163 résultats
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
185946765New-York: George W. Matsell & Co 1859. First Edition. Small 12mo 12.5cm.; publisher's blue pebble-grained blind-embossed cloth gilt-lettered spine dark brown glazed endpapers; vi7-1301adpp. Boards gently scuffed corners bumped else a Very Good quite brilliant copy. Early American slang dictionary by a commissioner of the New York City police force about two-thirds of the work plagiarized from English sources though the author here claims that "Occupying the position of a Special Justice and Chief of the Police of the great Metropolis of New-York where thieves and others of a like character from all parts of the world congregate and realizing the necessity of possessing a positive knowledge of every thing connected with the class of individuals with whom it was my duty to deal I was naturally led to study their peculiar language" p. iv. The work appears to be aimed at readers of Matsell's newspaper the "National Police Gazette" advertized on the last leaf of text. A random dip into the early leaves reveals such unknown slang words as "Ard" hot though the OED only defines this as an obsolete form of "Hard." More recognizable listings appear under "Cow" a dilapidated prostitute while her "grease" is butter her "juice" is milk and "Cows and Kisses" applies to the ladies. George W. Matsell & Co unknown books
191631420Boston: Small Maynard & Company 1916. First Edition. Octavo 19.5cm; olive green buckram with printed title labels at spine and front cover; dustjacket; 340 4pp. Mild sunning to spine with two faint stains to upper edge of textblock; contents clean; Near Fine. Dustjacket priced $1.50 at mid-spine; hint of sunning and faint vertical crease to spine light dustiness overall with a few small tears and nicks; Very Good. "Human documents from the experiences of a Massachusetts probation officer in the application of the probation system to the problems of men and women who without it would have been permanently lost to useful citizenship" from front panel. Small, Maynard & Company unknown books
186019599New York: N. Tibbals & Co 1860. First Edition. Publisher's blind-stamped cloth; gilt spine titles; viii 375pp; double engr. frontispiece. Spine gilt a little dulled; spotting & wear to covers; corners bumped; brief fraying at upper spine; quite fresh internally with faint foxing to double frontispiece plates; Very Good. SABIN 42631. Scarce pre-Civil War account of American prison life with descriptions of the prisoners' daily routines and sketches of various criminals' careers. The author was Chaplain of Sing Sing State Prison from 1843-1856 a period during which a number of novel reforms were initiated at Sing Sing including the practice of sorting criminals on the basis of phrenological diagnosis. N. Tibbals & Co 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
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
195025986Milwaukee WI: Tee-Pee-Gee Company n.d. but ca.1950. Board game consisting of one 1 game board 21.5" x 22" set of two 2 red acrylic dice 41 round and square painted wood pieces in black white green red yellow blue and brown one black piece replaced 17 game cards 2.25" x 3.75" printed on rectos only and original instruction manual 6" x 4". Dice game pieces and cards housed in the original manufacturers two-piece box. Game board is hinged with linen lightly worn at extremities with some occasional board exposure; instruction manual is browned overall folded in half with some splitting along spine fold and holographic notes to front and rear wrappers. Box for entire game not present though it is unclear whether or not one was issued. Presumed complete. "The fascination of this game lies in the variety of ways chances and combinations in which it can be played. For instance - a player may decide to play all the men on the straight and narrow path to freedom by being pardoned or take a shorter but more risky method as a fugitive. The trials of fate and temptation may enter at any time and upset all plans. This novel game which may be played by two to six players illustrates the separation of prisoners from the outside world and their discipline and reformation. It is a game of chance and skill and the possibility of your opponents' chance to win depends upon where and how you make your moves. It will hold you spellbound from beginning to end" - opening statement from instruction booklet.<br/><br/>A prison-themed board game with a phantom manufacturer; our research has failed to reveal much information about either one though in theory and objective it bears remarkable similarities to the much later ca.1990's board game The Slammer produced by Ruppert Games. Tee-Pee-Gee can be played by up to six players and while it appears fairly easy at first glance the dynamics are quite complicated with game pieces representing inmates messengers guards and visitors. The possibility for numerous moves exists dictated by the roll of the dice cards chosen and each players respective positioning on the board. Prisoners can be released or can choose to escape with or without the help of visitors. The winner of the game is the player with all their prisoners outside the walls either as "pardoned" or "fugitives" and their visitors "in good standing" with the prison officials. Rare; we find no example for sale at the time of this writing March 2021 and no record in OCLC. Tee-Pee-Gee Company unknown 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
