163 résultats
199221533New York: St Martin's 1992. Book Club. Hardcover. Fine/fine. Fine copy in dustwrapper of the author's first book. Although it looks tastes and smells like a first edition it is actually a book club edition due to the "HB5X" present on the last page of text. SIGNED by the author on the title page. St Martin's hardcover books
195715176New York: E.P. Dutton 1957. First Edition. Octavo 21cm; red cloth boards lettered in gilt on spine; dustjacket; 248pp. Lengthily inscribed on front endpaper by the author dated 1957. Mild rubbing to bottom board edges else a tight Near Fine copy in a bright unclipped dustwrapper. Biography of Joseph E. Ragen long-time warden of the Illinois State Penitentiary at Statesville-Joliet home to Leopold & Loeb Roger "The Terrible" Touhy Basil "The Owl" Banghart and fictionally Jake & Elwood Blues. Includes an introduction by Ragen and a foreword by Harry Reutlinger; well-illustrated with photographic plates halftones. Very nice copy; uncommon signed. E.P. Dutton unknown books
187832526Chicago: Donnelley Lloyd & Co 1878. First Edition. Small octavo 18.5cm.; publisher's brown decorative cloth embossed in black and gilt blue-grey glazed endpapers; 256pp.; frontispiece full-page illus. throughout. Some light wear to extremities spine gilt rather dulled else Very Good or better. Memoir of the professional gambler/drunk-turned-evangelist. See BANTA's Indiana Authors and Their Books p. 195. Donnelley, Lloyd & Co unknown books
192727223New York: Henry Holt and Company n.d. but 1927-28. First American Edition. Octavo 22.25cm; indigo cloth with titles stamped in gilt on spine; dustjacket; 282 2pp; illus.frontispiece and seven plates of illustrations. Bound from British sheets with title page a cancel on a stub. Mild wear to extremities else Fine in a Very Good dustjacket lightly spine-sunned with some dustiness to panels and 1.5cm chip to crown. An accounting of "some of the most hazardous and thrilling escapes and attempts at escape" ever recorded with chapters devoted to John Nevinson Jack Sheppard David Haggart Louis Cartouche Louis Napoleon George Kelly and Frederick Trenck - the latter-named tagged by the author as "the arch-escaper of all history." Originally published by Philip Allan & Co. in London in 1927; the present edition undated but was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times in April 1928. Henry Holt and Company unknown books
198637530Columbia: University of Missouri Press 1986. First paperback printing originally published 1981. Oblong quarto ca 22cm x 27cm. Pictorial card wrappers; 196pp. Light external wear; one text page with a vertical crease at center; Very Good. Evocative photo-essay documenting life inside Washington's maximum-security prison. According to the rear cover blurb the photographs were taken during a period of ".near breakdown in prison security.an atmosphere of riots murders and lockdowns." The text is by John McCoy then a reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. University of Missouri Press unknown books
192935124New York: D. Appleton & Co 1929. Second American printing first published in London 1925; the first American printing also appeared that year. Octavo; blue cloth boards lettered in gilt on spine and front cover; dustjacket; xviii 1-619 2pp; 15 inserted leaves of photographic plates halftones; text illus. A tight Near Fine copy in the scarce dustwrapper lightly soiled overall with a few nicks to extremities Very Good to Near Fine. Very nice copy of this classic of juvenile criminal psychology. Burt achieved great eminence during his lifetime in 1946 becoming the first British psychologist to be knighted as a reward for his research. Burt's methodologies came into question after his death however and it is now widely believed he falsified much of his data particularly that relating the inheritance of IQ. Nonetheless the current work remains compelling for both its wealth of detailed personal case studies of British delinquents and the numerous photographic portraits which though clearly staged portray genuine subjects and are classics in their genre. D. Appleton & Co unknown books
188416534Millerton N. Y. Millerton Telegram Print 1884. First edition. A couple of small chips from along the upper edges of the wrappers; a few light spots of toning and browning; a very good copy. 12mo original printed green wrappers 11 pages. All members of this Society shall hold themselves in readiness at the call of the managers for the pursuit of thieves." A nice Dutchess county imprint for this anti-crime society. OCLC notes copies at Harvard Law and Conn. Historical only. Millerton Telegram Print unknown books
