Red Cross Book Fair: Day 2

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Or the Red Cross Book Fair.... Yes, dear readers, I went back. And got more. Just how many more total is still in question--because, you never know, I might go back again tomorrow. Let's just say that Heather and Kristal no longer are the closest....

But you know what? Today's visit to the Book Fair is not my fault. No, really! It's not. It's my husband's fault. He wanted to take his 1966 Corvair for a spin. And the fairgrounds were handy....and he wanted to see if they had any business books or comic books that he just had to have (they did--twelve comic books!). I had to go and keep him company.  

Oh...and while I was there...well...it didn't hurt to have another look through the tables just in case I missed a treasure or two. Right?  Okay...I missed twelve treasures. Here they are:

Mysteries
Lament for a Lady Laird by Margot Arnold (paperback)
Crime for Christmas by Richard Dalby, ed (hardback)
The Killing of Katie Steelstock by Michael Gilbert (paperback)
The Riddle of the Traveling Skull by Harry Stephen Keeler (reprint hardback)
Murder at Teatime by Stefanie Matteson (paperback)
A Tasty Way to Die by Janet Laurence (1st edition, hardback; but ex-library)
The Bachelors of Broken Hill by Arthur W. Upfield (paperback)
Death of a Swagman by Arthur W. Upfield (paperback)
Man of Two Tribes by Arthur W. Upfield (paperback)
Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich (paperback)
 

Non-Mysteries
Rupert of Hentzau by Anthony Hope (paperback)
World's Best Science Fiction: 1966 by Donald A Wollheim & Terry Carr, eds (Ace Pocket-Size Edition)
 

Red Cross Book Fair: Another Year, Another Book Bananza

I have been waiting impatiently for this year's Red Cross Book Sale--waiting since October  2013. Waiting and wondering what kind of buried book treasure would be found on the rows and rows of tables at the Monroe County Fairgrounds. My wild, book-buying abandon has also been attracting the attention of my Facebook friends and co-workers. A bit of wagering can be had--the question being not "Will Bev buy books" but "How many will she bring home?"  It's been my practice of the last several years to take a personal day and head to the book sale bright and early Friday morning. This year, my co-workers made Bev's Book-Binge the mixer topic for the

staff meeting that I had opted to miss. Kristal is currently the closest with her guess of 42 books--but the overall winner based on Day 1 is Heather out on Facebook with a guess of 38. My first day's haul? Thirty seven books (counting one book on CD), two music CDs, and 2 DVDs. The only question now is whether I will make another trip and add to that total.

Here are my Friday Finds

Mysteries: 
The Crime of the Century by Kingsley Amis
The Mammoth Book of Historical Crime Fiction by Mike Ashley, ed
The Avenging Parrot by Anne Austin (1st edition)
Line Up for Murder by Marion Babson (paperback)
Swing Low Sweet Harriet by George Baxt (paperback) 
The Sound of Murder by John & Emery Bonett
Murder Is Academic by P. M. Carlson (paperback)
Deadly Hall by John Dickson Carr (paperback)
Bedelia by Vera Caspary (reprint)
One of Us Must Die by Anna Clarke (paperback)
Sleight of Crime by Cedric E.Clute, Jr. & Nicholas Lewin (eds)
Eye Witness by George Harmon Coxe (2nd Edition hardback)
The Baron & the Missing Old Masters by John Creasey (paperback)
Death of a Hoosier Schoolmaster by Marlis Day (paperback)
Wings of Fear by Mignon Eberhart (WWII Armed Services Edition)
An Omnibus of Continental Mysteries Part II by Arno Eckberg (ed) (1st edition, dustjacket)
He Didn't Mind Danger by Michael Gilbert (paperback)
The Man from the Sea by Michael Innes (paperback)
Whodunit? A Guide to Crime, Suspense & Spy Fiction by H. R. F. Keating, ed (dustjacket)
The Diamond-Studded Typewriter by Carlton Keith (1st Edition, dustjacket)
Mother Finds a Body by Gypsy Rose Lee (Tower Books hardback; dustjacket) 
Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely (paperback) 
The Cannibal Who Overate by Hugh Pentecost (paperback)
MWA Presents: Murder by Experts by Ellery Queen, ed (1st edition)
The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L Sayers & Robert Eustace (9th Printing, Victor Gollancz hardback, dustjacket)
Black Aura by John Sladek (paperback) 
The Final Deduction by Rex Stout (book on CD)
A Question of Identity by June Thomson (paperback) 
The New Shoe by Arthur W. Upfield (paperback)
The Sands of Windee by Arthur W. Upfield (paperback) 
Sinister Stones by Arthur W. Upfield (paperback)
The Battling Prophet by Arthur W. Upfield (paperback)
Always Lock Your Bedroom Door by Roy Winsor (paperback)
The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sebastian Wolfe, ed.

 Non-Mysteries
Classic Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens & others (paperback)
She by H. Rider Haggard 
The Pocket Book of Popular Verse by Ted Malone, ed (1st edition WWII Pocket edition)

Now...we just have to see if I decide to go back to the tables for another round....

Red Cross Book Sale: Book Bonaza

I have been waiting impatiently for this year's Red Cross Book Sale--waiting since October 28, 2012. Yeah, that would be when I loaded up at the sale last year.  I had quite a year in 2012--bringing home a record number of 55 books.  Some of my friends out on Facebook had a friendly little wager going on--how many books I'd snag this year.    

 

At first, it looked like Ellen was going to be the winner (70). I walked in, headed straight to the first hardback mystery section and promptly filled my little rolling carry-all bag (thanks Kathy...several Christmases ago) a little over half-full. There were three more hardback sections, five paperback mystery sections, and the clearance section (where vintage mystery gems often lurk) yet to go. Things fell off after that...and I was beginning to think that Monica might be right (60). I might just barely beat my last record. But.....unless I do another round on Sunday (half-price day)...it looks like Ryan pretty much nailed it. 48 books and 5 Christmas CDs. Fewer books...but A LOT of vintage authors I've been looking for. In reprint form, rather than vintage copies , but I'll take what I can get. We'll call a betting winner once we see if I resist going back on Sunday..... 

 

I was VERY tempted by a 1st Edition, dust-jacketed Mr. & Mrs. North book by Frances & Richard Lockridge.  But I talked myself out of it....I would have had to put over half of the other books back in order to justify it.  But...who knows.  Maybe it's still there on the shelf and will call my name until I come back out on Sunday.

 

 But here is this year's haul so far:

Hardback:

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett (w/dust jacket) 

This Club Frowns on Murder by Albert Borowitz (w/dust jacket)

Death in a Salubrious Place by W. J. Burley (1st edition w/dust jacket)

The Coral Princess Murders by Frances Crane (1st edition w/dust jacket--prize of the shopping spree!)

Murder in Bright Red by Frances Crane (1st edition but edges stamped "Property of US Army")
The Book of the Dead/Button, Button/Date With Danger by Elizabeth Daly/Marion Bramhall/Roy Vickers (3-in-1 Detective Book Club Edition)
Top of the Heap/Night Train to Paris/ The Under Dog & Other Stories by A. A. Fair/Manning Coles/Agatha Christie [3-in-1 Detective Book Club Edition]

Death in Zanzibar & Death in Kenya by M. M. Kaye [2-in-1 volume]
 

Paperback:

Murder Begins at Home by Delano Ames (Rue Morgue reprint)

Shadow on the Wall by H. C. Bailey (Rue Morgue reprint)

The Sound of Murder by John & Emery Bonett

The Bells of Old Bailey by Dorothy Bowers (Rue Morgue reprint)

Deed Without a Name by Dorothy Bowers (Rue Morgue reprint) 

Tour de Force by Christianna Brand

Murder with Blue Ribbon by Leo Bruce [academic mystery]

Death at the Dog by Joanna Cannan (Rue Morgue reprint) 

Death Finds a Foothold by Glyn Carr (Rue Morgue reprint)

Our First Murder by Torrey Chanslor (Rue Morgue reprint)

An Overdose of Death by Agatha Christie (1st New Dell printing)

Dragon's Cave by Clyde B. Clason (Rue Morgue reprint) [academic mystery]

The Man from Tibet by Clason (Rue Morgue reprint) [academic mystery]

Murder Gone Minoan by Clason (Rue Morgue Reprint) [academic mystery]

Poison Jasmine by Clason (Rue Morgue Reprint) [academic mystery]

The Purple Parrot by Clason (Rue Morgue Reprint) [academic mystery]

Only a Matter of Time by V. C. Clinton-Baddeley [academic mystery]

The Turquoise Shop by Frances Crane (Rue Morgue reprint)
Death & Letters by Elizabeth Daly [I have been hunting this one for-ev-er.  I read it once upon a time from the Spencer Library & haven't found it since. Until today.]