193628984New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc 1936. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo 21cm; mauve cloth with titling and decorations stamped in black on spine and front cover; black topstain; dustjacket; illus.frontispiece 368pp. Slight musty odor else Fine in a Very Good dustjacket unclipped priced $3.00 sunned and edgeworn with small chips to extremities short tears and splits along flap folds. Life story of a career criminal incarcerated in the Oregon State Prison after a career of check forging hold-ups safe-blowing and theft. "Principal incidents are Duncan's escape and recapture; otherwise this is a diary of a criminal's routine prison life" SUVAK 98 p.32. Scarce in dustjacket. E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc unknown books
197419736Boston: Little Brown and Company 1974. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo 21.5cm; blue denim paper-covered boards with titles stamped in silver on spine; dustjacket; 460pp. Inscribed by the author on the second blank page inside an original drawing of a wine goblet with a caricature inside: "For David Carol / Whose cup of kindness hath cheered me much / Bruce / Putney VT. 6/17/76." Crown gently nudged with a few faint spots to right edge of textblock; Near Fine. Dustjacket is unclipped priced $8.95 lightly rubbed overall with a few shallow chips at crown and faint foxing to verso; Very Good. Dobler's second book a novlized account of the five months he spent touring and visiting various prisons within the Illinois penal system interviewing and speaking with everyone from convicts to prison staff. An uncommon title inscribed. Little, Brown and Company unknown books
192228986New York: D. Appleton and Company 1922. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo 20.5cm; red cloth with titling and decorations stamped in black on spine and front cover; dustjacket; 14 272pp. Inscribed on the front endpaper: "To Mr. and Mrs. Morrell / Two good pals and sincere friends / from the Author. Oct. 12th 1923." Light overall wear hand-soil to boards top edge of textblock slightly grubby with tiny bumps to right fore-edge; Very Good. Dustjacket is deeply price-clipped lightly edgeworn and spine-sunned with a few small nicks and tears; measures 1/4" taller than the book; Very Good. Memoir of a career criminal who spent time incarcerated in Wisconsin and Connecticut State Prisons. "His career as a law-breaker ended with his well-known burglarizing of Mark Twain's home an unsuccessful attempt which won him the name of "the Mark Twain Burglar" from front flap. "Criticizes the convict labor system as slavery and unjust to free workers calls torture and punishment useless and attributes his own reform to the "human touch" SUVAK 155 p.46. D. Appleton and Company unknown books
193344786New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers 1933. Book Club Edition. With "H-H" code on copyright page. Octavo 21.5cm; dark blue cloth with titling and decorations stamped in lime green across spine and covers; gray topstain; patterned endpapers; viii2951pp. Previous owners name to upper front endpaper light wear to extremities else a bright Near Fine copy. BOMC booklet laid in. Attractive copy of Burnett's seventh book a novel set in California and centered around a down-and-out gambler his interaction with gangsters and his love affair with dog racing - particularly with a greyhound named Dark Hazard. Burnett became involved in dog racing for a time while writing the novel and even owned a greyhound named War Cry. Basis for Alfred E. Green's 1934 film of the same name starring Edward G. Robinson and Genevieve Tobin and a 1937 B-picture titled Wine Women and Horses. Hubin p.58; Baird 359. Harper & Brothers Publishers unknown books
193344785New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers 1933. Book Club Edition. With "H-H" code on copyright page. Octavo 21.5cm; dark blue cloth with titling and decorations stamped in lime green across spine and covers; patterned endpapers; dustjacket; viii2951pp. Inscribed by the author on the dedication page: "For Bill Paxson who likes greyhound racing as much as I do - Best regards - W.R. Burnett." Sunning to spine light wear to extremities with some scattered soil to front cover; contents clean; Very Good or better. Dustjacket is spine-sunned with modest shelfwear several tiny nicks and short tears and a 1.5" closed tear at upper front joint; Very Good. Inscribed copy of Burnett's seventh book a novel set in California and centered around a down-and-out gambler his interaction with gangsters and his love affair with dog racing - particularly with a greyhound named Dark Hazard. Burnett became involved in dog racing for a time while writing the novel and even owned a greyhound named War Cry. Basis for Alfred E. Green's 1934 film of the same name starring Edward G. Robinson and Genevieve Tobin and a 1937 B-picture titled Wine Women and Horses. Hubin p.58; Baird 359. Harper & Brothers Publishers unknown books
