Remploy - The Deerstalker Series and Melvyn Barnes

 

Myrecent post about the Hodder crime reprints of the 1960s prompted Melvyn Barnesto get in touch with info about a subsequent library imprint. As a result, I’mpleased to include a guest post from him – and if you’re a collector, you mayhave a unique opportunity here as well:

‘Iwas involved with the Deerstalker Series from 1977 to 1982.  They werepublished by Remploy, the public library bookbinders who also reprintedout-of-print fiction for libraries.  The series consisted of thirty-fivevolumes of iconic crime fiction that I selected from my first book about thegenre, Best Detective Fiction (1975), and what makes them unique is thatthey are facsimile reprints of early (often the first) editions.

Istill have my set of thirty-five, all hardbacks and immaculate in dust jacketsprotected by plastic sleeves.  As they were produced for libraries ratherthan bookshops, not surprisingly they have become extremely scarce over thepast forty years.

 

I am gradually selling the vastcollection of crime fiction that I have built up since my teenage years. It really hurts, but as they say you can’t takeit/them with you!  So I’m now reluctantly offering my whole set of Deerstalkerfor sale, having preserved each volume since publication day, in one completelot. Most of them areextremely scarce, because they had a limited print run, were not sold inbookshops, and the public library copies became worn out and discarded.

 

Theseries consists of –

BAILEY,H.C.  Call Mr. Fortune.  Remploy, 1979.  Orig pubd 1919, thefirst Reginald Fortune collection.

BARR,Robert.  The Triumphs of Eugène Valmont.  Remploy, 1978.  Origpubd 1906.

BENNETT,Margot.  The Man Who Didn’t Fly.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd1955.

BRAMAH,Ernest.  Max Carrados Mysteries.  Remploy, 1978.  Orig pubd1927, the third Max Carrados collection.

CARR,John Dickson.  The Hollow Man.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd 1935.

COLE,G.D.H.  The Brooklyn Murders.  Remploy, 1978.  Orig pubd 1923,introducing Supt Henry Wilson.

CROFTS,Freeman Wills.  The Cask.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd 1920, hisfirst novel.

CROFTS,Freeman Wills.  The Pit-Prop Syndicate.  Remploy, 1979.  Origpubd 1922, his third novel.

DICKSON,Carter.  The Plague Court Murders.  Remploy, 1979.  Orig pubd1934, the first Sir Henry Merrivale mystery.

EBERHART,Mignon G.  The Cases of Susan Dare.  Remploy, 1979.  Orig pubd1934.

FLETCHER,J.S.  The Middle Temple Murder.  Remploy, 1978.  Orig pubd 1919.

FREEMAN,R. Austin.  The Red Thumb Mark.  Remploy, 1979.  Orig pubd 1907,his first novel, introducing Dr. John Thorndyke.

GABORIAU,Emile.  Crime at Orcival.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd in English1871 as The Mystery of Orcival, featuring Monsieur Lecoq.

GABORIAU,Emile.  The Lerouge Case.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd in English1873 as The Widow Lerouge, featuring Monsieur Lecoq.

GREEN,Anna Katharine.  The Leavenworth Case.  Remploy, 1979.  Origpubd 1878, her first novel, introducing Ebenezer Gryce.

HARE,Cyril.  Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare.  Remploy, 1978. Orig pubd 1959.

HUME,Fergus.  The Mystery of a Hansom Cab.  Remploy, 1980.  Orig pubd1886, his first novel.

LEROUX,Gaston.  The Mystery of the Yellow Room.  Remploy, 1978.  Origpubd in English 1908, his first novel, introducing Joseph Rouletabille.

MacDONALD,Philip.  The Rasp.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd 1924, his firstnovel, introducing Colonel Anthony Gethryn.

MacDONALD,Philip.  X v. Rex.  Remploy, 1980.  Orig pubd 1933 under thepseudonym Martin Porlock.

MASON,A.E.W.  The House of the Arrow.  Remploy, 1978.  Orig pubd 1924,featuring Insp. Hanaud.

MILLER,Wade.  Deadly Weapon.  Remploy, 1980.  Orig pubd 1946, the firstnovel by Bill Miller and Bob Wade under their Miller pseudonym, introducing Lt.Austin Clapp.

MITCHELL,Gladys.  Tom Brown’s Body.  Remploy, 1978.  Orig pubd 1949,featuring Mrs. Bradley.

MORRISON,Arthur.  Martin Hewitt, Investigator.  Remploy, 1978. Illustrated by Sidney Paget.  Orig pubd 1894, the first collection ofMartin Hewitt stories.

MORRISON,Arthur.  Chronicles of Martin Hewitt.  Remploy, 1978. Illustrated by D. Murray Smith.  Orig pubd 1895, the second collection ofMartin Hewitt stories.

ORCZY,Baroness.  The Case of Miss Elliott.  Remploy, 1978.  Orig pubd1905, the first collection of The Old Man in the Corner stories.

ORCZY,Baroness.  The Old Man in the Corner.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd1909, the second collection of The Old Man in the Corner stories.

REEVE,Arthur B.  The Silent Bullet.  Remploy, 1979.  Orig pubd 1912,the first collection of stories featuring “Craig Kennedy, ScientificDetective”.

RICE,Craig.  Trial by Fury.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd 1941.

VANDINE, S.S.  The Canary Murder Case.  Remploy, 1982.  Orig pubd1927, the second Philo Vance mystery.

VANDINE, S.S.  The Greene Murder Case.  Remploy, 1982.  Orig pubd1928, the third Philo Vance mystery.

VANDINE, S.S.  The Bishop Murder Case.  Remploy, 1982.  Orig pubd1929, the fourth Philo Vance mystery.

WALLACE,Edgar.  The Four Just Men.  Remploy, 1979.  Orig pubd 1905, hisfirst crime novel.

WIEGAND,William.  At Last, Mr. Tolliver.  Remploy, 1980.  Orig pubd1950, his only crime novel.

WOOLRICH,Cornell.  The Bride Wore Black.  Remploy, 1977.  Orig pubd1940.’

I imagine that seriouscollectors will be attracted to this intriguing set. If you’d like more info, please contactMelvyn on 01449 673777 or (if the link works -not confident!) at melvyn.barnes@oldnewton.com