1909WRCAM52766Palestine Tx 1909. Printed form 5 x 8 inches plus 1 x 1-inch photograph. Two old vertical folds left edge tanned lower right corner chipped. Photograph fine but somewhat crudely affixed. About very good. A "Wanted" notice from the City Marshal of Palestine Texas offering a fifty dollar reward for the capture of C.H. Crowson who was eventually arrested and convicted for burglary in 1909. The description given says that Crowson "Has dark hair blue eyes and light complexion. He is fond of music and plays guitar and violin. Works around saw mills and railroad shops." With a small photo of the fugitive attached to the form. unknown books
199421704New York: Armchair Detective / Otto Penzler 1994. Reprint. Hardcover. Fine. New edition of this early Tony Hillerman crime novel with new introduction by the author. Special edition of only 100 SIGNED copies of which this is number 72. Fine condition in fine matching hard slipcase. Armchair Detective / Otto Penzler hardcover books
189915339London: Greening & Co 1899. First Edition. Small octavo 19cm. Blue cloth boards lettered in red on spine and front cover; title page in black & red; 232pp; 8pp publishers ads at rear; frontispiece; text illus. Mild external rubbing; endpapers and text age-tanned but not brittle; Very Good. A charming survey of British low-life documenting the methods and practices of pick-pockets safe-crackers card sharpers portico thieves shoplifters forgers and other criminals in common circulation in Edwardian London. Includes a chapter on "Rogues and Vagabonds." With about 50 text illustrations all of a somewhat rudimentary character. An uncommon title. Greening & Co unknown books
19891286<p>First Edition First Printing. </p><p>Small Quarto 9 1/2 x 6 1/4 inches; 240 x 160 mm viii 407 1 pages in publisher's original blue cloth in a photo-illustrated dust jacket.</p><p>The author Jean Overton Fuller 1915-2009 was a prolific British author who specialized in writing about real espionage cases. Here she tries to unravel the mysterious case of Henri Déricourt 1909-1962 a French pilot who was an undercover agent for the British during World War II. Déricourt aided the Resistance in France but was also in touch with the Germans. Indeed he was accused of having sacrificed Allied agents to the Germans. So the question arises: Was he a double agent working for the Nazis Or was he instead under the control of British Intelligence throughout the war The author who knew Déricourt well believes he engaged in "loyal treason" meaning that he ultimately acted under British orders.<br /></p><p>The previous owner of this book was Robert S. Greene 1922-2013 an American author and jazz pianist. Greene himself had an interest in espionage; he wrote a biography of his uncle Paul Blum a counterespionage officer in World War II.<br /></p><p>Laid in to the book is a 1994 typed and signed letter from Jean Overton Fuller to Greene regarding some genealogical questions Greene had posed. There are also two 2009 typed and signed letters to Greene from London bookseller Timothy d'Arch Smith regarding the author's last year illnesses and demise. <br /></p><p>Copies of this book are scarce to the market. Altogether an interesting look at Déricourt by a prolific author of nonfiction espionage books. <br /></p><p>CONDITION: Foxing and a bit of soiling to top and fore edges bumping to a few edges of boards. Internally a couple small stains. The unclipped dust jacket has some minor edge wear and creases. A Very Good or better copy.<br /></p><br /> Michael Russell (Publishing) Ltd. hardcover books
19741290<p>Small Quarto 10 1/2 x 8 inches; 267 x 205 mm 12 pages in stapled wrappers. </p><p>Transcript of a speech by William J. Casey 1913-1987 accepting the William J. Donovan Award from the Veterans of the Office of Strategic Services. Casey had been chief of secret intelligence for the European theatre of operations during World War II. This award -- from a group of former intelligence officers -- cites him for his organization of radio teams that he parachuted into Germany to send back intelligence on Nazi positions.<br /></p><p>In his speech Casey lavishes praise on Donovan and others in the clandestine services and discusses some of his own intelligence work during World War II. A fascinating look at a side of the war that was crucial in securing the Allied victory over the the Axis powers.<br /></p><p>OCLC shows only two institutional holdings at Georgetown and at the NIOD Institute for War Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam. Separately we find two copies among Casey's papers at the Hoover Institution in Stanford California. None in commerce. <b>SCARCE</b>.<br /></p><p>CONDITION: Governmental department stamp and log-in number on front wrapper two horizontal folds for mailing. A Very Good copy.<br /></p><br /> [Veterans of the Office of Strategic Services] books
