Thornton Butterworth, and Skeffington & Son (publishers)
Collection of mystery and detective novels in the dust jackets, 1920s-30s
£756
Auction: 05 February 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
all 8vo, original cloth, with the dust jackets, published in London, references to Hubin, Crime Fiction II (1994) in square brackets, titles include:
Hawk, John. The Murder of a Mystery Writer, Skeffington & Son, Ltd., [1929], apparent first edition with no statement of later printings, later-issue dust jacket priced at 2/6 with 1/6 overprice sticker, jacket with small chip to lower fore corner of front panel [p. 384];
Volk, Gordon. The Lighthouse Mystery, Skeffington & Son, Ltd., [1930], apparent first edition with no statement of later printings, later-issue dust jacket priced at 2/6 with 2/ overprice sticker, jacket worn [p. 826];
Morton, Guy. The Scarlet Thumb-Print, Skeffington & Son, Ltd., [1931], apparent first edition with no statement of later printings, with a first-issue dust jacket priced at 7/6 (with loss to head of spine), and a later-issue dust jacket priced at 2/6 and with 1/6 overprice sticker, ink-stamp dated 1931 (probably the publisher's) to front pastedown [p. 588];
Dehan, Richard [pseudonym of Clotilda Inez Mary Graves]. Shallow Seas, Thornton Butterworth Limited, 1930, apparent first edition dated 1930 on copyright page and no statement of later printings, later-issue dust jacket priced at 3/6 [cf. p. 224 for the author];
Bowen, Joseph. The Man without a Head, Thornton Butterworth Ltd, 1937, apparent first UK edition (dated 1937 on copyright page with no statement of later printings; first published New York, 1936), Crime Circle Novels dust jacket designed by Bip Pares and priced at 2/6 (apparently first issue: advertisement on rear panel of present and following titles indicates that Crime Circle Novels published at this price), small repairs to jacket verso [p. 90, the author's only novel listed, the author described as ‘a well-known Western cattleman, born in Colorado …'];
Grierson, Francis D. The Acrefield Mystery (A Superintendent Sims and Professor Wells Story), Thornton Butterworth Ltd, 1938, apparent first edition (dated 1938 on copyright page with no statement of later printings), Crime Circle Novels dust jacket designed by Bip Pares (possibly later issue, with 4/6 overprice sticker), jacket price-clipped and with a few tears [p. 354];
Idem. Murder in Black, Eyre and Spottiswoode, [after 1935], remainder issue (originally published by Thornton Butterworth in the Crime Circle Novels series), with cancel title-page and Eyre and Spottiswoode label pasted over original imprint on jacket spine [p. 354];
Fletcher, J. S. Todmanhawe Grange. Concluded by Torquemada, Thornton Butterworth Ltd, 1937, apparent first edition (dated 1937 on copyright page with no statement of later printings), Crime Circle Novels dust jacket designed by Bip Pares (backed on card, worn), cloth browned on spine [p. 291];
and 17 others, reprints or later issues, including works in Thornton Butteworth's Crime Circle Novels novels, and several mystery novels published by Skeffington, all in dust jackets (25)
Provenance
The Golden Age of Detective and Adventure Fiction: Selections from the Stock of Obelist Books, Glasgow.