GENERAL BESSERLEY'S PUZZLE BOX

First US edition, first printing. Original orange cloth with black lettering to spine and front panel, in the Bip Pares designed dustwrapper. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents clean throughout. Previous owner's small printed address label affixed to the front free endpaper, (mostly) covering another owner's name written in ink. Softened to spine tips. Light fading to cloth edges and the ghost of the jacket design offset to the spine. In the original dustwrapper, lightly faded to the spine, with a few nicks and rubs to spine and corner tips. Correctly priced $2.00 to the front flap.

A collection of nine stories featuring General Samuel Besserley, "[l]ate of the United States Intelligence Department, now living on the Riviera", who spends his leisure "unmasking hypocrites, bringing criminals to justice, or rescuing the young and innocent from the perils of Monte Carlo" (from the jacket). The book was popular enough to be followed five years later by 'General Besserley's Second Puzzle Box'. (Hubin).