DEATH OF A BOOKSELLER [TOGETHER WITH] THE GENTLE ART OF BOOK COLLECTING Farmer, Bernard J. Mystery & Detective

First Impression. Octavo (19.25cm); black cloth, with titling and decorations stamped in gilt on spine; dustjacket; [viii],208pp. Subtle offsetting to endpapers, else a fresh, Fine copy. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced 12s 6d net), showing subtle toning to rear panel and flap edges, some toning and faint foxing on verso, with light wear to extremities and some very minor and very skillful color touch-up to spine ends and upper corner of front flap (along with one tiny tape mend on verso); Very Good+. Together with: The Gentle Art of Book Collecting. London: Thorson's Publishers Ltd., 1950. First Edition, First Impression. Octavo (19cm); teal cloth, with titles stamped in gilt on spine; dustjacket; [6],7-93,[3]pp. Offsetting to endpapers, some foxing to text edges; Near Fine in a Very Good+ dustjacket, unclipped (priced 6s. net), spine-sunned, with some toning and foxing to panels. The English author's second book, and one of the all-time great bibliomysteries, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the London book trade (including some of its cutthroat elements), the murder of a book scout, and the police sargeant in charge of finding his murderer. Accompanied by Farmer's earlier non-fiction volume on book collecting, the contents of which inform the plot of his novel. Hubin, p.137; Penzler, Bibliomysteries p.47.