Murder Is a Collector's Item by Elizabeth Dean (Rue Morgue reprint)

The Cases of Susan Dare by Mignon G. Eberhart  

The Arsenic Labyrinth by Martin Edwards

Murder in a Cathedral by Ruth Dudley Edwards

The Crime & the Crystal by Elizabeth Ferrars [academic mystery]

Too Much Water by Bruce Hamilton

Ransom Game by John Buxton Hilton

Murder in the Vatican by Ann Margaret Lews [signed by author; Holmes stories]

Black-Headed Pins by Constance & Gwenyth Little

Bogmail by Patrick McGinley

How Like an Angel by Margaret Millar

Dead Men's Morris by Gladys Mitchell (Rue Morgue Reprint)

A Hearse on May-Day by Gladys Mitchell (Rue Morgue reprint)

Mortal Term by John Penn [academic mystery] 

Unto the Grave by John Penn

A Will to Kill by John Penn

The Frightened Stiff by Kelley Roos (Rue Morgue Reprint)

An Old School Tie by Andrew Taylor (academic mystery)

The Adventure of the Eleven Cuff-Buttons by James Francis Thierry [one of 1st Sherlock Holmes pastiches]

A Talent for Murder by Anna Mary Wells


Anybody else want to take bets on whether I go back?

Red Cross Book Sale: Book Bonanza!

I have been waiting impatiently for this year's Red Cross Book Sale--waiting since October 1, 2011. This year they are claiming to have over 100,000 titles available.  And, no, I didn't even bring home 1% of the stock on hand....But I did outdo the standing record (last year--54 books).  By one.  Yes, folks, I am 55 books (and 9 CDs) richer. The only (small) disappointment was that there were absolutely no WWII pocket-size editions to be had.  I always come home with at least one....  But here is this year's haul:

Hardback:
Murder at the ABA by Isaac Asimov (w/dust jacket)
The Private Face of Murder by John & Emery Bonett (w/dust jacket)
In Spite of Thunder by John Dickson Carr (w/dust jacket) 
The Father Brown Omnibus by G. K. Chesterton
The Case of the Careless Kitten by Erle Stanley Gardner 
The Case of the Gilded Lily by Erle Stanley Gardner (w/dust jacket)
The D.A. Breaks a Seal/Murder Within Murder/The Pavilion by Gardner/F&R Lockridge/Hilda Lawrence (3-in-1 Detective Book Club Edition) 
Something in the Air by John Alexander Graham (w/dust jacket)
Murder Is My Business/Crime Wind/Whatever Goes Up by Brett Halliday/Marion Holbrook/Bertram Millhauser (3-in-1 Detective Book Club Edition)
Gently with the Painters by Alan Hunter
The 10:30 from Marseille by Sebastien Japrisot (w/dust jacket)
Whisper Murder!/Death Lifts the Latch/Somewhere in the House by Vera Kelsey/Anthony Gilbert/Elizabeth Daly (3-in-1 Detective Book Club edition)
And Left for Dead by Frances & Richard Lockridge (first edition w/dust jacket)
Night of Shadows by Frances & Richard Lockridge (first edition w/dust jacket)
The Norths Meet Murder by Frances & Richard Lockridge (w/dust jacket)
A Risky Way to Kill by Richard Lockridge (nicer first edition w/dust jacket)
The One That Got Away/The Double Take/The Fifth Man by Helen McCloy/Roy Huggins/Manning Coles (3-in-1 Detective Book Club edition)
Death & the Dutch Uncle by Patricia Moyes (first edition w/dust jacket) 
Murder a la Mode by Patricia Moyes (first edition w/dust jacket)
Murder Fantastical by Patricia Moyes (w/dust jacket)
A Body to Spare by Maurice Procter (w/dust jacket)
Face to Face by Ellery Queen (first edition w/dust jacket)
The House of Brass by Ellery Queen (first edition w/dust jacket)
The Green-Eyed Monster by Patrick Quentin (first edition w/dust jacket)
Too Many Doctors by Holly Roth (first edition w/dust jacket)

Paperback:
Plots & Counterplots by Louisa May Alcott
Toby's Folly by Margot Arnold 
Head of a Traveller by Nicholas Blake
Best Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah (Dover edition)
Cat & Mouse by Christianna Brand
London Particular by Christianna Brand (aka Fog of Doubt)
Case With No Conclusion by Leo Bruce
Jack on the Gallows Tree by Leo Bruce 
Such Is Death by Leo Bruce
Our Jubilee Is Death by Leo Bruce
A Grave Coffin by Gwendoline Butler
A Gentleman Called by Dorothy Salisbury Davis 
Death in Five Boxes by Carter Dickson
The Patient in Room 18 by Mignon G. Eberhart 
Gownsman's Gallows by Katharine Farrer
Best "Thinking Machine" Detective Stories by Jacques Futrelle (Dover edition)
The Best Cellar by Charles Goodrum 
Crimson Roses by Grace Livingston Hill 
Was It Murder? by James Hilton (Dover edition)
From London Far by Michael Innes
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Rasp by Philip MacDonald (Dover edition)
The Great Impersonation by E. Phillips Oppenheim (Dover edition)
Clues of the Caribbees by T. S. Stribling (Dover edition)
The Mountains Have a Secret by Arthur W. Upfield
Wings Above the Diamantina by Arthur W. Upfield
The Girl in the Cellar by Patricia Wentworth

If anybody bothers to count, you'll see that the numbers don't quite add up.  Well...that would be because I somehow managed to wind up with duplicates.  Despite having lists in hand and sorting through the books twice before checking out.  Ah, well, I'll just add the duplicates to the challenge prize vault.....

