A Case for the CID

The third inscribed book that I acquired recently from Jamie Sturgeon is called A Case for the CID. It was first published in 1933 and comes from the pen of Mrs Philip Champion De Crespigny. Which to my mind is a wonderful name for anyone, let alone a teller of tales.

Preliminary research indicates that Mrs Champion De Crespigny’s first name was Rose. When husband Philip died, she became passionately interested in spiritualism, lecturing on the subject and sometimes featuring it in her numerous novels. A quick Google search suggests that the Champion De Crespigny family stretches back many generations and is of considerable distinction. And the first few pages of the book indicate a competent and professional writer, if not a specialist in complex plots.

Her inscription (‘to Agnes’) is simply signed ‘from the Author’. Perhaps if your name is Mrs Philip Champion De Crespigny, it eventually becomes a bit wearisome to sign in full.

(By the way, the latest additions to the blogroll are David Cranmer and Scott Parker, two American writers I'm pleased to have discovered.)