Recently Shelved
THE HAND IN THE GLOVE.
New York, Toronto: Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., [1937]. Octavo, pp. [1-4] [1-2] 3-284, original red cloth, front and spine stamped in black, fore edge uncut, bottom edge rough cut. First edition. Mystery novel introducing the character Theodolinda "Dol" Bonner. The only novel to feature Stout's female detective, she did make appearances in several short stories. "Against a sophisticated modern background, where details irrelevant to the plot are allowed to take a normal place, with puzzles within puzzles, really interesting characters, and a logical and surprising solution at the end, "The Hand in the Glove" is as well rounded as it is ingenious. And Dol Bonner should be welcomed with cheers." - NY Times book review, 19 September, 1937. Filmed in 1992 as a made for television picture titled "Lady Against the Odds." Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A15a. Item #23535
THE FATHER HUNT.
New York: The Viking Press, [1968]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. The British Crime Writer's Association award this novel with it's Silver Dagger Award for best novel. "Young Amy Denovo, whose mother was, killed in a recent, possibly not so accidental, hit-and-run, hires the great Nero to find out who her father is And in the process to discover, perhaps, the name of the mysterious benefactor who has been depositing checks to her account--a sum which now amounts to about $264,000. The $264,000 question is part and parcel of a plot that throws a few curves but doesn't really put his most excellent Wolfe to the test. Still, the Stout-hearted won't fuss."- Kirkus Review, 1 May, 1968. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A48a. Item #23534
THE MOTHER HUNT.
New York: The Viking Press, [1963]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "Nero and Archie make one of their flights from home, and the grand confrontation scene is staged at their refuge. Nero is competent but not remarkably so in finding out who did the two murders and the giving birth." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3078. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A44a. Item #23533
THREE AT WOLFE'S DOOR: A NERO WOLFE THREESOME.
New York: The Viking Press, 1960. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Collects three Nero Wolfe mystery stories. "Poison à la Carte," "Method Three for Murder," and "The Rodeo Murder." All three first published in magazines; The Saturday Evening Post and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, C11a. Item #23532
CORSAGE: A BOUQUET OF REX STOUT AND NERO WOLFE.
Bloomington, IN: James A. Rock & Company Publishers, 1977. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Of 276 bound in cloth, this is one of 250 numbered copies. In 1940 Stout writes BAD FOR BUSINESS and offers it The American Magazine, that publisher offered to double his fee if it was re-written as a Nero Wolfe story, the author obliged and titled it "The Bitter End." After magazine publication Stout chose not to republish the story. This is the first book publication of "The Bitter End." Also included in this volume is a Rex Stout interview and "Why Nero Wolfe Likes Orchids." Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, C14. Item #23421
A FAMILY AFFAIR.
New York: The Viking Press, [1975]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. The final Wolfe novel, Stout passes away six months after publication. "This late Nero Wolfe is remarkably good. A waiter at Rusterman's Restaurant is given a slip of paper with a name and address on it. Shortly thereafter, the waiter is blown to bits in Wolfe's south room, which effectively engages the big man's interest. Two other murders follow. When the main clue is found, it bearing comes as a shock to Nero and a surprise to the reader. Good byplay between Archie Goodwin and Lily Rowan puts this on par with the very best early tales" - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3069. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A50a. Item #23420
PLEASE PASS THE GUILT.
New York: The Viking Press, [1973]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. The penultimate Wolfe novel, Stout is 87 when this is published. "...Nero stands up pretty well but Archie is only a faint echo of his brash and witty self." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3081. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A50a. Item #23419
DEATH OF A DUDE.
New York: The Viking Press, [1969]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. Archie is on vacation with long time friend Lily Rowan. When there is a murder Nero travels to Montana to investigate. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A49a. Item #23418
THE FATHER HUNT.
