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[Manuscript of William F. Vassall's 1916 New York City Mystery "Pearls and Canes," published in Detective Story Magazine]
by William F. Vassall
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Wilmington, Delaware, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
[Np, c.1916]. [14]pp. Manuscript Fair Copy. Seven 8vo. leaves. Folds, very good.
Manuscript fair copy of the detective story "Pearls and Canes" by mystery writer William F. Vassall. Set in New York City, the short story recounts the mysterious theft of a pearl necklace.
Handling the case are the cool Mr. Thorne and his hapless assistant George Barron. This Sherlockian couple-with Barron playing the amanuensis and hapless assistant role of "Dr. Watson" to Thorne's "Sherlock Holmes"-are consulted by a woman who is expecting a messenger in disguise bearing a valuable parcel.
The woman explains that the messenger, who arrives by ship the next day, will be delivering to her a pearl necklace given to her by her father. Her father, who had long worked in India, had the pearls made into a necklace by a London jeweler. A telegram from a Detective Murdock of Scotland Yard urges her to have a detective meet the boat. George Barron-"silly as a goose" in an emergency-goes to meet the vessel. What could go wrong?
As the messenger, disguised as a man limping with a cane, debarks the ship, he is jostled on the gangplank by a "drunken ruffian" and his cane is stolen-a hollow cane in which he had hidden the pearl necklace. Barron is distraught:
"I was helpless-unequal to the emergency. The only practicable thing to do was to go to Thorne and admit the failure. The necklace had been stolen before my very eyes, and here, after more than half an hour I had accomplished nothing toward recovering it. To set Thorne on the case at once was now the only hope. (p[7])"
As it happens in many a Sherlock Holmes story, Thorne the master detective was also there at the dock in disguise. How will the mystery be solved?
William F. Vassall's short story "Pearls and Canes" was published in the January 20, 1916 issue of Detective Story Magazine. It was the first story he had published in that magazine.
Between January 1916 and August 1918, ten stories by Vassall were published in Detective Story Magazine. In addition, he was also the author of the 309-page novel Under the Skin (1923), published in Brooklyn by F. Stone Williams Co.
The manuscript for "Pearls and Canes" is arranged in seven parts; each leaf comprising two manuscript pages is a discrete part. Parts I-V end with the tantalizing phrase "To Be Continued," Part VI with "To be Concluded," and the final part ending, yes, "The End." This arrangement suggests that Vassal's story was intended to be serialized.
Was it published in a newspaper as a serial before it made its appearance in Detective Story Magazine? Is this manuscript fair copy in Vassall's own hand? Mysteries abound...
Details
- Bookseller
- Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3726466
- Title
- [Manuscript of William F. Vassall's 1916 New York City Mystery "Pearls and Canes," published in Detective Story Magazine]
- Author
- William F. Vassall
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
Terms of Sale
Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). As such, we abide by their code of ethics and conduct. We are also members of The Manuscript Society and The Ephemera Society of America (Lifetime). Ian Brabner is also a member of The Grolier Club.
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About the Seller
Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
Biblio member since 2020
Wilmington, Delaware
About Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
Established in 1995, Ian Brabner, Rare Americana buys and sells rare books and manuscripts covering diverse facets of American history.
Our inventory encompasses a broad spectrum of collecting interests, with a special focus on 18th- and 19th-century American history, including African-American history, women's history, and unique or unusual materials documenting the American experience. In our stock, you will also find rare pamphlets, documents, letters and correspondence, journals, diaries, significant archives, as well as original art, graphics, and photographs.
Our inventory encompasses a broad spectrum of collecting interests, with a special focus on 18th- and 19th-century American history, including African-American history, women's history, and unique or unusual materials documenting the American experience. In our stock, you will also find rare pamphlets, documents, letters and correspondence, journals, diaries, significant archives, as well as original art, graphics, and photographs.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....
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