Otto Penzler is the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. He's also a mystery author, the editor of several excellent mystery collections (some of which have been reviewed here) and a collector. His collection of rare mysteries is said to exceed 60,000 volumes.
Apparently it's about to get a bit smaller: on April 8, the Swann Galleries auction house in New York is planning to auction off some of his collection, focusing on British espionage and thrillers. I presume these are mint condition, with dust jackets, extremely valuable books - including, we are told, first editions of the original James Bond novels Casino Royale and Moonraker by Ian Fleming.
According to the news release they sent me, in addition to the Bond books, there will be "a first edition of Eric Ambler's Cause for Alarm, signed and inscribed to Penzler in a scarce dust jacket. The sale will also feature works by Francis Beeding, John Buchan, Len Deighton, Grahame Greene, John le Carré, William Le Queux, E. Phillips Oppenheim, Baroness Orczy, Captain A. O. Pollard, Dennis Wheatley and many more."
That's impressive. Obviously, these books are expected to bring in some serious money at the auction. Let's hope the new owner gives the books the same loving care Penzler has shown them over the years.
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