New York: The Viking Press, [1968]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. The British Crime Writer's Association award this novel with it's Silver Dagger Award for best novel. "Young Amy Denovo, whose mother was, killed in a recent, possibly not so accidental, hit-and-run, hires the great Nero to find out who her father is And in the process to discover, perhaps, the name of the mysterious benefactor who has been depositing checks to her account--a sum which now amounts to about $264,000. The $264,000 question is part and parcel of a plot that throws a few curves but doesn't really put his most excellent Wolfe to the test. Still, the Stout-hearted won't fuss."- Kirkus Review, 1 May, 1968. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A48a. Item #23417
DEATH OF A DOXY.
New York: The Viking Press, [1966]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "First-rate Stout done at the age of 80. The tightness of the plot, the wit, and the people are done with sureness and speed, so that the book, though short, gives one the sense of having lived through a long stretch of tense expectation. New roles, too, for Orrie Cather, Cramer, and Wolfe in relation to a murder which they are not asked to investigate. Wolfe gets his $50,000 fee, which one hopes he splits with the author." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3066. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A47a. Item #23416
THE DOORBELL RANG.
New York: The Viking Press, [1965]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. A controversial book in some circles in that it painted the FBI. in a very unflattering light. Rex Stout was never one to shy away from controversy and was familiar with the recent book by investigative journalist Fred J. Cook, THE FBI NOBODY KNOWS. Cook's book published in 1964 was highly critical of J. Edgar Hoover and how he used the FBI for political purposes. Stout also had a low opinion of Hoover. From the Wikipedia entry on this novel: "Nero Wolfe is hired to force the FBI to stop wiretapping, tailing and otherwise harassing a woman who gave away 10,000 copies of a book that is critical of the Bureau and its director, J. Edgar Hoover." "The Doorbell Rang generated controversy when it was published, due largely to its unflattering portrayal of the FBI, its director and agents. It was published at a time when the public's attitude toward the FBI was turning critical, not long after Robert F. Kennedy and J. Edgar Hoover clashed and the Bureau was coming under fire for its investigations of Martin Luther King. Some dismissed the book: National Observer described it as "little more than an anti-FBI diatribe," and Nero Wolfe fan John Wayne wrote Rex Stout a terse note of goodbye after reading the condensed magazine version. But Clifton Fadiman, quoted in a Viking Press advertisement for The Doorbell Rang, thought it was "… the best of all Nero Wolfe stories." Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A46a. Item #23415
A RIGHT TO DIE.
New York: The Viking Press, [1964]. Octavo, cloth backed boards. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "The present mystery is directly linked to one of 25 years ago, Too Many Cooks, by the person of Paul Whipple, the young Negro who had helped solve it. Whipple, now a middle-aged professor of anthropology, comes to Nero Wolfe seeking help for himself. His thoroughly topical problem involves his son, an active worker in the civil rights movement, who has become engaged to a white girl. Her murder leads to Archie's active involvement and a second murder brings on a really surprise ending presided over by the nimitable Wolfe. Today's headlines, stoutly, adroitly handled." - Kirkus Review, 1 October, 1964. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A45a. Item #23414
THE MOTHER HUNT.
New York: The Viking Press, [1963]. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "Nero and Archie make one of their flights from home, and the grand confrontation scene is staged at their refuge. Nero is competent but not remarkably so in finding out who did the two murders and the giving birth." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3078. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A44a. Item #23411
GAMBIT.
New York: The Viking Press, 1962. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "There is more detection in this story than in any other of the mulling-and-quizzing sort; here we really see Nero Wolfe's thoughts whirring. Moreover, Archie is in excellent form, and although a chess tournament is a feature, the game itself is not. The great scene is that in which Nero reads and burns the pages of Webster's Dictionary, Third Edition." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3072. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A43a. Item #23410
HOMICIDE TRINITY: A NERO WOLFE THREESOME.
New York: The Viking Press, 1962. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Collects three Nero Wolfe mystery stories. "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo," "Death of a Demon," and "Counterfeit for Murder." All three first published in magazines; The Saturday Evening Post and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, C12a. Item #23409
THE FINAL DEDUCTION.
