THE MOVING TOYSHOP.
London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1946. Octavo, pp. [1-6] 7-151 [152: blank], cloth. First edition. The third Gervase Fen novel. "The climatic scene, revolving around a chase to catch the criminal, is so powerful, so moving, that Alfred Hitchcock borrowed it to use as the windup in his film Stranger on a Train." - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, p. 173. "...if one accepts the books in the spirit in which they were written, they are splendid examples of the detective story as great entertainment. The amuse, they shock and they surprise." - Pederson (ed.), St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, (4th ed.), pp. 255-257. [Reference: Hubin, p. 200. Haycraft-Queen cornerstone. Adey, Locked Room Murders and Other Impossible Crimes (1991), 533. ]. Small neat inked name and date to upper front free end paper, mild toning to end papers and text block, small booksellers ticket to bottom of front paste down, some fading to cloth edges and spine, a good copy in a good dust jacket with dust soiling, chips with loss to corner tips and spine ends (affecting title lettering). (30925). Item #30925
Price: $250.00