Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Woolrich, Cornell. The Black Curtain. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1941.
Price: US$40.00 + shipping
Condition: Poor
Description: Spine cocked, bumped, rubbed and spotted with wear and fraying to the corners and spine ends. Hinges cracked, front free end paper roughly removed. Previous owner's name on the front pastedown. Basis for the 1942 Jack Hively movie "Street of Chance" starring Burgess Meredith and Claire Trevor. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Seller: MLC Books, Northfield, MN, U.S.A.
WOOLRICH, Cornell. The Black Curtain. Simon and Schuster, NY, 1941.
Price: US$200.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: The true first edition in grey cloth stamped in black. Endpapers professionally replaced. Insect damage to corners of first four pages of book. In great Facsimile dustwrapper. The first edition of an early Woolrich first. At about 1/10th the price of a F/F copy. A great "place saving" copy.
Seller: Michael J. Toth, Bookseller, ABAA, Springtown, PA, U.S.A.
WOOLRICH, CORNELL.. The Black Curtain. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1941, 1941.
Price: US$350.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition.Very good in a mediocre (just good) dust jacket with interior tape mending. All books described as first editions are first printings unless otherwise noted.
Seller: Peter L. Stern & Co., Inc, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Woolrich, Cornell. The Black Curtain. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1941.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition. Bound in publisher's red cloth stamped in white and black. Good, with darkening and a lean to the spine, wear to cloth with light staining from an old-style dust jacket protector (affecting end sheets as well), creases to page corners, slightly exposed hinge at front and rear hinge started. In a rather worn Good unclipped dust jacket with rubbing, edge wear with chipping, tape repair to split along front flap fold, bleeding from cloth mainly to verso, thinning along folds. A major novel by the American suspense writer (1903-1968) about a man with amnesia; it inspired a radio play and an episode of the TV show The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Woolrich, Cornell. THE BLACK CURTAIN. Simon and Schuster, New York, 1941.
Price: US$850.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo, original red cloth stamped in white and black, top edge stained black. The second of the "Black" books, a noir suspense novel. Filmed in 1942 as "Street of Chance" with Burgess Meredith, Claire Trevor and Sheldon Leonard. Also adapted successfully for the CBS radio program "Suspense" and produced for "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (1962). "Faulty it may be, but THE BLACK CURTAIN is surely one of the best suspense novels ever written on the overworked theme of amnesia" - Pronzini and Muller, 1001 Midnights, The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, pp. 860-861. Johnson, The Dark Page, p. 286. Previous owner's name and address handwritten in ink on front paste-downs and in pencil on rear paste-down, spine lean, a very good copy with no shelf wear in a good pictorial dust jacket with wear and rubbing at edges, shallow loss at spine ends and corner tips, and some soiling and abrasion to rear panel. A scarce book. (17956)
Seller: John W. Knott, Jr, Bookseller, ABAA/ILAB, Laurel, MD, U.S.A.
Woolrich, Cornell. The Black Curtain. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1941.
Price: US$999.99 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Red cloth with black/white stamped lettering/black topstain. Same date/no additional printings. Back board liquid stained. Spine ends softened. Reading ridge to spine. Unclipped jacket with $2.00 price. Jacket in mylar is edgeworn and rubbed, with red from the dampened cloth to back panel. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall
Seller: curtis paul books, inc., Northridge, CA, U.S.A.
Woolrich, Cornell. The Black Curtain [Advance Reading Copy]. Simon & Schuster, 1941.
Price: US$1500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 305 pages. Rare ARC of this early Woolrich novel. The dustjacket has been trimmed to the size of the textblock and the two have been glued together at the spine.
Seller: Wild Hills Books, Largo, FL, U.S.A.
Woolrich, Cornell. The Black Curtain. Simon & Shuster, NY, 1941.
Price: US$1500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Grey cloth. Jacket with tear (but no loss) to front panel lower right corner.
Seller: Graver & Pen Rare Books, Midland, MI, U.S.A.
Woolrich, Cornell.. THE BLACK CURTAIN. SIMON & SCHUSTER. NY 1941, 1941.
Price: US$1500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Near fine in a Vg.+ dj. (Original publisher's query card laid-in. Top 1/2" inch of spine on dj. chipped. Affects "The" in title. A few tiny chips at base of spine. Edge tears & creasing at head of front cover. Age toning & a tiny chip at head of front panel. Tasteful bookplate on front pastedown) Author's scarce SECOND mystery novel. Filmed in 1942 as "Street Of Chance.'
Seller: WAVERLEY BOOKS ABAA, Santa Monica, CA, U.S.A.
WOOLRICH, CORNELL.. THE BLACK CURTAIN.. Simon and Schuster, 1941., New York, 1941.
Price: US$3500.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. Faint offsetting to front and rear free endpapers from reaction to the flap folds, else a fine, bright copy in bright dust jacket with light professional restoration to spine ends. 1001 Midnights says, ".surely one of the best suspense novels ever written on the overworked theme of amnesia. It was filmed in 1942 as Street of Chance with Burgess Meredith as the man searching for his past,." Frank Townsend is a man who lost three years of his life, who did not know where he'd been during that time, nor what he'd done. Gradually, with a mounting sense of horror, Frank realizes that his future is menaced by his unknown past . he is being watched and followed by a relentless pursuer. Handsome copy.
Seller: BUCKINGHAM BOOKS, ABAA, ILAB, IOBA, GREENCASTLE, PA, U.S.A.
Cornell Woolrich. The Black Curtain (First Edition). Simon and Schuster, New York, 1941.
Price: US$4500.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition. The author's second mystery, basis for the 1942 film noir "Street of Chance," starring Burgess Meredith and Claire Trevor. Near Fine in an about Near Fine dust jacket. Jacket spine panel lightly faded, with minor rubbing at the spine ends and a couple of corners. In a custom green cloth clamshell box. The Dark Page I: 1940-1949, p. 286.
Seller: Royal Books, Inc., ABAA, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.