GAMBIT. A Nero Wolfe Novel.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original blue cloth, with red titles to the spine and publisher's device in red to the upper board, in the Bill English designed dustwrapper. Top edge red. With a typed letter signed by Rex Stout on a single leaf of the author's personal stationery, complete with the original paper envelope, loosely laid in. An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth bright and fresh, with a little rubbing to the spine tips and extremities. The contents, with just a touch of toning to the closed text block, are otherwise clean throughout and without previous owners' inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed and creased dustwrapper, which has a single short closed tear to the bottom edge of the front panel, and is otherwise without fading or loss. Not price-clipped ($3.50 to the upper front flap).

Inscribed by the author in blue ink on the half title "For Sarah S. Silbiger / with best wishes - / Rex Stout / May 2 - 1972 -". The typed letter, dated "April 13 1972" and signed by Stout in blue ink, reads "Dear Mrs. Silbiger / If you send me the two books I'll autograph / them for you. / Sincerely, / Rex Stout". Complete with the original envelope opened to the top edge. Rex Stout was a prolific letter-writer, whose personal correspondence spanned thousands of letters addressed to friends, editors, and several famous political figures. He accrued mountains of fan mail over the years and dutifully responded to "all but perhaps the unanswerable" (The Wolfe Pack). A considerable archive of correspondence, files, records, manuscripts, certificates, artwork, radio and television recordings, first editions and ephemera, including the research files of his official biographer John J. McAleer and bibliographer Judson C. Sapp are housed at the John J. Burns Library, Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA.