Finders Keepers - Geoffrey Homes (pseud. Daniel Mainwaring) 1940 - William Morrow &, New York - First Edition A nice bright first edition of this fast paced and entertaining mystery featuring Humphrey Campbell and Oscar who ‘looked at their new client, Michael Burke, and Humphrey wondered if he’d come to them knowing that Oscar was hard-boiled and unscrupulous and his private detective agency somewhat questionable - or if it was just chance... [front flap]   Daniel Mainwaring (1902-78) wrote under the pseudonym of Geoffrey Homes - Born in Dunlap, California. Office boy, itinerant fruit picker, salesman, private detective, teacher, and reporter for 10 years on the San Francisco Chronicle. He was also a self-employed writer, later employed as screenwriter and publicist for Warner Brothers and scenarist for Paramount. In addition to all this he also produced and recorded unusual sound effects for rental to film studios in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

References: Reilly, ’
Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers’ (1980), 809.

Octavo (book size 19.7x14.1cm), pp. [6] 279 [3]. In publisher’s yellow cloth, spine lettered in burgundy, top edge tinted burgundy (possibly retouched), foredge untrimmed, lower edge trimmed. Dust jacket priced ‘$2.00’ to upper corner of front flap, all flaps with publisher’s decorative trim to corners, and thin line of colour touch up to head and tail of spine.
  Condition: Near fine, small split to cloth along upper edges, internally fine, possible retouch of burgundy tint along upper edge of text block, in near fine dust jacket, light wear to corners, thin line of unnecessary colour touch up to head and tail of spine.   Ref: 110801   Price: HK$ 3,800