The John Riddell Murder Case: A Philo Vance Parody

Illustrations by Miguel Covarrubias. Small 8vo. Yellow leather-textured paper over boards with black spine lettering and front board graphic. viii, 318pp. Frontispiece, 10 full-page plates, floor plan. Good plus overall. While text block is super tight and bright and near fine, front and rear boards are age toned and spine is intact and stable but quite rough -- darkened, heavily chipped at head and tail, and homely. A tight and decent first edition of this scarce tongue-in-cheek satire in which (to cite title page) "Victim died of acute boredom in his own library. Body discovered surrounded by the past year's Best Sellers" and the suspects include "Theodore Dreiser, Jim Tully, Sherwood Anderson, Will Rogers, Peggy Hopkins Joyce, Calvin Coolidge, Katherine Brush, Richard Halliburton, Will Durant, Rudy Vallee, W.R. Burnett, and other contemporary authors found on the scene of the crime." What makes this copy is special is a choice autograph addition: Tipped to front flyleaf is an Autograph Note Signed from author Riddell (Corey Ford), 1p, 7" X 10", Freedom, NH, n.y. Addressed to Arnold F. Gates (1914-93, noted Lincoln/Civil War scholar). Very good. Faint original horizontal folds. Gracious note to an admirer "for your friendly birthday wishes and thoughtfulness. and for the nice things you said. I've been dabbling in the Hollywood flesh-bois too long, but I hope I'm back at work at last." Boldly penned in black ink in Ford's interesting script. What makes this copy extra special is that the salmon-colored "Sporting Offer" sheet that wraps around the rear flyleaf and final text page remains UNBROKEN. This invariably-opened sheet, which reveals the murderer, promises that "We make this sporting offer. Return this book with the seal intact -- and you are out $2.50. Break it -- and the mystery is over. Either way, you lose." Ford (1902-69), a.k.a. John Riddell, was a prolific American humorist and outdoorsy writer.…