192919739New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1929. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo 22.5cm; purple cloth with titles stamped in gilt on spine and front panel; red topstain; dustjacket; 308pp 1. Vintage bookseller's ticket to rear pastedown upper board edges slightly darkened with a slight bump to upper right corner of front panel; Near Fine. Dustjacket is price-clipped with several edge tears and a dozen clear tape mends on verso; light wear and shallow chipping to extremities with a deeper chip at crown not affecting titles; just Very Good. Narrative account of Ernest Booth an unreprentant career criminal who by his own admission was an accomplished burglar and forger. "Booth's career as a thief was punctuated by several brief stays in county jails and over half of a five-year sentence at San Quentin. He secured an excellent inmate job at San Quentin photographer but after a parole denial soured on it and used the position as a front to appropriate salable items from the administration." Uncommon and rarely found in jacket. SUVAK 26. Alfred A. Knopf unknown books
182611366Boston: Various Publishers 1826-1829. Various Editions. Octavo 22cm.; cloth-backed boards with original paper spine label; 330pp paginated continuously but each report with a separate title page; six inserted leaves of woodcut plates. A solid well-preserved copy with scattered foxing to text; Very Good. First four reports of Timothy Dwight's pioneering Prison Discipline Society dedicated to the amelioration of the harsh conditions prevailing in American prisons during the early republic. With six woodcut plates mostly plans of prison buildlings and grounds. Various Publishers unknown books
191017715New York: Doubleday Page 1910. First Edition. Octavo 20cm. Blue ribbed cloth lettered in gilt on spine and front cover; 340pp. Photographic frontispiece portrait halftone showing the author with a group of his "boy friends." Mild rubbing to board edges; ownership signature to endpaper else a tight Near Fine copy. Autobiographical essays from the career of Judge Ben Lindsey a prominent child welfare advocate and long-time chief of the Denver juvenile court. With many anecdotes relating to child welfare gangs and juvenile delinquency in turn-of-the-century Denver. An uncommonly well-preserved copy. Doubleday, Page unknown books
194226538New York: Simon & Schuster 1942. First edition. Cloth. Very Good. Clothbound octavo. First edition of this uncommon Woolrich suspense novel which was the basis for the film The Leopard Man. Attractive prior owner bookplate to the front endpaper else a sound clean very good copy. Lacks the rare dustwrapper. 377 pp. Matching dates with no additional printings indicated. Simon & Schuster unknown books
199325568New York: St. Martin's Press 1993. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. First edition of his uncommon third book featuring Neal Carey. NF in NF unclipped jacket. INSCRIBED by the author and dated in year of publication. St. Martin's Press hardcover books
196713697New York: Random House 1967. First edition. Cloth. Near Fine/very good . First edition first printing. A novel of humor and murder by the author of The Mercenaries. SIGNED by the author on the title page. A near fine clothbound copy in very good plus unclipped dustwrapper. <br/><br/> Random House hardcover books
199521534London: Macmillan 1995. First UK edition. Hardcover. Fine/fine. Fine first UK edition in dustwrapper. A crime novel by the Edgar Award winning novelist. SIGNED by the author on the title page. Macmillan hardcover books
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
199421294London: Macmillan 1994. First U.K. Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First UK and true first edition of the author's third crime novel. SIGNED on the title page. Fine in fine unclipped jacket. Beautiful copy. <br/><br/> Macmillan hardcover books
199422588New York: St. Martin's Press 1994. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/near fine. Stated first edition of the author's second crime novel. A sharp clean near fine copy in dustwrapper. SIGNED by the author on the author on the title page and dated in year of publication. St. Martin's Press hardcover books
200021364London: No Exit Press 2000. First UK edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/near fine. First UK edition of the author's second gritty crime novel. 215 pp. Paper toned slightly else a near fine example in near fine price-intact dustwrapper. SIGNED by the author on the title page. <br/><br/> No Exit Press hardcover books
196613662New York: William Morrow 1966. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/very good. First edition of the author's first book an espionage novel that won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel of the Year. Crimp at top of spine else an exceptional copy in very good price intact dustwrapper with some creases and closed tears. Lightly toned at spine as often seen. A better than typical copy of this classic. William Morrow hardcover books
