"The Gay Conspirators" by Philip Curtiss, published by W.R. Caldwell & Company, New York, The International Adventure Library, Three Owls edition, copyright 1924 Harper and Brothers. Printed from the original Harper plates with Harper code D-Z [April 1925].

Hard boards, maroon cloth with embossed 'three owls' on the front board, black box with gilt lettering on spine [some wear, the lettering is heavily faded]; 5" x 7.1/2"; former owner's name and date [Jean Duesberry, 23/3. 25] inside front cover and front endpaper, dump staining and bleeding the endpapers; slightly dump stain at the upper margin of the pages - [no smell] see photos; 324 pages, some soiling, color pencil written numerals of chapters [see photos]; good condition.

The action of this novel begins when Royal Besant, a police reporter retired to his home on the Massachusetts coast, is sought out by a prominent lawyer and asked to undertake the role of private detective. It appears that a young violinist of doubtful intentions has fallen in love with the heiress to ten or fifteen million; the family of the heiress, as a result, become wildly alarmed and desire to have the musician watched; and the upshot is that Besant is somewhat reluctantly commissioned for the task. Immediately upon undertaking the work, of course, he becomes involved in an unexpected medley of love, mystery and adventure; and so numerous are the complications and so exciting the outcome that the author has no difficulty in filling the requisite three hundred pages. While the story does not differ in type from the conventional mystery detective romance, it is told with somewhat more skill and in a somewhat more competent style than the average, and so fulfills is function of providing the reader with light and innocuous entertainment.

Philip Everett Curtiss (1885-1964) was a novelist, and newspaper reporter in Connecticut. He served in the General Assembly of the Connecticut Legislature from 1941 until 1947 and was a trial justice and justice of the peace in Norfolk, Connecticut from 1940 until 1955. He also had his stories published in various magazines including Harper's Magazine. Yale University has a collection of his papers.

US: Priority (c 2-4 days) ------------- $12.50
Canada: 1st Class (c.2-6 weeks) ------- $26.50
World: 1st Class (c.2-8 weeks) -------- $34.50