The Unholy Three

First edition. Bookplate of Herbert Dingwall (who worked for magazine publisher Curtis Publishing) and another small owner stamp on the front pastedown, very small tear on front fly, cloth along the spine fold professionally strengthened with very slight loss at the crown, a very good copy lacking the rare dust jacket. Inscribed by the author: "To Jib, With best wishes for the year. Tod Robbins. December 31, 1917 Creepy crime novel about a team of circus "freaks": Tweedledee, a little person, Hercules, the strong man, and Echo, the ventriloquist, who commit heinous crimes. Filmed twice by MGM, as a silent in 1925 and remade as a talkie with Lon Chaney as Echo and Henry Earles as Tweedledee in both versions. Victor McLaughlin played Hercules in the silent version, Ivan Linow in the talkie. The classic Tod Browning cult film *Freaks*, was based on the Robbins story "Spurs" that was clearly derived from *The Unholy Three*, Earles reprised his midget role, there was a strongman named Hercules, and a few other "freaks" were thrown into the mix. Rare signed.…