[AGATHA CHRISTIE] McRAE, G. Roy (adapted by). The Passing of Mr. Quinn. The Book of the Film [here in 2 bindings]. The London Book Co. Ltd. 1929

Small 8vo.; publisher’s deep red cloth decoratively blocked and lettered in gilt to spine and upper cover, in pictorial dustwrapper with wrap-around design; pp. [viii] + 233 + [i] + [8], publisher’s catalogue, printed throughout on cheap stock; externally very good indeed with slight bruising to head of spine and a touch of dulling to spine gilt, internally very good and sound with minor cracking to inner upper hinge and light marking to half-title, some general internal toning, as expected, in a remarkably good and attractive example of the rare and vulnerable pictorial dustwrapper with some overall dust-soiling and rubbing, light scuffing to lower half of bottom panel, some shallow chipping to bottom edge of lower panel, and other small nicks, and small losses, to spine ends and forecorners; rare thus.

Sold together with:

Another copy of the same title, same publisher and year, reissued in the Second World War by “Everybody’s Books” of 156 Charing Cross Road, in generic drab letterpress wrappers as a softcover in accordance with the “Save Paper” campaign, priced at 3/6.

The volume has a title to the spine, and to the upper cover, both hand-printed by the publisher, with the following explanation: “This is a rebound copy of a book worth reading published by a well-known publisher. We are rebinding books such as this in order that as many books as possible may do their job twice and so help the vital “Save Paper” campaign.” A remarkable survival, especially in such good state, of a vulnerable book, with only small nicking to head and heel of spine and slight cover marking.

Both first editions of an Agatha Christie rarity, issued in The Novel Library Series. Known only in hardback in this one edition, until republished in facsimile form in 2017.

This is a novelised adaptation of the 1928 British silent film “The Passing of Mr. Quinn”, starring Stewart Rome and Trilby Clark. The movie developed from an Agatha Christie short story with the same title, which was said to be one of the author’s favourites. It originally appeared in The Grand Magazine, in March 1924, and was the first in a number of mystery tales featuring Harley Quinn. These were later collected in book form as “The Mysterious Mr. Quin”, in 1930, with a subtle, and unexplained, alteration of the spelling of the detective’s name. These survivors from the 1920s thus mark the author’s first association with the motion picture industry. Unhappily no copy of the movie (produced by British Argosy Film), or the original screenplay, has survived.