ACE CAPELLI – BRITISH PULP FICTION AT
ASH RARE BOOKS
43 HURON ROAD
LONDON SW17 8RE
UNITED KINGDOM

London : Kaye Publications, [ca.1952]. First edition. “When Lucky Nolan, ace racketeer, meets Josie Day, the blonde, angel faced babe with a body like plush and a heart like a rock ... sparks were sure fire. Josie was different from any dame Lucky had ever known and she had brains too”. Capelli was a name originally used by Stephen Daniel Frances (Hank Janson), later taken over by Geoffrey Pardoe, Norman Lazenby, and others.
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-116pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers; some rubbing, mild creasing and slight fraying; lower wrapper a little marked; a few edge spots; staples rusted, but overall a good copy. Just a single copy (Bodleian) located in major libraries worldwide.

SOLD

London : Ralph Stokes for the Gaywood Press, [ca.1952]. First edition. “I was a construction gang foreman, not a private eye or a cop. I’ll admit that my one taste of hoodlums some weeks ago had whetted my appetite for the detecting racket” – Ace Capelli was a house name used variously by Betty Williams (Dail Ambler), Geoffrey Pardoe, Stephen Frances (Hank Janson) and Norman Lazenby. Although over thirty Capelli titles are known, only fourteen or so are represented in major collections.
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-132pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers in a sprightly design by Leonard Potts (1902-1978); a little chipped at foot; some mild creasing; staples rusted; text lightly tanned, but still overall a very good copy of a scarce and fragile item. No copy located in any major library worldwide. `

£85

To purchase, call us or e-mail us at books@ashrare.com quoting stock number 44109 – or simply click on the button

London : Ralph Stokes for the Gaywood Press, [ca.1952]. First edition. “I was a construction gang foreman, not a private eye or a cop. I’ll admit that my one taste of hoodlums some weeks ago had whetted my appetite for the detecting racket” – Ace Capelli was a house name used variously by Betty Williams (Dail Ambler), Geoffrey Pardoe, Stephen Frances (Hank Janson) and Norman Lazenby. Although over thirty Capelli titles are known, only fourteen or so are represented in major collections.
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-132pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers in a sprightly design by Leonard Potts (1902-1978); a little chipped at extremities; covers a little marked; some creasing; staples rusted; text lightly tanned, but a reasonable copy of a scarce and fragile item. No copy located in any major library worldwide.

£50

To purchase, call us or e-mail us at books@ashrare.com quoting stock number 44503 – or simply click on the button

London : Ralph Stokes for Gaywood Press, [ca.1953]. First edition. “Both wore black overcoats, and black fedoras with snap brims. They looked like two black crows. On the table were two battered briefcases. Rio’s case held the barrel and the magazine, while Frank’s held the butt end of a Thompson sub-machine-gun” – campaigning newspaperman brutally shot down. Ace Capelli was a house name used variously by Geoffrey Pardoe, Stephen Frances (Hank Janson) and Norman Lazenby. Although over thirty Capelli titles are known, only fourteen or so are represented in major collections.
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-132pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers; some minor wear and creasing; parts of rear wrapper a little nicked and soiled; staples rusted; some spotting of prelims and edges, but a good and serviceable copy. No copy located in any major library worldwide.

£50

To purchase, call us or e-mail us at books@ashrare.com quoting stock number 44703 – or simply click on the button

London : Kaye Publications, [ca.1950]. First edition. “Heading San Francisco’s racket bosses was Jamie Riggs – Jamie and Pal Joey, the kid he had trained to think his way, and the guy he trusted with his shirt. These were the two closest pals in the game – until the night of the big fight when it didn't suit Jamie any longer”.
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-116pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers – brunette spills from limo in a design by John Pollack (1918-1985); slight wear and nick at head; some wear and splitting at foot; scuff and tear tape-repaired on upper wrapper; staples rusting; some edge-spotting, but a reasonable copy. Only the Bodleian copy located in the major UK libraries.

SOLD

London : Bernard Kaye, [ca.1950]. First edition. The first of the “Ace Capelli” titles – a name originally used by Stephen Daniel Frances (Hank Janson), and later taken over by Geoffrey Pardoe, Norman Lazenby, and others. Gangster Joe Keefe of Chicago stares at a prison sentence – not for the “killings, the dope running, the booze running, or the bank robberies” – but for income tax evasion. He heads for London.
Crown 8vo (19cm). (112)pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers – a stylish design by F.T.; some minor wear; a few edge-spots; staples just lightly rusted, but a very good copy. Just two copies (Bodleian and Trinity College, Dublin) located in major libraries worldwide.

£75

To purchase, call us or e-mail us at books@ashrare.com quoting stock number 44502 – or simply click on the button

London : Ralph Stokes for the Gaywood Press, [ca.1952]. First edition. “There were seven names on the list from the commissioner, and one name on that list would have paid a million dollars to get hold of it. That name handled the new drug racket that was sweeping the town and threatening the whole of the States” – Ace Capelli was a house name used variously by Geoffrey Pardoe, Stephen Frances (Hank Janson) and Norman Lazenby. Although over thirty Capelli titles are known, only fourteen or so are represented in major collections.
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-(116)pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers – blonde in need of a prayer; some light wear and creasing; spine and part of rear wrapper lightly discoloured; small puncture, without loss, to cover and first few leaves; staples rusted; text lightly tanned, but a good and serviceable copy of an uncommon title. No copy located in any major library worldwide.

£50

To purchase, call us or e-mail us at books@ashrare.com quoting stock number 44702 – or simply click on the button

London : Ralph Stokes for the Gaywood Press, [ca.1952]. First edition. “There were seven names on the list from the commissioner, and one name on that list would have paid a million dollars to get hold of it. That name handled the new drug racket that was sweeping the town and threatening the whole of the States” – Ace Capelli was a house name used variously by Geoffrey Pardoe, Stephen Frances (Hank Janson) and Norman Lazenby. Although over thirty Capelli titles are known, only fourteen or so are represented in major collections.
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-(116)pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers – blonde in need of a prayer; spine frayed and defective, lacking almost half its length; hole to front wrapper, with the loss of a few letters; rear wrapper worn, darkened and creased; staples rusted; some internal marks and creases, but a serviceable copy. No copy located in any major library worldwide.

£25

To purchase, call us or e-mail us at books@ashrare.com quoting stock number 45240 – or simply click on the button

London : Castle Books [ca.1954]. First edition. Published by Castle Books of Grays Inn Road, distributed by the Gaywood Press, and apparently the thirty-fourth “Ace Capelli” title – a writer (according to the publishers) being spoken of as a second Raymond Chandler. The Capelli name was originally used by Stephen Daniel Frances (Hank Janson), and later taken over by Geoffrey Pardoe, Norman Lazenby, and others.
Foolscap 8vo (17cm). 128pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers; a little rubbed, slightly worn and creased, with some marks to rear wrapper; staples rusted, but a good copy. No copy located in any major library worldwide.

£75

To purchase, call us or e-mail us at books@ashrare.com quoting stock number 45715 – or simply click on the button

London : Ralph Stokes for Gaywood Press, [ca.1952]. First edition. Lulu Ling was an “international spy who made Mata Hari look like a dame from the sticks”. Although Ace Capelli was used as a house name by various writers, this particular title is probably by Geoffrey Pardoe (1890-1953).
Crown 8vo (19cm). [iv],9-116pp. Original pictorial stapled wrappers; a little worn and somewhat creased; some marking and a short tear to lower wrapper; some spotting to edges and prelims; some internal creasing and tanning; a serviceable copy of an uncommon title. No copy located in any major library worldwide.

SOLD