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THE GOLDEN GIZMO.
by THOMPSON, JIM
- Used
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Greencastle, Pennsylvania, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Lion Books, [1954]., 1954. First edition. First edition. Paperback original. Lion 192.Trivial wear to the extremities. a tiny, almost invisible, old water stain to the lower rear cover and a faint old water stain to verso of lower front cover and the first ten pages else a very good bright copy. Thompson's eighth paperback novel, an off-the-wall story centered around a door-to-door gold buying con-man, his drunk and degenerate wife, and a talking dog. An attractive copy.
Synopsis
One of Thompson's most outrageous works of fiction, the Golden Gizmo incorporates elements of the classic American tall tale with descriptions of the particularly hardboiled criminal underclass of 1950's L.A.. Toddy Kent is a hustler, seeking out sources of easy money in the most unlikely places thanks to a sixth-sense he has, known as a 'gizmo,' after the G.I. term for something unidentifiable. He does not know how it works; if he did than maybe he could prevent the inconvenient inconsistencies that often leave him high and dry at the worst times. A transient life leaves Toddy with an extensive rap sheet and a runaround wife, eventually landing him on the gray side of legal in LA county. Then, his gizmo strikes with a hunch he cannot ignore, leading him to an unknown source of gold. Of course it comes at a price to Toddy. His wife turns up dead--murdered--and he finds himself stalked by a chinless man with a talking doberman that sings hymns before it kills. Thomspon's portrayal of the incurable criminal who has no control over his situation goes from hilarious to horrifying. Through Toddy's attempts to understand his situation, the reader is lead through the strip joints, brothels and seedy bars of a different era, when L.A. was capital of the world of illusion.
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Details
- Bookseller
- BUCKINGHAM BOOKS
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 52341
- Title
- THE GOLDEN GIZMO.
- Author
- THOMPSON, JIM
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Lion Books, [1954].
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1954
Terms of Sale
BUCKINGHAM BOOKS
We accept checks and all major credit cards. Prices are NET to all. PA residents must add 6% sales tax. It is our preference to ship via either UPS or Priority Mail. All oversized books and all shipments outside the U.S. will be charged actual shipping, insurance, and handling costs. All parcels shall be shipped insured. All items may be returned within 7 days of receipt with prior notification. We request any items for return be sent by their original shipping route, be well packaged and fully insured.
About the Seller
BUCKINGHAM BOOKS
Biblio member since 2006
Greencastle, Pennsylvania
About BUCKINGHAM BOOKS
Buckingham Books specializes in new, used and rare books dealing with Mystery and Western Americana. Books in the mystery field include not only Mystery, but also Detective, Espionage, and Adventure Fiction. Our Western Americana Section offers books about the development of the American West. All books in our inventory are First Editions unless clearly stated otherwise.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
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