It all started when a San Francisco socialite barged into the offices of Cool and Lam...

{HISTORY}

Before there was John Grisham and his library of bestselling legal fiction books, there was Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970), the most popular bestselling author of the 20th century.  As a lawyer turned writer, Erle created the Perry Mason series as well as a host of other indelible characters that captivated readers' attention in the detective, crime, and mystery genres. Incredibly prolific, Erle wrote over 125 books throughout his career and employed a team of assistants working as his secretarial staff. Together, he and his team traveled the world doing research for novels and chasing story ideas. 

Writing under the cover of a dozen other pen names, Erle published multiple books per year for over 30 years. One of his pen names was A.A. Fair under which he wrote the Cool and Lam detective series starring lead characters Bertha Cool and Donald Lam. Harder to find than Erle's Perry Mason series of books these days, Cool and Lam stories are a fun addition to any vintage bookshelf. Not only for their cover art but also for the unique character of Bertha Cool - a srong female investigator in a male-dominated world. 

Top of the Heap published in 1952, was #13 in Erle's Cool and Lam series, which eventually totaled 29 books published between 1939-1970. At the start of the series, no one suspected that Erle Stanley Gardner was the author, A.A. Fair working under a pen name. But by the time Top of the Heap was published, the two names were formally linked on the dust jacket for the first time  Readers didn't care. They loved Erle's writing style so much it didn't matter what name was what, so he continued to publish everything in that series under the name A.A. Fair til the very end.

Containing its original Detective Book Club dust jacket, Top of the Heap is about a nefarious California socialite and three women in his life.  Lauded for the way, he could draw in a reader and keep them hooked from the first page to the last, Erle's books still remain fun collectibles to this day. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Original 1952 dust jacket 

- Published by William J. Morrow 

 - 178 pages

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition. The dust jacket has some chippy areas along the bottom edge on the front and back as well as a small rip on the top edge on the back. The book itself is in excellent condition. With bright, clean, pages and a tight spine.

{SIZE}

Measures 7.5" inches (length) x 5.5" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs 9 oz.

{FOR THE COLLECTOR}

Find more vintage Erle Stanley Gardner books here.