
1959 Morrow US first edition

1960 Heinemann UK first edition

1961 Corgi reissue from the UK

1962 Pocket reissue, cover art by Harry Bennett

1963 Corgi reissue from the UK

1964 Pocket reissue, 3rd print


1959 Morrow US first edition

1960 Heinemann UK first edition

1961 Corgi reissue from the UK

1962 Pocket reissue, cover art by Harry Bennett

1963 Corgi reissue from the UK

1964 Pocket reissue, 3rd print


1953 Hammish Hamilton UK hardcover, the true first edition of this novel

1954 Houghton Mifflin hardcover, first US edition – (owner’s copy)
cover illustration by Lorraine
final Marlowe novel, an American classic and winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel

1954 Hammish Hamilton book club edition

August 1955 Pocket reissue, 2nd printing – (owner’s copy)
cover art by Tom Dunn


1964 Pocket reissue – cover art by Harry Bennett


1971 Ballantine reissue – cover art by Richard Waldrep

1971 Penguin UK reissue – cover design by James Tormey

1972 Ballantine reissue – cover art by Tom Adams (owner’s copy)

1973 Ballantine movie tie-in reissue (owner’s copy)

1979 Pan/Macmillan reissue – cover photo by Richard Williams



1988 UK Vintage/Black Lizard reissue

1988 Vintage/Black Lizard reissue

1988 Vintage/Black Lizard reissue




1932 Stokes hardcover
cover art on this later Pocket reissue by Harry Bennett
5th in the series

1941 Morrow hardcover
4th in the Bertha Cool & Donald Lam series

cover art by George A. Frederiksen/ mapback by Ruth Belew


1951 British Pocket paperback edition
cover art by Roland Davies

1959 Panther edition from Britain – cover art by Ley Kenton

1952. Dell reissue – cover art by Carl Bobertz

1957 Dell reissue – cover illustration by by Push-Pin Studios

April 1962 Dell reissue – cover art by Harry Bennett

1967 Dell reissue – cover art by Robert Abbett

1961 Perma Books paperback original
2nd with Lt. Shomri Shomar
cover art by Harry Bennett

pseudonym of Prentice Winchell, who also wrote as Stewart Sterling
1960 Doubleday hardcover, this the later 1961 Pocket paperback
cover art by Harry Bennett
better image than previously posted


1956 Dell reissue
cover art by Victor Kalin

cover art by Harry Bennett
better image than previously posted

9th with private eye team Bertha Cool and Donald Lam



August 1950 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

published in 1951 by Heinemann in London as An Axe to Grind. this the 1960 Australian edition by Horowitz


cover art by Harry Bennett
better image than previously posted

1962 Pocket/Perma paperback original
3rd with Tampa private eye Ed Rivers
cover art by Harry Bennett

1962 Perma Books paperback original
cover art by Harry Bennett
his 4th of 5 with Tampa private eye Ed Rivers
better image than previously posted