cover art by John Fleming Gould
better image than previously posted
D.L. Champion, “Cover the Corpse’s Eyes” (Insp. Allhoff)
Cornell Woolrich, “Charlie Won’t Be Home Tonight”
Sam Merwin, Jr., “Murder for Syndication”
Jan Dana, “The Second Loop” (Acme Indemnity Op)
Leslie T. White, “Me and My Shadow” (Omar MacKenzie)
[updated 2/2/26]
WHITFIELD, Raoul (1897?-1945). The Virgin Kills. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1932.
8o. Original canary yellow cloth; pictorial dust jacket by J.V.W. Oliver (very minor chipping to ends of spine panel; short tear to lower edge of back panel).
FIRST EDITION, in the scarce dust jacket. “Death went up the river with the Virgin, Eric Vennell’s yacht, when that millionaire gambler sailed for the Regatta at Poughkeepsie with his oddly assorted guests” (dust jacket). Illustration on page 56.
better image than previously posted
1986 Quill paperback reissue of his 1932 hardcover
Apparently, the novel was not serialized in any magazine before publication
1988 No Exit Press from the UK
cover photo by Weegee
Harvey Comics Library #1 Teen-Age Dope Slaves (Harvey, 1952) CGC FN 6.0 Off-white pages. Used in Seduction of the Innocent. Hypodermic needle cover and panels. Marvin Bradley and Frank Edgington cover and art.
cover art by James Lunnon
~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Murder in the Family”, 2nd of 7, ‘Beeker in the San Joaquin Valley’, 16th of 21 stories in BM
~ Hal Murray Bonnett, “Dynamite Deal”, author’s only appearance in BM [who signed the cover]
~ Gregor Endell, “Murder Suspected”, author’s only appearance in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Muscle Out”, 65th of 73 Ed Jenkins with Soo Hoo Duck, Ngat T’oy, 92nd of 100 appearances stories in BM
~ Frank Gruber, “No Motive”, 6th of 14 stories in BM
~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “No More Limericks”, ‘21st (of 25) Jerry Tracy capers, columnist on the (NYC) Planet, ‘mixer with poor and rich, the crooked and the straight, trailer of trouble and happiness’, reprinted in Station K-I-L-L: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.3 (Steeger, 2024), 22nd of 26 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[updated 1/26/26]
1940 Hammish Hamilton UK first edition
1943 Pocket reissue – cover art by H. L. Hoffman
1964 Pocket reissue, 14th printing – cover art by Harvey Kidder (owner’s copy)
cover art by James Neil Boyle
1951 Pocket reissue, 10th print – cover art by Paul Kresse (owner’s copy)
1950 Penguin UK reissue, 3rd print
1966 Penguin reissue – cover design by Bob Brooks
1973 Penguin reissue – cover design by James Tormey
1973 Ballantine reissue – cover art by Tom Adams (owner’s copy)
1976 Vintage reissue – cover art by Richard Waldrep (owner’s copy)
1976 Ballantine movie tie-in
1976 Penguin movie tie-in
1988 Vintage/Black Lizard reissue
1994 Vintage/Black Lizard reissue
2009 Penguin Classics UK reissue
[updated 3/3/26, 3/8/26]
SMB Noir 