
1975 Random House first edition
Crumley’s first mystery, a modern classic.
first with Montana private eye Milton Chester Milodragovitch

1975 Random House first edition
Crumley’s first mystery, a modern classic.
first with Montana private eye Milton Chester Milodragovitch
May 1946 Bobbs-Merrill hardcover

December 1946 Bantam paperback reissue
His first with Chicago private eye Paul Pine, a terrific Chandleresque series that is far too little known

February 1958 reissue, 3rd printing

1984 Quill reissue, 1st printing
cover art by Steve Macanga

cover art by Gloria Stoll
better image than previously posted
~ Dale Clark, “Heir in the Air”, 22nd of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 25th of 32 stories in BM
~ Brett Halliday (pseud. of David Dresser), “Dead Man’s Diary”, 2nd of 2 Mike Shayne stories in BM
~ Julius Long, “Over My Dead Body”, 7th of 17 stories with ’Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 12th of 23 stories in BM
~ Robert Reeves, “Alcoholics Calamitous”, last of 10 Cellini Smith appearances, last of 12 appearances in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop


2nd book, also published as Death in Passing by Boardman in the UK in 1959
better image than previously posted


better image than previously posted



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]

The Long Goodbye (United Artists, 1973). Very Fine+ on Linen. International One Sheet (27″ X 41″). Starring Elliott Gould, Nina Van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, David Arkin, Jim Bouton, Warren Berlinger, Rutanya Alda, David Carradine, Danny Goldman, Carl Gottlieb, George Wyner, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Directed by Robert Altman.
[Vic Fair artwork]


cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer
better image than previously posted
~ Paul Cain, “The Dark”, ‘Kells & Granquist; part 5 of Fast One’, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 7th of 17 stories in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Black and White”, 46th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, 63th of 99 stories in BM
~ Frederick L. Nebel, “He Could Take It”, 9th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 41 of 67 stories in BM
~ William Rollins, Jr., “Triple-Cross”, 3rd of 4 stories with Percy (Buck) Warren, private eye, 16th of 23 stories in BM
~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Fugitive”, 2nd of 4 parts, ‘Jack Henderson, set in Far East, eg, Rangoon’, 7th of 9 works of fiction in BM
~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Blue Murder”, ‘Don Free, private dick; 3rd and last DF story’, title used for earlier story in July ’28 issue, 58th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop