{"product_id":"death-and-mr-prettyman-kenneth-giles-1st-edition","title":"Death and Mr Prettyman, Kenneth Giles — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication\u003c\/b\u003e London, Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1967\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. 192.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/b\u003e Near Fine. The original red cloth boards are remarkably clean, square, and tight, with sharp corners and un-bumped board edges that exhibit virtually no shelf-wear. The gilt tooling on the spine remains entirely bright and unoxidised, and the red top-stain to the text block is wonderfully vibrant. The text block is square and firmly bound; internally, the pages are crisp and clean, with only very minor, typical age-toning and faint spotting confined to the top edge. The iconic yellow dust jacket is present, unclipped (retaining the original 21\/- net price on the front flap), and extremely well-preserved. It shows only minimal rubbing to the spine ends and very faint age-toning to the yellow paper, while the signature red and black typography remains bold and unfaded. Overall, a highly attractive, tightly bound copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/b\u003e This is a First Edition of Kenneth Giles's fifth thriller, presented in the publisher's original red cloth binding and the trademark Gollancz typographic yellow dust jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe volume features a neat, contemporary reader's manuscript annotation in ink to the title page, dated 30\/12\/68, offering a brief, period-authentic review of the narrative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVintage Gollancz thrillers from this era are increasingly prone to heavy spine sunning, library stamps, and loss to the fragile paper dust jackets. Consequently, discovering a true first printing in such bright, securely bound, and un-restored condition is scarce on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA dense, positively Dickensian fog has descended upon London, cloaking a sinister wave of serial murders that has left the city terrified. Acting Inspector Harry James is thrust into a baffling investigation when Mr Prettyman, a respectable lawyer from Kent, is found dead in the Inns of Court with a black-handled knife in his back; the twelfth such victim in just three weeks. As panic grips the capital and whispers of a \"Jack the Ripper in reverse\" begin to spread, Giles masterfully weaves a tense, atmospheric, and distinctly eccentric whodunit.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54482957435219,"sku":"4029","price":79.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260729_155217.jpg?v=1785844029","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/death-and-mr-prettyman-kenneth-giles-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}