194928605New York: E. P. Dutton 1949. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good/very good. 8vo. 253 pp. Stated first edition of this early crime novel by the author of Murder Can Be Fun and The Dead Ringer. A handsome very good copy in price-intact dustwrapper. The wrapper has some chipping and slight paper loss at spine tips. E. P. Dutton hardcover books
195039175Chicago: Juvenile Protective Association of Chicago 1950. Octavo. Staple-bound pamphlet; printed card wrappers; 27pp. Wrappers toned at margins else a tight Very Good or better copy. Series of articles originally published in the Sun-Times on Chicago's juvenile narcotics epidemic. Addressed to an adult audience but includes a number of reputed first-hand testimonials from young addicts including "Sam R." who recounts the story of being nabbed in a ladies' department store: ".I'd gotten very high that day so high that I didn't even know I had 10 ladies' slips in a shopping bag." Uncommon; OCLC 3 locations Chicago Public Chicago Historical Soc. and NYPL. Juvenile Protective Association of Chicago unknown books
190428983Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company 1904. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo 19.25cm; hunter green cloth with titles stamped in gilt on spine and front cover with an old-fashioned jail door embossed to front cover; 8 276pp. Mild wear to spine ends and corners with a faint stain to lower edge of textblock; Very Good with gilt still bright and unrubbed. Anonymous memoir of life in New York's Sing Sing Correctional Facility in which "the author served a six-and-a-half-year term. Describes the demise of the contract labor system in New York and his enterprising work in starting the prison newspaper The Star of Hope under Warden Sage in 1899. Includes chapters on executions escapes famous prisoners and convict slang " SUVAK 238 p.67. Bobbs-Merrill Company unknown books
185111374Albany: Charles Van Benthuysen State Printer 1851. First edition. Octavo 23cm.; original printed wrappers; 328pp. Moderate wear and soil; final ten or so leaves creased at upper right; Good or better. Includes a large ca. 20" x 22" folding plan of the newly-constructed prison at Sing Sing; this is foxed on verso but otherwise quite fresh with old folds secure and just light foxing onto image area. Charles Van Benthuysen [State Printer] unknown books
195419322New York: Prentice-Hall Inc 1954. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo 22cm; black cloth with titles stamped in gilt on spine; brown topstain; dustjacket; 361pp. Base of spine gently nudged else a clean Near Fine copy. Dustjacket is unclipped lightly edge-rubbed with a few tiny tears and creases to same; Very Good to Near Fine with the spine notably unfaded. Chessman's classic account of life on San Quentin's Death Row adapted for the 1955 film of the same name directed by Fred F. Sears in 1955 starring William Campbell as Chessman. After publishing three books and exhausting a number of appeals Chessman was finally executed in 1960. An unusually nice copy. SUVAK 57. Prentice-Hall, Inc unknown books
1911List812California 1911. Single sheet measuring 8 ½ x 11 inches. Two vertical folds two holes punched at upper margin very good condition overall. Very Good. An uncommon survival possibly published by the Santa Clara County Sherriff's Office showing two wanted criminals from 1911 who were travelling together. The first a C.K. Paullins was the editor of the Rocky Mountain Moose and is wanted for embezzlement. The second a Ruby J. Stanley alias Lillian Raymond is known as "Kentucky." According to the flyer "This woman is very well known in the tenderloin of Los Angeles and Fresno. She dresses in the latest style and wears fancy dresses. These people work all kinds of schemes to make money. I wish you would keep a sharp lookout for these parties. W.J. Newman Constable Visalia California. Dated October 23 1911.". books
189635124London: Ward & Downey Limited 1896. First edition. 1 vols. 8vo. Original black pictorial cloth stamped in red and gilt. Fine. First edition. 1 vols. 8vo. Presents accounts of thirty famous crimes and criminals in 19th-century Britain including the Tichborne claimant Charles Peace John Bellingham James Cook Henry Blackburn John Holloway and others. Ward & Downey Limited unknown books
