THREE OF A KIND
by Cain, James M
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Stephenson, Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1943. First Edition. First publication in book format of three short novels: Career in C Major, The Embezzler, and Double Indemnity. Because screenwriting in Hollywood occasionally dried up, Cain often found himself in need of money; Double Indemnity was written during one of those dry periods. Cain worked quickly to finish this tale of sex, murder, and insurance fraud set in California, and managed to sell it to Liberty Magazine for $5,000, where it ran as an eight-part serial in 1936. It was sensationally popular, reportedly adding eight million to the magazine's circulation (Hoopes, p.303). Basis for Billy Wilder's 1944 film noir, with a screenplay by Raymond Chandler, starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. The Dark Page, Vol.1, pp.44-45; Hubin, p.61; Pronzini & Muller, pp.106-107. First Printing. Octavo (20.25cm); rust-colored cloth, with titling and decorations stamped in gilt on spine and author's initials in blind to front cover; maroon topstain; dustjacket; xx,327,[5]pp. Hint of sunning to spine, spine ends gently nudged, else a clean, Near Fine copy, with a strong, unfaded topstain. In the rare first state dustjacket, with the rear panel printing a message from Alfred A. Knopf ("To the Purchaser of This Book From Its Publisher") regarding compliance with wartime paper restrictions; price-clipped (but price isn't the point of issue here - the rear panel is), sunned at spine and panels (though heavier on spine), showing modest shelfwear, a few tiny nicks and a 1" closed tear at upper front joint, and the printer's code neatly clipped from the lower left corner of rear flap; Very Good.
The first state jacket is a true rarity, never offered at auction, and known in one or two copies. The more readily-available jacket was price-clipped by the publisher, with a rubber-stamped price of $2.50, and an entirely different rear panel printing a photo of Cain and a two-paragraph statement from the author about war bonds.
The first state jacket is a true rarity, never offered at auction, and known in one or two copies. The more readily-available jacket was price-clipped by the publisher, with a rubber-stamped price of $2.50, and an entirely different rear panel printing a photo of Cain and a two-paragraph statement from the author about war bonds.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Captain Ahab's Rare Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 7162
- Title
- THREE OF A KIND
- Author
- Cain, James M
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Alfred A. Knopf
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1943
- Keywords
- NOEBAY
Terms of Sale
Captain Ahab's Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Captain Ahab's Rare Books
Biblio member since 2010
Stephenson, Virginia
About Captain Ahab's Rare Books
Founded in 2010, Captain Ahab's Rare Books specializes in first editions of literature, genre fiction, film-related books and ephemera, zines, manuscript and archival material.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- First State
- used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Shelfwear
- Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from a bookshelf, especially along the bottom edge.
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- G
- Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted. (as defined by AB...
- 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...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...