Trent's Last Case

New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Good in Good dj. [ca.1939](c.1930). Reprint. Hardcover. [a sound copy with light shelfwear and a slightly turned spine, rated "Good" only on account of staining and some white residue on the rear cover, apparently from the jacket having gotten wet and been stuck to the book at some point; one-time owner's name plus date & place of purchase in ink on front endpaper; the jacket is internally reinforced with clear tape along all edges and folds, and the rear panel has external scarring and staining, and more internal staining, although the front panel is mostly unblemished]. Mystery classic, originally published in England in 1913, the U.S. the following year (as "The Woman in Black"). The "Last" of the title notwithstanding, it was actually the author's first novel as well as the first to feature Inspector Philip Trent, and is generally acknowledged (by Ellery Queen) to mark "the beginning of naturalism in the detective story, especially in characterization." (The author himself conceived the character of Trent as a kind of anti-Sherlock Holmes.) Charles Shibuk, in Reilly's "Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers," writes: "I venture to suggest that not only is this work the best 'first' produced by anyone writing in the mystery gnere, but that it is also one of the ten best mystery novels of all time. [It] remains mint-fresh, witty, literate, immensely appealing, and an exhilarating reading experience." Among its many admirers have been Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Edgar Wallace (whose endorsement is featured in a slug on the front panel of this jacket), and G.K. Chesterton (to whom the book was fulsomely dedicated by the author); among its relatively few nay-sayers was Raymond Chandler, who mocked some of what he considered its far-fetched plot points. It's been adapted for film (three times), radio, television, and the stage. Although this copy isn't exactly in top-notch condition, any jacketed editions from the pre-World War II era are pretty scarce. .