1884219833Washington D.C.: Thomas D. Worrall 1884. First edition. 207 1 ad pp. 1 vols. 12mo. Brick blind-stamped cloth. Spine slightly darkened else fine. Bookplate. First edition. 207 1 ad pp. 1 vols. 12mo. Thomas D. Worrall unknown books
186719303Cincinnati: n. p. 1867 First edition. Wrappers somewhat stained with some chipping and a few closed tears and some creasing to the rear wrapper; upper edges of the text block somewhat foxed and dust-soiled; a very good copy. Original printed blue-green wrappers 8.25 x 5.5 inches 128 pages. Accounts of some of Cincinnati's most memorable executions and murders including such episodes as "The Summons Massacre; Arrison and the Infernal Machine; Mrs. Howard who Avenged her own Wrongs; Nancy Farrer the Child Poisoner" and many more. With perhaps one of the finest known epigraphs in American literature with the title at the head of the front wrapper claiming "A Book for the Family." Sabin 19108; not found in McDade. [n. p.], unknown books
1829WRCAM53865Edinburgh 1829. viii47pp. Dbd. Two faint institutional stamps and one small ink number on titlepage light toning. Good. An interesting murder trial account involving a husband-and-wife poisoning team on a steamboat near Glasgow in the early-19th century. From the Introduction: "The case which forms the subject of the present publication is however a proof that there are other and equally subtile and perilous forms of committing murder; and the trial of John Stuart and Catherine Wright is published in its present authentic form as a warning to the people of Scotland against the approaches of a set of crimes which have always been perpetrated under the reign of the darkest vice and superstition which have clouded European society." Rare with only about a dozen copies over several records in OCLC. unknown books
11762pg. 9 ½" x 8 ½". June 4th 1861. Whitehall. A letter that discusses events linked to the Civil War and a particularly gruesome axe murder: ". It is hard times for certain as so many of the banks have gone down since the Government troubles all banks that were secured by southern bonds are smashed. Alfred Worcester has enlisted in the Army. A horrible murder was committed three weeks ago last Saturday two miles above Wilmington and about eight miles from here. An old man by the name of mace his wife and an adopted son 17 or 18 years old wer sic the victims. Two men were riding along the road about half a mile distant from the house when they heard cries of help and upon arriving at the house ther sic lay the old man near the gate shot and also cut with an ax near the porch lay the boy with his brains beat out with a club the old lady was lying on the porch with her head severed from her body with an ax. The house was burning the beds having been set afire in the upper story. It was known that the old man had a great amount of money which he kept in a safe in the house the safe was iron but could not be found after the house was burned. Intense excitement prevailed until the murderers were caught or supposed murderers. Nothing else was talked of for a great while. ". It is difficult to discern which Wilmington and Whitehall are referred to in the letter as a number of towns in the U.S. bear those names. A reference to army worms earlier in the letter makes it more likely that the author lived in a Whitehall in the North as army worms tend to attack crops in Northern states. The letter is in excellent condition. The left right and bottom margins are all rounded giving the letter the appearance of a circle with an arc section removed. There is some slight staining and the usual mailing folds unknown books
195628497New York: E. P. Dutton & Co 1956. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/near fine. Hardbound octavo in dustwrapper. Stated first edition. 191 pp. Exceptionally nice copy in dustwrapper of this crime and suspense novel by the author of The Screaming Mimi and Night of the Jabberwock. A handsome near fine copy in price-clipped dustwrapper. E. P. Dutton & Co hardcover books
198221996New York: Charles Scribner 1982. First edition. Cloth. Very Good/very good. First edition of the talented crime writer's first book. Winner of the coveted Edgar Award. A very good clothbound copy with small stain to bottom corner of rear endpaper. Prior ownership name of Henry Geldzahler on the front endpaper. The price-intact dustwrapper is in clean very good condition. SIGNED by the author on a bookplate afixed to the half-title page. Highly recommended author. <br/><br/> Charles Scribner hardcover books
