Search Results: postman rings by cain

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. First edition of one of the most important crime novels of the twentieth century, adapted as a motion picture seven times. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly Signed by James M. Cain on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to the crown. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very nice example, rare and desirable signed. It is sometimes easy to trace a literary genre to its source, and James M. Cain's first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is the noir novel that paved the way for all the noir fiction that followed. The famous film starring Lana Turner and John Garfield is notoriously dark, but the novel is even more full of despair and devoid of hope. It is a short book--little more than a novella--but its searing characterization and depiction of tawdry greed and lust is branded into every reader's memory" (Otto Penzler). Listed by Modern Library as one of the 100 greatest novels of the twentieth century.

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. First Edition. Cain's first novel, and one of the defining works of crime fiction to come out of the Depression. "An itinerant worker and the young wife of the Greek owner of a roadside lunchroom near Los Angeles plot her husband's murder. The first attempt fails; the second succeeds. What follows is guilt, suspicion, betrayal, their own deaths, and a novel that anticipated the trend of existentialism in fiction" (Baird 379). Cain was a generous signer of books, nearly to the end of his days, but presentation copies of Postman have always been uncommon. This copy is one of just five that have appeared in the auction record (the others were inscribed to Walter Lippman, Tatnall Brown, Samuel Marx, and Teddy LeBeau). Lackritz (1945-2009) was a bibliophile and pre-eminent Sherlockian, whose comprehensive collection of mystery and detective fiction was offered in a three-part name sale at Christie's in 2002 (a serious literary event). A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone title,… Read More

First UK Edition; A Near Fine book in a Near Fine dust jacket. Typed Letter SIGNED by the author on his stationary laid in. This is the very scarce 1st UK edition; although not the true first (the US was published shortly beforehand), the UK is super rare to find in collectible condition, particularly in the ORIGINAL jacket with no restoration or repair; a truly unique item and a must for the 20th century mystery collector! This novel is on the Modern Library list of 100 greatest novels and is the basis for many film and screen adaptations. This copy is in near fine condition with a square, tight binding, clean yellow boards with bold black lettering, and crisp, off-white to white pages; age spotting is present to the exterior text block and free papers and only light shelf wear to the board edges, else fine. Housed in a near fine dust jacket that is remarkably free of any rubbing or chipping but does show minor discoloration and soiling to the back panel, spine, and flap edges (please see scans for… Read More

New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1934. First edition, first printing. First edition, first printing. With an original black and white photo laid in, signed by the author. Publisher's original orange cloth with blue titles and borders to upper board and spine, in the Arthur Hawkins, Jr illustrated dustwrapper. Top edge blue. An excellent near fine copy, the binding firm and the cloth bright and fresh. The contents with some spotting to the prelims and closed text block edge are otherwise clean and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed, price-clipped dustwrapper that has some small scuffs to the bottom edge of the front panel and some toning to the spine, folds and flap edges. Loosely laid in is a black and white photograph of the author which he has signed in black ink. The author's seminal first novel. A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. (Hubin). Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.

New York: The World Publishing Company, 1946. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. First thus of this omnibus edition, signed by Cain on the ffep. Very good book with some shelf wear at spine ends and corner tips. Jacket has 1" triangular chip from head of spine, chipping at heel and corners, and a tear to top edge of inner rear flap. Good. Very scarce signed copy of the author's most prominent work(s).

Franklin Library, Franklin Center, Pennsylvania, 1988. Franklin Library Edition, Mystery Masterpiece, 1988. Brown cloth over boards gold designs and lettering, pictures of newspaper front pages, front and back. In Near Mint condition, clean and bright, no,fading, colors vibrant./No dust jacket as issued. The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1934 crime novel by James M Cain. The novel was successful and notorious upon publication It is regarded as one of the more important crime novels of the 20th century Fast-moving and brief (only about 100 pages long, depending on the edition), the novel's mix of sexuality and violence was startling in its time and caused it to be banned in Boston. Double Indemnity is an influential 1943 crime novel, written by American journalist-turned-novelist James M Cain It was first published in serial form in Liberty magazine in 1936 and then was one of "three. Near Mint condition, clean and bright, no,fading, colors vibrant High quality paper, acid free paper is 70-pound… Read More