DARK HAZARD
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1933. First Edition. Item #7870
First Printing, with publisher's "F-H" code on copyright page. Octavo (21.5cm); evergreen cloth, with titling and decorative elements stamped in black and orange on spine and front cover; Art-Deco patterned endpapers; dustjacket; [viii],[1]-295,[1]pp. Base of spine gently nudged, some faint, scattered foxing to text edges; Near Fine. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced $2.50), lightly shelfworn, with a faint vertical fold at spine, some dust-soil to rear panel, with several nicks, tears, and attendant creases, and evidence of some clear tape removal along the edges on verso; Very Good.
Burnett's seventh book, a novel set in California and centered around a down-and-out gambler, his interaction with gangsters, and his love affair with dog racing – particularly with a black greyhound named Dark Hazard. Burnett became involved in dog racing for a time while writing Dark Hazard, and even owned a greyhound named War Cry. Easily the scarcest of Burnett's trade editions, particularly in dustjacket; the Book Club edition, issued in August, 1933, is ubiquitous, and frequently misidentified by booksellers and auctioneers alike. Basis for Alfred E. Green's 1934 film of the same name, starring Edward G. Robinson and Genevieve Tobin, and a 1937 B-picture titled Wine, Women, and Horses. Hubin, p.58; Baird 359.
Price: $2,850.00