The Deep Blue Good-By (A Travis McGee Mystery) by John D. MacDonald ISBN 13: 9780397010905

Philadelphia/New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1975. First Hardcover Edition . Hardcover. Very Good+/Very Good. Book #1 in what would become a 21-book series featuring Travis McGee, the tough war veteran, ex-football player, & ladies man who works as a salvage consultant & takes on cases like a private investigator from his base of operations on a houseboat in Florida. Orig. published as a paperback original (PBO) in 1964, this is the First Hardcover Edition, first printing, from 1975. Quarter blue cloth-wrapped spine, blue paper over remaining boards, gilt lettering to spine. 200 pages. Condition is VG+, downgraded due to old tap residue to both front & rear endpapers from where DJ was affixed to book. It is an Ex-Lib copy, but with only 1 small stamp on title page indicating such & what looks to be a removed card pocket from rear free endpaper. Else, very bright & clean, binding strong & straight, pages creamy white; no foxing. NO writing or underlining or highlighting.… Read More

New York and Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975. 1st hardcover edition, so stated. (Originally published as a paperback original in May 1964). Blue cloth shows some light fading along extremeties, page edges show some minor staining else a near fine copy in unprice clipped [$6.95 price intact at lower edge of front flap] dust jacket. The jacket has minimal wear along the extremities, a couple of small nicks at spine head, but does not display any of the typical spine fading associated with most copies. The First Travis McGee Title. An unusually difficult title. Travis McGee is a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He’s also a knight-errant who’s wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: He’ll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half. McGee isn’t particularly strapped for cash, but how can anyone say no to Cathy, a… Read More

Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1975. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good/Near fine. The first US hardcover edition of the first Travis Magee book (originally published as a paperback original in 1964). The British publisher Hale issued the first hardcover. 200 pages. First US hardcover edition (first printing with "First hardbound edition 1975" on the copyright page and no later printings noted). A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with very minor wear. Remainder mark on bottom of page block and some sun fading to the board edges. The jacket is too short for the book, as usual.