The Bat: A Novel
Grosset & Dunlap, 1926. First Edition. Hardcover. First edition thus; first Photoplay edition in scarce original jacket, illustrating a scene from the 1926 film. First published in the same year by George H. Doran Company, and retains the Doran copyright page. Based on a play the authors wrote in 1920, which was itself a dramatization of Rinehart's 1907 novel 'The Circular Staircase.' Yellow cloth with black titles and decoration, cloth clean and bright with light edgewear, some toning to top and bottom edges, bumped spine tips. Spine square. Binding sound. Dust jacket in poor condition, with moderate to heavy edgewear including chipping at spine tips and fore-edge corners. The front hinge and front fore-edge of the DJ are worn delicate enough that they are nearly split, with rear fore-edge sporting an early tape repair. There are additionally two scars to the front panel (about 1 in each), and one to the rear, where the surface has been scraped. The one at rear panel obscures the publisher's list of books. Despite its flaws, the jacket is not unattractive; the illustration at front panel is mostly whole, and the DJ is protected in Mylar. Endsheets have a few spots of staining, with one small hole in final page that looks like insect damage. Prior owner's inscriptions in ink at both paste downs and RFEP, and another P/O's information rubber-stamped at front paste down. Text unmarked. Pages toned. Photographs available upon request. The 1926 film was the first of three adaptations of this Rinehart story, the next of which - 1930's 'The Bat Whispers' - according to comic creator Bob Kane, played a role in inspiring the character of Batman. Collectible: Acceptable / Poor. Item #BBS-2010370
Price: $150.00