Did She Fall

New York: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1930. Very Good +/Good. New York: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1930. First Edition. Octavo (19 cm); 286pp. Publisher's light blue illustrated dust jacket with price intact on both flaps ($1.50). Boards full bound in black cloth with silver text and design stamping.

Dust jacket scuffed, rubbed, soiled, torn and chipped, with offsetting at back flap from repair tape. Front flap cut away except for bottom margin and joint, refilled with a tan paper repair. Book synopsis pasted to repaired flap with tape. Verso taped at all margins and joints to close tears to back joint and down the spine with tape residue at repaired front flap joint. Spine sunned and creased with printed paper title pasted at head by previous owner. Tears at bottom and tail of spine have been "erased" in pen.

Board corners and spine ends bumped and rubbed with scuffing, bumping, and shelfwear to margins. Spine creased down middle and page edges toned. Binding cocked but firm. Endsheets offset from dust jacket with pen rubbed away at first pastedown. Pages generally clean with light foxing at prelims, thumb-soiling and minor tears throughout as well as light staining to last few pages' fore-edges. A Very Good or better copy in a scarce but Good only dust jacket.

Thorne Smith was best known for his supernatural fantasy fiction filled with salacious deeds, drinking, and ghosts, most of which are featured this, his only mystery novel. It follows Emily-Jane, beauty and narcissist, and the slew of suspects in her sudden and suspicious death-by-cliff. (Inventory #: 31212)