NIGHTMARE ALLEY.
New York, Toronto: Rinehart and Company, Inc., [1946]. Octavo, original black cloth, spine stamped in gold and green, fore edge untrimmed, bottom edge trimmed, top edge stained green. First edition. The author's first book. "Grotesque thriller in which a carnival huckster tries to exploit the tricks of his trade in carving out a career as a high society occultist. Its deployment of carnival bizarrerie links it to THE CIRCUS OF DR. LAO (1935) and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1962)." - Barron (ed), Fantasy and Horror 4-58. Basis for the 1947 film noir (the film was directed by Edmund Goulding and starred Coleen Gray and Joan Blondell). Recently remade. Johnson, The Dark Page, p. 122. Some darkening to interior gutter margins, neat inked gift inscription to front paste down (hidden by front flap), some bubbling to cloth of front cover, a very good copy in a very good dust jacket with rubbing to the edges and folds, a 15 mm closed tear and crease at lower left front cover, light wear with tiny chips to spine ends, rear panel is age darkened with several tiny edge tears. (30494). Item #30494
Price: $850.00