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Erle Stanley Gardner

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The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito - Erle Stanley Gardner
1946 UK hardback first edition, first impression, Cassell, London
A VG+ book sadly in VG indeed unclipped dustwrapper
Clean contents and cloth, no names, inscriptions etc
The jacket shows shallow chips to spine and some wear and creasing to edges
A very scarce book in jacket and a Perry Mason novel
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Half Wakened Wife - Erle Stanley Gardner
1949 UK hardback first edition, first impression, Cassell, London
A VG++ book in VG++ unclipped dustwrapper
Clean contents and cloth, no names etc
Jacket shows no loss or tears, very bright
A fabulous copy and a Perry Mason novel
A very scarce title with stunning Reginald Heade cover artwork
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !
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The DA Holds a Candle - Erle Stanley Gardner
1938 American hardcover first edition, 1st impression, Morrow, New York
A VG++ book in VG++ unclipped dust jacket
Book has no names or inscriptions etc
The dustwrapper shows no loss or tears, clean and bright
Attractive jacket artwork
A particularly nice copy and offered well below market value
For Sale at £200 (approx $340) *DF6 - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Baited Hook
1940 American hardcover stated first edition, 1st impression, Morrow, New York
A VG+ book in VG+ $2.00 unclipped dust jacket
Book has no names or inscriptions etc
The dustwrapper has minor wear to extremities, clean and bright
Attractive jacket artwork
A scarce book massively below retail value
For Sale at £225 (approx $420) *P12 - free delivery worldwide !
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The D.A. Breaks an Egg
1959 UK paperback first Pan edition, London
A VG+ book with clean contents and covers
Minor rubbing to extremities
A beautiful redhead, a powerful newspaper magnate and a dodgy lawyer, all the usual ingredients
A nice clean copy
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) *PB1 - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Angry Mourner
1963 UK Pan paperback later edition, London
A VG book tidy wrappers and pages
Book shows no names,inscriptions, but a number to front cover
Two women who were with a playboy just before he was murdered act so suspiciously that they begin to suspect each other!
Lovely cover design
A nice period copy
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !
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The Case of the Lame Canary
1953 UK paperback first Penguin edition, London
A near VG book with usual light page tanning
Minor marks to wrappers
Perry Mason investigates
A solid copy
For Sale at £5.50 (approx $10) *df1 - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Lucky Loser
1965 UK Pan paperback first edition, London
A VG book tidy wrappers and contents
Book shows no names etc but a number to front cover
PM is hired by a rich and attractive woman to look into a case were the corpse died twice!
A nice clean copy
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !
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The Case of the Foot Loose Doll
1966 UK paperback first Pan edition, London
A VG book with clean contents and covers
Minor rubbing to edges, neat number to front cover
A girl fleeing from a scandal accepts a lift in a car and then suicidily forces the car to crash
A bright copy
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Backward Mule
1966 UK Pan paperback later edition, London
A VG book tidy wrappers and contents
Book has no names etc
A man tries to beat the lie detector using ancient Chinese principals of concentration, and does well until somethings blows the whole thing!
A nice clean copy
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !
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The DA Cooks a Goose
1943 UK hardback first edition, first impression, Cassell, London
A VG indeed book sadly without dust wrapper
Clean contents and cloth
A nice clean copy
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Reluctant Model - Erle Stanley Gardner
1967 UK hardback first edition, first impression, Heinemann, London
A near fine book in near fine unclipped dustwrapper
Clean contents and cloth, no names etc
Jacket shows no loss or tears
A nice copy of a Perry Mason mystery
For Sale at £13 (approx $20) *P12 - free delivery worldwide !
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The Case of the Grinning Gorilla
1960 UK hardback first Thriller Book Club edition, London
A VG+ book in VG+ unclipped dustwrapper
Book shows no names,inscriptions, tightly bound and square,
The dustwrapper shows minor wear to extremities
Very attractive jacket artwork
A nice clean copy, a Perry Mason thriller
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Long Legged Models
1965 UK hardback first Thriller Book Club edition, London
A VG+ book in VG+ unclipped dustwrapper
Book shows no names,inscriptions, tightly bound and square,
The dustwrapper shows minor wear to extremities
Very attractive jacket artwork
A nice clean copy, a Perry Mason mystery
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !
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The Case of the Restless Redhead
1961 UK hardback first Thriller Book Club edition, London
A VG+ book in VG+ unclipped dustwrapper
Book shows no names,inscriptions, tightly bound and square,
The dustwrapper shows minor wear to extremities
Very attractive jacket artwork
A nice clean copy, a Perry Mason novel
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Demure Defendant
1963 UK hardback Thriller Book Club edition, London
A VG+ book in VG+ unclipped dustwrapper
Book shows no names,inscriptions, tightly bound and square,
The dustwrapper shows minor wear to extremities
Very attractive jacket artwork
A nice clean copy, a Perry Mason mystery
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) *DF5 - free delivery worldwide !
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The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife - Erle Stanley Gardner
1956 English Penguin paperback first edition, London
A VG copy with tight contents
Usual paper tanning, lean to spine
Overall a clean solid copy
Perry Mason novel finds himself involved in a murder case whilst aboard a millionaires yacht
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) *B9 - free delivery worldwide !

