Gardner, Erle Stanley

Dead Men's Letters and Other Short Novels

ISBN: 9780881845792
New York, NY, USA: Carroll & Graf, 1990. First Edition. Hardcover. “Erle Stanley Gardner (1889–1970) was an American novelist and lawyer and was the best-selling American author of the 20th century at the time of his death. Innovative and restless in his nature, he was bored by the routine of legal practice, the only part of which he enjoyed was trial work and the development of trial strategy. In his spare time, he began to write for pulp magazines, which also fostered the early careers of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. He created many different series characters for the pulps, including the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief" in the tradition of Raffles, and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer who was the archetype of his most successful creation, the fictional lawyer and crime-solver Perry Mason, about whom he wrote more than eighty novels. With the success of Perry Mason, he gradually reduced his contributions to the pulp magazines, eventually withdrawing from the medium entirely, except for non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science. Offered here today is a collection of Gardner’s novellas Dead Men’s Letters. Following Garner’s most enduring hero, Ed Jenkins, Dead Men’s Letters is a collection that sees Jenkins across some of the most thrilling adventures that Gardner ever put to the page. From the collection of Barbara (1935-2023) & Irving (1933-2018) Nusbaum - world travelers, connoisseurs, eminent collectors of art & books, and the dearly beloved late parents of our esteemed founder, Arthur S. Nusbaum. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket. First edition though not explicated as such at copyright page, presumed first printing though similarly not explicated as such. Book is in very fine condition with only the slightest wear to fine edges; dust jacket is in very fine condition with light wear to fine edges and minimal smudging to front and back covers. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #6553]

Price: $70.00