THE BLACK ORCHIDS: A NERO WOLFE DOUBLE MYSTERY.
New York and Toronto: Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., [1942]. Octavo, pp. [1-8] [1-2] 3-271 [272-280: blank], original brownish-red cloth front and spine stamped in black, fore edge uncut, bottom edge rough cut. First edition. The ninth Nero Wolfe mystery. Collects two stories, "Black Orchids" and "Cordially Invited to Meet Death." Both stories first published in the American Magazine. "Nero Wolfe and his ebullient amanuensis Archie Goodwin are here at top form in two "novellas" ... The first concerns a cleverly contrived murder at New York's annual Flower Show. The second features an adroit bit of poisoning in the fantastic Riverdale ménage — and menagerie — of a successful party-arranger for Manhattan society. First-class entertainment." - Time magazine review, 1 June, 1942. Hubin, pp. 777-778. Townsend, Rex Stout: An Annotated and Secondary Bibliography, C1a. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket with mild shelf wear to spine ends and corner tips. (23381). Item #23381
Price: $3,750.00