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The D.A. Calls it Murder
1955 British Penguin paperback first edition, London
A near VG copy with tight contents
Usual paper tanning, lean to spine, light stain to cover
Overall a clean solid reading copy
Douglas Selby looks into the apparant unsuspicious death of a clergyman
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !
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The DA Calls a Turn
1954 English Penguin paperback first edition, London
A VG copy with tight contents
Usual paper tanning, lean to spine
Overall a clean reading copy
Doug Selby investigates the mysterious death of a drunk who just phoned thte police
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) *B9 - free delivery worldwide !

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The D.A. Draws a Circle
1961 British Penguin paperback first edition, London
A good only copy with tight contents
Usual paper tanning, lean to spine, small burn mark to rear cover
Overall a reading copy
A dubious lawyer takes up residence in Madison County
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) *B9 - free delivery worldwide !
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Two Clues
1964 English Penguin paperback first edition, London
A VG indeed copy with tight contents
Clean and bright
Overall a nice copy
A Bill Eldon mystery
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) *B9 - free delivery worldwide !

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The Case of the Cautious Coquette
1949 American book club edition in association with Morrow
A VG book in good dust jacket
A solid reading copy with very attractive period artwork
Same genral format as the true American 1st
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) *P12 - free delivery worldwide !
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The Case of the Green Eyed Sister
1962 UK paperback first Pan edition, London
A VG book with clean contents and covers
Minor rubbing to edges, neat number to front cover
A cold woman, blackmail and conspiracy, all in a days work for PM
A nice clean copy
For Sale at £SOLD (approx $SOLD) * - free delivery worldwide !

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Brief Biography
GARDNER, Erle Stanley. Also wrote as A. A. Fair; Carleton Kendrake; Charles J. Kenny. American. Born in Maiden, Massachusetts, 17 July 1889. Educated at Palo Alto High School, California, graduated 1909; Valparaiso University, Indiana, 1909; studied in law offices and admitted to the California Bar, 1911. Married 1) Natalie Talbert in 1912 (separated, 1935; died, 1968), one daughter; 2) Agnes Jean Bethell in 1968. Lawyer, Oxnard, California, 1911-18; salesman. Consolidated Sales Company. 1918-21; Lawyer, Ventura, California, 1921-33. Contributed hundreds of stories, often under pseudonyms, to magazines, 1923-32; self-employed writer after 1933. Founder and member of the Court of Last Resort (now the Case Review Committee), 1948-60; frequent reporter on criminal trials; Founder of Paisano Productions, 1957. Honorary Life Member, American Polygraph Association. Recipient: Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award. 1952; Grand Master Award, 1961. Honorary alumnus: Kansas City University, 1955; D.L.: McGeorge College of Law, Sacramento, California, 1956. Died 11 March 1970.

