THE CASE OF THE LAZY LOVER - INSCRIBED TO MARLENE DIETRICH
New York: William Morrow & Company, 1947. First Edition. Item #8418
First Printing. Octavo (19.5cm); teal simulated cloth boards, with titles stamped in dark blue on spine and front cover; dustjacket; [vi],250pp. Inscribed by the author on the front endpaper to German-American actress Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992): "To Marlene Dietrich / Whose smile was worth more than a million books of any author / With my best / Yours / Erle Stanley Gardner." Spine ends worn, some board exposure to upper right corner of front cover, with some scuffs to the binding and two small, faint spots to right edge of textblock; Very Good. In a supplied dustjacket designed by Barye Phillips, unclipped (priced $2.50), edgeworn, with several small nicks, tears, and attendant creases, a longer tear to lower front panel, and a few small stains to rear panel; Very Good.
The 30th Perry Mason novel, where Mason and Della Street are tangled in a case involving a forged check, a runaway wife, and a curiously lazy lover. An effusive (even by Gardner's standards) inscription to the acclaimed Hollywood actress, who starred in numerous noirs and crime capers, but never a Perry Mason adaptation (alas). Mundell, p.48. 8418.
Price: $3,500.00