Red Cross Book Sale: You Say You Think I'm Addicted?

Maybe. Went back for a more leisurely stroll amongst the books today. Came home with 31 more--plus one Christmas CD. I'm always on the look-out for Christmas music that has songs that we don't already have. (No, dear, I'm not going to go back tomorrow or Monday or Tuesday. I promise.) Who would have thought I could have missed so many gems last night? Latest haul:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Has been on the long TBR list forever. Now I have no excuse not to read it.)
Manon Lescaut by The Abbe Prevost (because I've been curious ever since it got mentioned in Clouds of Witness by Sayers)
The Odd Women by George Gissing
Meet Mr. Mulliner by P. G. Wodehouse
Picadilly Jim by P. G. Wodehouse
The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson (home-grown Indiana mystery from 1906...an interesting little vintage mystery to try....)
The Saltmarsh Murders by Gladys Mitchell
The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
Copper Gold by Pauline Glen Winslow
Graves Academe by Susan Kenney
The Day They Kidnapped Queen Victoria by H. K. Fleming (just because I couldn't resist...)
Crooked House by Agatha Christie (pocket size edition!)
Blood on the Stars by Brett Halliday (1st edition pocket size!)
Mink Is for a Minx edited by Leo Margulies (best of Mike Shayne's Mystery Magazine; 1st edition pocket size!)
The Devil to Pay by Ellery Queen (pocket size!)
The Perfect Crime by Ellery Queen
The Vanishing Corpse by Ellery Queen
Death in Cyprus by M. M. Kaye
Murder at Teatime ed by Cynthia Mason (stories by various)
The Bone Is Pointed by Arthur W. Upfield
The Lady in Black by Anna Clarke
The Last Straw by Doris Miles Disney

And a Mary Roberts Rinehart bonanza:
Alibi for Israel & Other Stories
The Wall
The Haunted Lady
The Swimming Pool
The Confession AND Sight Unseen (2-in-1 book)
The State vs. Elinor Norton

Red Cross Book Sale Treasures

Every year I look forward to the local Red Cross Book Sale. They boast over 80,000 titles as available. Well, I didn't actually take time to count, but I'd say there were at least that many--if not more. And, no, I didn't bring them all home with me. I didn't have time. I made a mad dash to the Fairgrounds after work and had less than an hour to work my way through as many sections as I could before they started herding us out the door. So, I only managed to snag 23 books. But, no worries, I'm going back tomorrow when I can browse at a more leisurely pace. Here's what I've brought home so far....

Murder Has Its Points by Richard & Frances Lockridge (the Lockridge books are always on my TBO--To Be Owned List). Still need about 20 titles before the collection will be complete.
The Dreadful Hollow by Nicholas Blake
Wycliffe & the Guilt Edged Alibi by W. J. Burley
Murder Down Under by Arthur W. Upfield
Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver (Dell Pocket 1st edition in the pocket size! This was an up-grade for me. I previously had a pretty rotten copy of the 2nd edition of the pocket size.)
Call for Michael Shayne by Brett Halliday (Dell Pocket 1st edition)
She Woke to Darkness by Brett Halliday (Dell Pocket 1st edition)
The Case of Jennie Brice by Mary Roberts Rinehart
The Gay Phoenix by Michael Innes
Champagne for One by Rex Stout
The Coffin Tree by Gwendoline Butler
The Religious Body by Catherine Aird (have read, but always wanted to own)
Murder in the Dark by Margaret Atwood
The Fifth Man by Manning Coles
Black Widow by Patrick Quentin
Two Men in Twenty by Maurice Procter
The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout
Watson's Choice by Gladys Mitchell (another that I've read but wanted to own)
C. B. Greenfield: A Little Madness by Lucille Kallen
Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
Five Passengers from Lisbon/Wake for a Lady/The Murder in the Stork Club by Mignon G. Eberhart/H. W. Roden/Vera Caspary (3-in-1 book club edition--bought purely for the Caspary portion, but I'll certainly check out the others)
Strange Murders at Greystones by Elsie N Wright (in the clearance section & I couldn't resist even though I know nothing about Wright)
Crime & Mr. Campion by Margery Allingham