*Crime, Spies & Sleaze: We’re continuing to introduce the new layout for our books categories, with an image for each book. This week, we return to our Crime, Spies & Sleaze Category for the famous and long-running Sexton Blake Library. Often dubbed ‘the poor man Sherlock Holmes’, there’s still no doubting the popularity of Sexton Blake, who has probably had far more fiction written of him than the world’s greatest detective. 11 issues featured this week. These are picture library sized, but mainly text. The series ran from 1915 to 1968, and our stock dates from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, following the 1956 revamp by W Howard Baker when the covers took on a more gangster/sleazy mode and were drawn by notable artists such as David Wright. Written by a ‘harem’ of notable writers including Wilfred McNeilly, W Howard Baker, Michael Moorcock (one of many moonlighting as house name Desmond Reid), Peter Saxon and Jack Trevor Story, the longevity of the series is testament to the quality of the plotting and writing. And a factoid: one of Sexton Blake’s arch-enemies was Zenith the Albino – who is widely acknowledged to have inspired Moorcock’s morose hero Elric.

PICTURED: SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY ALL SOLD
#356: BY WHOSE HAND?: REX HARDINGE Amalgamated 1950s VG £7
#359: FRIGHTENED LADY: HOWARD BAKER Amalgamated 1950s GD/VG £6
#441: A COLD NIGHT FOR MURDER: MARTIN THOMAS Fleetway 1959 FA £3
#442: GUILTY PARTY: REX DOLPHIN Fleetway 1959 GD £5
#444: DESERT INTRIGUE: JAMES STAGG Fleetway 1960 GD/VG £6
#448: BRED TO KILL: MARTIN THOMAS Fleetway 1960 GD £5
#459: DATE WITH DANGER: MARTIN THOMAS Fleetway 1960 GD/VG £6
#466: DEAD MAN’S DESTINY: MARTIN THOMAS Fleetway 1960 GD/VG £6
#467: THE DEVIL TO PAY: REX DOLPHIN Fleetway 1961 GD/VG £6
#468: THIEF OF CLUBS: GILBERT JOHNS Fleetway 1961 VG £7
#488: BULLETS ARE TRUMPS: DESMOND REID Fleetway 1961 FA/GD £4