Erle Stanley Gardner - The Characters
Perry Mason
America's most famous criminal attorney, Perry Mason, was born in 1891. Though it is not possible to establish the exact place of birth, there is considerable evidence pointing to Fayette County, Pennsylvania. We know little of Mason's early career in Los Angeles. Mason is thought of as the unbeaten and unbeatable attorney, and this is generally borne out in his 85 cases. However, it should be noted that, in "The Case of the Terrified Typist," Mason hears the jury find his client guilty. There is also conflicting evidence regarding his record in other, unrecorded, cases. In 1933, as an example, Delia Street, his secretary, is quoted as saying to him, "Some of your clients got hung; others got free." Later that year, during another case, Mason takes pains to contradict the impression which might have resulted from Delia's remark, saying, "1 haven't had a client hung so far." In any case, Perry Mason has had great success and has established a lucrative law practice (he has collected a minimum of $600,000). Early in his career, Mason gave the impression that his practice was almost entirely criminal. However, he later admits that his office carries on a general practice. Though Mason does not advertise the locationof his off ice, it can be found in Los Angeles, near 7th Street and Broadway. Mason is a big man with long legs, broad shoulders and a rugged face. He has thick, wavy hair, an unlined face and he speaks in a well-modulated voice. He has little or no time for sports or exercise, yet he seems to be in good condition and acquits himself well in a fight. Perry Mason has never married, though there has been endless speculation regarding the degree of his intimacy with Delia Street. He lives alone at a residential hotel. Not only has Mason's name become a synonym for the skillful courtroom strategist but he, his secretary, Delia Street, his investigator, Paul Drake, and his adversaries, Hamilton Burger and Lieutenant Tragg, have become part of the common consciousness of millions. The earliest Mason novels (1933-36) were masterpieces of hardboiled pulp realism combined with staggeringly complex plotting. About 1937, under the influence of the slick magazines, the Mason tales became smoother, had more "love interest," but were as complex and fast-paced as ever. Serializations in the "Saturday Evening Post," a hugely popular Mason radio show during the 1940's and a television series begun in the late 195Q's, added millions to the fans of the courtroom wizard. No Mason novel has ever gone out of print in this country.

The DA
In a close vote, Doug Selby was elected District Attorney of Madison County, California, in 1936. The voters liked the handsome young man with curly hair, a devil-may-care look in his penetrating eyes, and a forceful mouth. He entered politics to reduce local corruption. Though his job is prosecuting criminals, Selby is equally interested in solving mysteries and identifying murderers. His job is a natural extension of his hobby, reading mystery stories.

Terry Clane
Formerly a lawyer in California and a member of the U.S. Diplomatic Service, suave adventurer Terry Clane gave up a promising career to undertake studies of culture and "concentration" in a Chinese monastery. His motives may not have been entirely scholarly, however, since he was probably.after gold and gems hidden in the monastery. Unsuccessful, he returned to the United States, where he continued his involvement in crime and adventure, usually on the right side of the law. He is 29, is 5' 11", 185 pounds, with dark, wavy hair, blue eyes and a smooth complexion.

Sheriff Bill Eldon
The genial, aging sheriff of Southern California's Rockville County, Bill Eldon is a shrewd, cautious man who is unpopular with local political leaders. They consider his methods dated, though even they admit he gets results. With the experience of hunting game animals and criminals for many years, the heavy-set sheriff has the ability to move with silent cat-like agility.

Lester Leith
Lester Leith is one of Perry Mason's blood (or ink) brothers in the legal profession and one of the great con men on the American scene. It was once estimated that he "earned" 7V4 million dollars during his career and donated it to charity - except for the 20% he kept for what he considered reasonable expenses. Most of his money was secured from baser crooks, whom he ultimately turned over to the police. Nonetheless, Leith's nemesis, police Sergeant Ackley, never stopped trying to incriminate him. Ackley placed a police undercover man as Leith's valet

Gramp Wiggins
The granddaughter of 70-year-old GrampWiggins is married to Frank Duryea, District Attorney of Santa Delbarro County, California. Foxy Grandpa has no fixed address, lives in a trailer and travels throughout the United States and Mexico. He has more pride in his housekeeping abilities than in his crime-solving talent; his trailer is always spic and span, he mixes a powerful martini and is a superb cook. Although generally on the side of law and order, Gramp is not averse to bringing illegal liquor and sugar into the United States on his return from Mexico.

Sidney Zoom
"I live life as I see it" is the philosophy of Sidney Zoom, a detective who cares little for the opinion of others. He is a tall, lean, hawk-eyed investigator, given to prowling the streets at night. He is particularly fond of rainy nights as, with his police dog, Rip, he seeks adventure and oddities of human behavior. The detective business is not an economic necessity for Zoom, who lives on a palatial yacht. He carries a special badge and commission given him by the Chief of Police, allowing him access where private citizens were forbidden entry.

If you like this author then the following may be of interest

Berkeley Gray         Bart Spicer         Cornell Woolrich         JS Fletcher         John D Macdonald         Evan Hunter        

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