Bookmaven

companion to TheBeautifulBook

[bookmaven]

Bookmaven — Collectable genre Paperbacks, Hardcovers, Digests, & Pulps.

The Beautiful Book — Illustrated books; Art, Treasure, & Vintage bindings.

NEW! The Golden Afternoon — Vintage children’s books

ABookPlace — Libraries to drool over, Independent (physical) Bookstores, Book Plates…

Banned Library — Books that have been challenged/removed from libraries.

BendingLight — Surreal images to jump-start your imagination.

TelzeyLovesTigger — Some personal favorites from around the net.

A very small number of images on these blogs are copyrighted; for these I invoke Fair Usage claiming neither ownership nor rights, and intend their inclusion only for the promotion of the book/author/artist. Please check all artwork before re-using. If you want your copyrighted work removed, or if you find a mistake, please contact me. My blogs are for fun. Comments/Requests welcome. —Lydia Marano, Bookmaven

AlSO NEW! Having no life, I’ve begun the time-consuming project to restore/rework some public domain cover designs for inclusion in my Redbubble shop where they’re available on a variety of products from wall art to totes. New designs every week.

[bookmaven]

THE LITTLE SISTER by Raymond Chandler (New York: Pocket #750, 1950)

(London: Hamish, 1949) Cover art by Cecil W. Bacon. // (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1949) Cover art by Boris Artzybasheff.

The Little Sister is a 1949 noir novel by Raymond Chandler, the fifth featuring his iconic private investigator Philip Marlowe, set in 1940s Los Angeles and delving into the corrupt world of Hollywood through a missing persons case involving a starlet and her siblings. The plot follows Marlowe as he investigates a seemingly simple case for a young woman, Orfamay Quest, which spirals into blackmail, murder, and a web of deception involving movie stars, gangsters, and corrupt cops, showcasing Chandler's sharp dialogue and cynical view of the film industry.

(New York: Pocket, 1957) // (New York: Ballantine, c.1970) Tom Adams cover art.

[bookmaven]

THE CASE OF THE CARETAKER’S CAT by Erle Stanley Gardner (New York: Pocket #138, 1942) Perry Mason.

(New York: Morrow, 1935) // (World Publishing, 1946)

The Case of the Caretaker's Cat is a 1935 Perry Mason mystery novel by Erle Stanley Gardner, featuring a dispute over a will that involves a caretaker, his cat, and a million-dollar estate, leading to murder and a classic courtroom showdown where the cat plays a surprising role in Mason's victory. It's the seventh book in the series and was adapted for the Perry Mason TV show.

(New York: Pocket #138, 1954) // (New York: Pocket #4508, 1963) // (New York: Pocket #138, 1970)

[bookmaven]

RED HARVEST by Dashiell Hammett (New York: Pocket #241, 1943) Cover by Hoffman.

(New York: Knopf, 1929) // (London: Knopf, 1929)

Red Harvest is a seminal 1929 hardboiled detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, featuring his recurring character, the Continental Op, in the corrupt mining town of "Poisonville" (Personville). The nameless detective is hired to clean up the town's gang warfare but instead orchestrates a bloody conflict between rival factions, leading to widespread violence and corruption, and becoming a suspect in a murder himself. The novel is famous for its gritty realism, moral ambiguity, and its role in defining the hardboiled genre, with the Op using ruthless tactics to pit criminals against each other until they destroy themselves.

(New York: Perma Books #3043, 1958) Cover by Lou Marchetti. // (London: Panther, 1958) Cover by John Vernen.

(New York: Perma Books, 1961) Cover by Harry Bennett. // (New York: Knopf, 1989)

[bookmaven]

The Philip Marlowe crime thrillers by Raymond Chandler received a makeover in the early 1970s.

Tom Adam’s paintings beautifully evoke both the beauty and darkness of 1930s life in Los Angeles.

‘Chandler had an immense stylistic influence on American popular literature. He is a founder of the hard-boiled school of detective fiction, along with Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain and other Black Mask writers. The protagonist of his novels, Philip Marlowe, like Hammett's Sam Spade, is considered by some to be synonymous with "private detective". Both were played in films by Humphrey Bogart, whom many consider to be the quintessential Marlowe.’ —Wiki

[bookmaven]

BLOOD MONEY by Dashiell Hammett (NY: Dell #53, 1944) Cover by Gerald Gregg.; (NY: Dell #486, 1951) Cover by Robert Stanley.

THE CONTINENTAL OP by Dashiell Hammett (NY: Dell #129, 1946) Cover by Gerald Gregg.

THE CREEPING SIAMESE by Dashiell Hammett (NY: Dell #538, 1951). Cover by Robert Stanley.

DEAD YELLOW WOMEN by Dashiell Hammett. (NY: Dell #308, 1949). Cover by Gerald Gregg.

HAMMETT HOMICIDES by Dashiell Hammett (NY: Dell #223, 1948). Cover by Gerald Gregg.

A MAN CALLED SPADE by Dashiell Hammett (NY: Dell #90, 1945) Cover by Gerald Gregg.; (NY: Dell #411, 1950) Cover by Robert Stanley.

NIGHTMARE TOWN by Dashiell Hammett (NY: Dell #379, 1950) Cover by Robert Stanley.

THE RETURN OF THE CONTINENTAL OP by Dashiell Hammett. (NY: Dell #154, 1947) Cover by Gerald Gregg.

————————

Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Drawing upon his experience as a Pinkerton agent, Hammett created the enduring, hard-boiled characters Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse) and the comic strip character Secret Agent X-9.

Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time". In his obituary in The New York Times, he was described as "the dean of the ... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."

[bookmaven]

THE WOMAN IN BLACK by Leslie Ford. [aka Zenith Jones Brown] (New York: Dell mapback #447, 1957)

THE WOMAN IN BLACK by Leslie Ford (London: Crime Club, 1948) // (New York: Scribner, 1948)

[bookmaven]

THE CAT SAW MURDER by D.B. Olsen. (New York: Dell mapback #35, [1939])

(Doubleday Doran, 1939)

When Rachel Murdock and her sister Jennifer receive a call for help from their favourite niece, Lilly, in Breakers Beach, CA, they quickly hop on a train from Los Angeles to see her — but not before collecting their prized cat Samantha in a picnic basket and bringing her along for the ride. Samatha, it turns out, is an heiress, the inheritor of a fortune left by a wealthy relative and so the attempt at the cat’s life, made right after they arrive, comes as a shock. The cat survives but unfortunately, Lilly, murdered soon thereafter, is not so lucky.

[bookmaven]

MURDER AND THE MARRIED VIRGIN by Brett Halliday. (New York: Dell mapback #128, [1944])

Murder and the Married Virgin is a 1944 Mike Shayne mystery novel by Brett Halliday, featuring a "locked room" murder in New Orleans where a maid is found dead in a gas-filled room, which Shayne investigates alongside a missing emerald necklace case. It's the 10th book in the series and notable for being the first to feature Lucy Hamilton as Shayne's secretary. The plot involves Shayne looking into the apparent suicide of a soldier's fiancée, which leads him to the wealthy family's missing jewels and a complex case.

[bookmaven]

TOO BUSY TO DIE by H.W. Roden (New York: Dell mapback #185, 1947)

TOO BUSY TO DIE by H.W. Roden (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1944)

TOO BUSY TO DIE (London: Corgi, 1953(

[bookmaven]

COLD STEAL by Alice Tilton [aka Phoebe Atwood Taylor] (New York: Dell mapback #142, 1930)

COLD STEAL by Alice Tilton. [aka Phoebe Atwood Taylor] (New York: Popular Library, 1967)

[bookmaven]

WHOSE BODY? by Dorothy L. Sayers. (New York: Avon)// (London: Collins, 1937)

WHOSE BODY? (Literary Press, 1930)

Whose Body? is the first novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, published in 1923, and it introduces her famous amateur detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. The plot begins when an architect finds a naked corpse wearing only pince-nez glasses in his bathtub, while a wealthy financier mysteriously disappears, leading Wimsey to investigate if the two events are connected, uncovering a complex plot involving identity theft and murder

WHOSE BODY? by Dorothy L. Sayers (New York: Avon Mystery Monthly #14, 1943)

[bookmaven]

THE 24TH HORSE by Hugh Pentecost (New York: Popular, 1946[?])

THE 24TH HORSE by Hugh Pentecost [aka Judson Philips]. (New York: Dodd Mead, 1940)

Featuring Inspector Luke Bradley, the novel is set in the world of indoor steeplechase racing, where a murder investigation unfolds after a body is found in a car, leading Bradley through a complex case involving wealthy and desperate characters. The title refers to the 24 stages of difficulty in learning to jump horses, and the book is known for its fast pace and classic hardboiled detective style, with a plot that includes clues for the reader to solve the crime.

[bookmaven]

THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie. (New York: Pocket, [1926]) Hercule Poirot

Agatha Christie novel known for its controversial and groundbreaking twist ending that reshaped the mystery genre. The story follows Poirot as he investigates the murder of wealthy Roger Ackroyd in the quiet English village of King's Abbot, a case complicated by blackmail and the recent suicide of Ackroyd's fiancée, Mrs. Ferrars. Narrated by Dr. James Sheppard, the novel is celebrated for its shocking conclusion, which was voted the best crime novel ever by the British Crime Writers' Association.

THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie. (London: , Collins, 1926) Cover by Ellen Edwards.

THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie. (New York: Dodd Mead, 1926)

THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie. (London: Fontana, [1926])

[bookmaven]

DEATH OF A TALL MAN by Frances and Richard North. (New York: Dell mapback #322, [1946])

DEATH OF A TALL MAN by Frances and Richard North. (New York: Lippincott, 1946)

Death of a Tall Man is a 1946 mystery novel by Frances and Richard Lockridge, the ninth book in their popular Mr. and Mrs. North series, featuring amateur sleuths Pamela and Jerry North. The plot centers on the seemingly impossible murder of a Manhattan doctor, bludgeoned to death in his office with no one seen entering or leaving, a case that the Norths help solve with their unique investigative skills.

[bookmaven]

MURDER IN THE MIST by Zelda Popkin (New York: Dell, [1940])

MURDER IN THE MIST (New York: Lippincott, 1940)

Murder in the Mist is a 1940 mystery novel by Zelda Popkin, featuring her recurring detective, Mary Carner, a professional investigator for a New York department store. The story follows Mary and her husband, Chris, as they investigate the murder of an artist's model at a Massachusetts tourist hotel, encountering eccentric guests and staff while piecing together clues. It's known as a classic "whodunit" from the Golden Age of detective fiction, praised for its pure mystery and competent female sleuth

[bookmaven]

A TASTE FOR COGNAC by Brett Halliday (New York: Dell 10¢ #15, 1951) Michael Shayne.