Skinflick, Joseph Hansen — 1st UK Edition

Publication: London, Faber and Faber Limited, 1980

Formatting: 8vo.

Condition Report: Very Good. The book remains squarely bound in its original black cloth boards, which are notably sharp and feature bright, unoxidised silver lettering to the spine. The binding is tight and structurally sound throughout. Internally, the text block displays a degree of even age-toning typical for paper stock of this period, alongside some mild, faint spotting to the page edges, but the pages themselves remain entirely clean, legible, and free of prominent blemishes. It is housed in its original, unclipped dust jacket, which retains a pleasing gloss. The jacket exhibits some moderate, superficial rubbing to the panels and minor creasing along the top edges and spine extremities; small signs of careful shelf-wear that do not detract from a highly presentable overall appearance.

Catalogue Note: This is the true first UK edition (and first British printing) of Joseph Hansen's Skinflick, marking the fifth instalment in his acclaimed Dave Brandstetter mystery series. Following its initial American publication in 1979, the title was subsequently brought to the British market. The book is issued in its primary black cloth binding and retains the original photographic dust jacket. Lacking any library stamps, bookplates, or heavy institutional wear, this presents as a clean, straightforward retail copy.

While the American first edition appears on the secondary market with relative frequency, this specific British printing in its original jacket has become increasingly scarce, making it a desirable acquisition for collectors of hardboiled crime fiction and groundbreaking LGBTQ+ literature.

In Skinflick, death claims investigator Dave Brandstetter is drawn into a grim and labyrinthine case when an aggressive anti-pornography crusader is found strangled. The prime suspect is the proprietor of a local adult novelty store; a man whose business had recently been targeted by the victim's relentless religious zealotry. But as Brandstetter digs deeper into the neon-lit underbelly of late-1970s Los Angeles, navigating the clashing worlds of evangelical Christianity and the illicit film industry, he discovers that the truth is far more twisted than the authorities assume. Joseph Hansen masterfully intertwines a gripping narrative with incisive social commentary, continuing to push the boundaries of the traditional private eye novel.