Description

PRESENTATION COPY OF THE CASE OF THE PERJURED PARROT, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY ERLE STANLEY GARDNER TO HIS STENOGRAPHER

GARDNER, Erle Stanley. The Case of the Perjured Parrot. New York: William Morrow, (1939). Octavo, original black cloth, original dust jacket.

First edition, presentation copy, warmly inscribed: “To Louise, whose keen insight, fighting spirit and rugged loyalty have meant so much to me. With love, Erle. Erle Stanley Gardner. February 1939.”

“This early Perry Mason is uncommonly full of detection, and the games played in it with parrots do not detract from plausibility. Denouement not huddled—all in all, a model in his special genre” (Barzun & Taylor 1418). This is number 14 of 86 books in the series. Hubin, 163. Louise was one of Gardner’s full-time stenographers, who he referred to collectively as “The Fiction Factory.” “All in all, his factory produced more than a million words per year,” which helped to explain Gardner’s astonishing productivity (NPR).

Book very good with a few spots of faint foxing to text and light restoration to rear board. Price-clipped dust jacket near-fine, with only light rubbing and a bit of toning to spine. An attractive copy with an unusually warm inscription.