The Black Camel: A Charlie Chan Mystery

Author: Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933) inscribedYear: 1929Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill CompanyPlace: IndianapolisDescription:312 pages. Small octavo (7 3/4" x 5 1/4") bound in original publisher's grey cloth with red lettering to spine and cover in original jacket. Inscribed on second front end-paper. First edition in second state jacket.Earl Derr Biggers is remembered primarily for his novels, especially those featuring the fictional Chinese American detective Charlie Chan, from which popular films were made in the United States and China. Derr Biggers was born in Warren, Ohio, and graduated from Harvard University in 1907. He worked as a journalist for The Plain Dealer before turning to fiction. His novel Seven Keys to Baldpate was popular in 1913, and George M. Cohan quickly adapted the novel as a hit Broadway stage play of the same name. Cohan starred in the 1917 film version, one of seven film versions of the play, and a 1935 revival. More than 10 years after Baldpate, Derr Biggers had