[good sound clean copy, teensy bump to top front corner, appears unread, vintage bookseller's label (Daniels and Fisher Book Shop) on rear pastedown; jacket lightly edgeworn, with a couple of insignificant tears and a dime-sized surface-peel scar on the spine (probably from the careless removal of a price-sticker)]. "The glittering lady of [this] novel devours her man -- but by no simple physical process. [The book] is a subtle character study, a drama of jealousy and a clash of emotions that result in murder. It presents an ironic picture of an aging belle of the 1920's, an absorbing story of devious female intrigue, and a solution that is brilliant in its poetic justice." At 332 pages and over an inch thick, it's considerably heftier than your average mystery novel, but then again it's not your average mystery novel. As explained by the New York Times reviewer: "If this were a detective story, which it is not, although it deals with murder and has a detective in it, one would expect Arline [the title character] to be murdered, but the author has devised for her a more subtle punishment, one that leaves her hopelessly defeated by her own too devious plot. Most of the characters in this book make fetishes of sophistication and bohemianism, but their bohemianism is bogus and their sophistication is simply nasty. They take pride in flouting the conventions of sex morality, and they make their views known in no uncertain terms. The story does not make pleasant reading, but it could scarcely do that with Arline as the central character." The author wrote several other books, both fiction and nonfiction, but this was his only mystery novel, so-called. Seller Inventory # 23167

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Bibliographic Details

Title: The Praying Mantis

Publisher: Stackpole Sons (c.1937), New York

Publication Date: 1937

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Near Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good dj

Edition: First Edition.

Store Description

Welcome to ReadInk (pronounced like "Dead Ink"), now in its 27th year of putting interesting books into the hands of interested people. Our watchwords here are: * Availability. Every book listed for sale is in my possession and available for purchase; every image posted is a picture of the actual book on offer. * Service. Although I occasionally adopt the so-called "royal We," in fact ReadInk is just Me -- I handle everything from one end of the pipeline to the other: buying, cataloging, customer service, shipping, you name it. Nothing automated here -- just prompt, personal attention to every order. * Accurate Description. I use standard book-grading terminology -- Good, Very Good, Fine (with various +/- gradations as appropriate) -- and try to avoid both excessive jargon and obsessive amounts of detail. "Fine" is my highest grade, and a book has to be darn near perfect to earn it; even the smallest flaw or blemish will knock the grade down to "Near Fine.? I strive to present a faithful impression of a book?s condition and appearance; significant flaws such as remainder marks, previous owner's names, tears in the dust jacket, etc. are always noted, or if too numerous are reasonably summarized. * Information. Whenever practical, I try to include some information about a book's content in my listing, even if only a carefully chosen quotation from the dust jacket copy. This may sound like a small thing, but take a look sometime and you'll see how amazingly few sellers bother with this. On the occasions I let this slide, it's generally because the book is a common one, or because the title itself is sufficiently descriptive. * Care for the Book. I package all books with great care, to ensure they will withstand the rigors of the U.S. Postal System, and will reach their new owners in the same condition as advertised. My specific packaging techniques vary according to the needs of the book itself, but either a sturdy box or an unbendable package is always involved. (No bubble envelopes, ever, unless the contents are thoroughly protected within.) That?s all there is to ReadInk: just a guy who has loved books all my life (perhaps to excess) and entered the trade in my "middle years" to see what I could make of it. And I'm still finding out. My inventory appears here on AbeBooks and on my own website ? www.readinkbooks.com. Come on in! Howard Prouty, prop.

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ReadInk, ABAA/IOBA
CA, U.S.A.

Terms of Sale:

All orders will be processed promptly and shipped within 48 hours, barring unforeseen circumstances. We grade our books conservatively (Fine being our highest grade, used only for books with no discernible flaws) and package them liberally: most hardcover books are sent in boxes, securely wrapped and cushioned, and with the dust jacket (if present) protected by a new mylar cover. We provide a concise, accurate description of the condition of every book (and a scanned image of the actual book on ...

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Shipping Terms:

We offer free Media Mail shipping for all domestic (U.S.) orders, and endeavor to keep our Priority Mail rates as reasonable as possible. International shipping in most instances will be via USPS First Class International mail, at the posted rates. Only on rare occasions do we request additional shipping charges, when warranted by the weight or value of the book. Our first priority always is TOP-QUALITY PACKAGING, for MAXIMUM PROTECTION of your book, and we will never compromise on this point.

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