New York: The Viking Press, 1961. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "Archie not at his best and not amusing, though we do get information about his mother, and Wolfe has some fair repartee. The kidnapping and ransoming, for once, dully treated. ... Nero is ingenious in getting his fee, Archie subtle as well as useful, and Inspector Cramer able to work off his anger outside the house." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3071. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A42a. Item #23408
TOO MANY CLIENTS.
New York: The Viking Press, 1960. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "Good treatment of the love-nest theme, integral as well as central, which implies good characterization. Several new touches prevent the reader from taking Wolfe as a cliché. The sole reservation to be made is that the villain is not well enough concealed, perhaps because he is so well cast." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3092. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A41a. Item #23407
THREE AT WOLFE'S DOOR: A NERO WOLFE THREESOME.
New York: The Viking Press, 1960. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Collects three Nero Wolfe mystery stories. "Poison à la Carte," "Method Three for Murder," and "The Rodeo Murder." All three first published in magazines; The Saturday Evening Post and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, C11a. Item #23406
CHAMPAGNE FOR ONE.
New York: The Viking Press, 1958. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "Archie and Nero shine, once again, on the question: Who slipped the cyanide into the glass of the girl attending the unwed mothers' annual party at the house of their benefactress? Two small queries: would the dead philanthropist write the odd letter of gift that provides no better control of large funds than someone's probity? And how was the poison actually administered? One can't buy ready-mixed KCN." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3065. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A39a. Item #23404
AND FOUR TO GO: A NERO WOLFE FOURSOME.
New York: The Viking Press, 1958. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Collects four Nero Wolfe mystery stories. "Christmas Party," "Easter Parade," "Fourth of July Picnic," and "Murder Is No Joke." All four first published in magazines, Look, Saturday Evening Post and Collier's. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, C10a. Item #23403
IF DEATH EVER SLEPT.
New York: The Viking Press, 1957. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "Though Archie Goodwin is here in top form, not much else can be said for this dose of the mixture as before. Archie is put in as secretary to a rich operator whose business secrets are being stolen. Wolfe neither foresees nor prevents a couple of murders. His activities are limited to three lengthy interviews, at the last of which the killer is unmasked by the use of evidence supplied largely by Inspector Cramer." - Barzun & Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (1989), 3074. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A38a. Item #23402
THREE FOR THE CHAIR: A NERO WOLFE THREESOME.
New York: The Viking Press, 1957. Octavo, boards. First edition. Collects three Nero Wolfe mystery stories. "A Window for Death," "Immune to Murder," and "Too Many Detectives." First published in magazines; The American Magazine and Colliers. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, C9a. Item #23401
MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD.
New York: The Viking Press, 1956. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "The missing person that Nero Wolfe contracts to find turns out to be in prison for murder so His Obesity is forced to undo a conviction before he can claim his fee. Backtracking where the police have not, Wolfe's able crew untangle the dead man's connections, set off three more killings and present him with enough facts that sting to pounce on the real killer. All the tricks in the trade." - Kirkus Review, 1 October, 1956. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A37a. Item #23400
MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD.
New York: The Viking Press, 1956. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "The missing person that Nero Wolfe contracts to find turns out to be in prison for murder so His Obesity is forced to undo a conviction before he can claim his fee. Backtracking where the police have not, Wolfe's able crew untangle the dead man's connections, set off three more killings and present him with enough facts that sting to pounce on the real killer. All the tricks in the trade." - Kirkus Review, 1 October, 1956. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A37a. Item #23399
BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
New York: The Viking Press, 1955. Octavo, cloth. First edition. A Nero Wolfe mystery novel. "Nero Wolfe again and his faithful Archie are confronted with a ticklish Job in solving the problem of the disappearance of a wallet which contained the answers to a nationwide contest, now reduced to the final contestants. That the man who was carrying the wallet had been murdered was not Wolfe's concern: Just how he faces failure -- and brings off success with a flourish leaves the reader still questioning. Slick -- and not quite fair." Kirkus Review, 1 October, 1955. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, A36a. Item #23397