{"product_id":"fast-company-hardcover","title":"Fast Company - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMarco Page\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eNicholas A. Basbanes\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA hardboiled rare book detective seeks a literate killer to clear an innocent man.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJoel Crisp knows the dark side of the rare book market. A private detective for an insurer of valuable tomes, he makes his living (and his own book allowance) hunting down pilfered volumes and exposing the dealers that traffic them. But when one of the most reviled of these unscrupulous salesmen is found bludgeoned with a bust of Dante and suspicion falls on an innocent kid, Joel finds himself investigating his first murder. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAided by his clever wife Garda, Joel is led on a perilous tour of a bookish underworld, a place of forbidden texts, contraband, and desire; a place with secrets to die for. If he's going to survive, he'll need quick wit and a whole lot of literary expertise to interpret the clues and discover whodunit. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePseudonymously written by screenwriter, playwright, and novelist Harry Kurnitz, \u003ci\u003eFast Company \u003c\/i\u003eis a memorable and entertaining detective novel with a unique setting, reissued for the first time this century. In 1938, the novel was adapted for the MGM film of the same name, the first of three that featured Joel and Garda investigating murders in the rare book world.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarco Page\u003c\/b\u003e (1908-1968) was the mystery pseudonym of novelist, playwright, and screenwriter Harry Kurnitz. His first book, \u003ci\u003eFast Company\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Dodd, Mead Red Badge Prize for Best First Mystery Novel. He wrote only a few more novels but is credited with over forty screenplays, including \u003ci\u003eWitness for the Prosecution\u003c\/i\u003e, several Thin Man pictures, and William Wyler's \u003ci\u003eHow to Steal a Million\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNicholas A. Basbanes\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of nine works of cultural history, with a particular emphasis on various aspects of books, book history, and book culture. In addition to his books, Basbanes has written for numerous newspapers, magazines, and journals, including \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, and lectures widely on a variety of cultural subjects. Among his most well-known titles are \u003ci\u003eA Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOn Paper: The Everything of Its Two Thousand Year History\u003c\/i\u003e.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 312\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.1 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 22, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50575125905547,"sku":"9781613168318","price":43.23,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0670\/2579\/7259\/files\/yvcdRxWl6i9781613168318.webp?v=1790787095","url":"https:\/\/thetaletrade.com\/products\/fast-company-hardcover","provider":"The Tale Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}