"There Was a Crooked Man"

New York: William Morrow and Company. Good+. 1936. First Edition. Hardcover. (lacking the original dust jacket, but encased in a professionally-made facsimile reproduction of same; see 2nd image posted with this listing) [shelfworn book, with some external soiling, bumping and fraying at several corners, one-time owner's inked initials plus date & place of purchase along edge of rear pastedown (concealed beneath jacket flap)]. The author's first mystery novel published under his own name (following a handful of earlier collaborative efforts with Charles Hunt Marshall as "Peter Hunt"), and the introduction of his amateur detective character, "the ancient and august Lord Broghville." While visiting friends in America, Lord B. gets involved in solving a baffling murder, as one does. (The jacket blurb declares that the creation of this character "will endear him to mystery-story fans" and that "you will meet him again in other mysteries by Mr. Yates," but the character apparently turned out to be a one-off. Yates himself turned out just a few more mystery novels before devoting himself primarily to screenwriting.) NOTE again that this book bears a FACSIMILE dust jacket, to serve the dual purpose of protecting the book from further wear and enhancing its appearance on the shelf; its presence has not been factored in to our pricing. .