink inscription on front endpaper, dated 1938. A few small stains to the cloth, a very good clean copy.

Reprint. Purple cloth. A few stray marks to the covers, a very good clean copy.

MURDER ISLAND.
MARTYN, Wyndham.

First British edition. Octavo, original orange cloth titled & ruled in black. 312 pp + [8] pp ads at rear. Ink name and date (1930) on front free endpaper. Adrian Homer Goldstone's copy, with his bookplate on front paste-down. Minor foxing, slight spine fade, a very good bright copy. ¶ Murder mystery, set on an island thought to be haunted by the ghost of a murderous pirate.

THE CITY OF PERIL.
STRINGER, Arthur.

Likely the First Burt edition, reprinted from the plates of the third Knopf printing of March, 1923. Octavo, original gray cloth stamped in blue. 317 pp. Ink name on inner front cover, very good copy in a frayed and worn colour pictorial dust wrapper which has some long closed tears. ¶ A mystery set in New York City, "hair-raising adventures":Crooks, "Reds", mysterious secret societies, anarchistic intrigues.

SHERLOCK HOLMES, RAFFLES AND THEIR PROTOYPES. By Friedrich Depken (Heidelberg, 1914). Translated and Digested by Jay Finley Christ.
DEPKEN, Friedrich; DOYLE, Arthur Conan.

Octavo, original pictorial wrappers, ringbound. 89 pp. Light tanning, a near fine copy of the true first edition.

THE FILIGREE BALL. Being a Full and True Account of the Solution of the Mystery concerning the Jeffrey-Moore Affair. Illustrated by C. M. Relyea.
GREEN, Anna Katherine.

First edition, first issue. Octavo, original green cloth titled and decorated in red and gold on spine and front panel. 418 pp + [22] pp publisher's catalogue at rear. Frontispiece with tissue guard. Ink name & date (April 24th, 2903) on front free endpaper (the book was issued in March); a remarkably fine fresh copy. ¶

THE WRECKER. Illustrated by William Hole and W.L. Metcalf.
STEVENSON, Robert Louis and Lloyd Osbourne.

First edition. Octavo, original blue cloth titled in gilt on spine panel. 427 pp + 12 pp publisher's catalogue at rear. Frontispiece with tissue guard, plus eleven additional full-page black & white plates throughout the text. Two corners lightly bumped, spine panel a touch browned; a very good bright copy. An old note in pencil to the upper margin of the first leaf of text gives the basis in life for two of the main characters - "Pinkerton" is based on S.S. McClure, founder of McClure's magazine, & "Tommy Haddon" is based on Jack Buckland, a sailor on the "Janet Nichol". ¶ Detective novel, a thrilling tale of adventure in the South Seas.

THE WRECKER. Illustrated by William Hole and W.L. Metcalf.
STEVENSON, Robert Louis and Lloyd Osbourne.

First American edition. Octavo, original light brown cloth heavily decorated on spine and front panel in black, green and gilt. 553 pp + 8 pp publisher's catalogue at rear. Frontispiece plus eleven additional full-page black & white plates throughout the text. Some minor bruising, spine panel a touch darkened, small booklabel of a prominent collector on the front paste-down; a very good, bright copy. The American edition came out two days after the first British edition. ¶ Detective novel, a thrilling tale of adventure in the South Seas.

LOVE MADE MANIFEST. Illustrated by Lucy E. Kemp-Welch.
BOOTHBY, Guy.

First edition, but undated. Octavo, original blue cloth over beveled boards, titled and decorated in gilt on spine & front panel. 376 pp + [8] pp. publisher's ads at rear. Frontispiece with tissue guard plus 3 additional black & white plates inserted throughout the text. Endpapers browned; a bright, very good copy. ¶ Crime fiction.

MY STRANGEST CASE. Illustrated by Harold Piffard.
BOOTHBY, Guy.

Octavo, original blue cloth over bevelled boards, elaborately decorated in green and gilt with the device of a serpent on the spine panel and with the title reverse-blocked in gilt on front panel surrounded by an entwined snake. 315 pp + [4] pp ads at rear. Frontispiece with tissue guard plus seven additional full-page plates inserted throughout the text, all by Piffard. Endpapers browned (common with this book as they are an inferior grade of paper), two small chips to edges of endpapers, some light foxing; a very good copy, bright and attractive. ¶ Sensational crime and adventure novel by the Australian-born author.

TAPPING THE SOURCE.
NUNN, Ken.

Advance copy [uncorrected proof] of the first edition. Octavo, original yellow printed wrappers. 300 pp. A few small stains to front wrapper, otherwise a very good copy. ¶ Hard-boiled novel set amid the surfing world in Southern California. A great book. A blurb on the back cover by Robert Stone states "A first-class story in the same league as the best of Raymond Chandler and James Crumley...".

BRESSANT. A Novel.
HAWTHORNE, Julian.

Octavo, original green cloth titled and decorated in gilt and black on spine and front panel. Brown coated endpapers. 383 pp. Contemporary ink inscription on preliminary black, dated Jan 26, 18974; moderate foxing, corners very slightly bumped. A very good bright copy. ¶ The author's first book. Some supernaturalism - Spirit of a dying woman, etc - and some crime elements. Listed in Hubin.

THE GREAT TEMPTATION.
MARSH, Richard.

Octavo, original brown cloth titled and ruled in white on spine and front panel. 382 pp. From the sheets of the UK edition. Lower front panel a bit stained, spine a trifle faded, a sound, very good copy. ¶ Crime novel, listed in Hubin. Marsh's penultimate book, published posthumously.

"JIM THE PENMAN" The Life Story of One Of The Most Astounding Criminals That Have Ever Lived. By Dick Donovan [pseudonym].
DONOVAN, Dick [pseudonym of Joyce Emerson Preston Muddock].

First edition. Octavo, original blue green cloth title and decorated in gilt on spine and front panel - likely the first binding. 378 pp. Label neatly removed from front flyleaf, light wear, a very good bright copy. Scarce. ¶ Crime novel based on the life of James Townsend Saward, English barrister and forger, born 1799 & known as 'Jim the Penman'.

THE BURGLAR'S FATE AND THE DETECTIVES.
PINKERTON, Allan.

Early edition, the first was Dillingham, 1883. Octavo, original green cloth titled and decorated in gilt and blind. 344 pp + 4 pp publishers ads at rear. Frontispiece and eleven additional full-page black & white plates in the text. Light general wear to covers, very good copy. ¶ Early sensational American detective tales by the founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, the first detective agency in the United States.