A 1942 detective novel by John Dickson Carr: The Emperor’s Snuff-Box
Carr, a major figure in twentieth-century detective fiction, wrote it as a standalone crime novel. This copy has a skull-and-question-mark cover.
The story
John Dickson Carr made his name with detective stories, and The Emperor’s Snuff-Box, copyrighted in 1942, is one he wrote to stand on its own rather than as part of a series. Harper & Brothers had the first edition; this is the later hardcover from P. F. Collier & Son of New York, issued by arrangement with Harper. Its copyright page gives 1942, but the year of this printing has not been established.
What sets this copy apart is its cover. Collier bound it in black textured cloth stamped with a yellow skull among red question marks, and put a second skull on the spine. It announces the genre before a word is read: a death, and a question to be answered. It is a period piece of mystery-cover design as well as a novel.
The boards show light to moderate rubbing, with wear at the edges and corners and small scuffs at the ends of the spine. The pages have toned with age, and the text is clean in the pages sampled. The binding is intact, and there is no dust jacket.
Details
- Date
- Copyright 1942; undated P. F. Collier edition
- Publisher
- P. F. Collier & Son Corporation, New York
- Edition
- P. F. Collier edition issued by arrangement with Harper & Brothers; printing year not stated
- Binding
- cloth: Black textured cloth or cloth-like hardcover with pictorial red and yellow skull/question mark stamping
- Condition
- Illustrated black textured hardback boards with yellow skull and red question marks, and skull motif on spine. Attractive, clearly legible design. Visible light-to-moderate shelf rubbing and edge/corner wear, small scuffs at head and foot of spine; text block and pages toned with age. Back board plain. Interior text appears clean in sampled pages. No dust jacket. Binding appears intact in photos. Full collation and unphotographed pages not verified. Condition as pictured.