Code Three — Fox, Little Brown 1953

📖 Code Three by James M. Fox (1953, Little, Brown and Company) — a hard-boiled police procedural following Detective Sergeant Jerry Long through street-level cases in a West Coast city. This first edition retains its original dust jacket with artwork by Charles L. Gipson.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: James M. Fox (pen name of James M. W. Knipscheer)
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, Boston
• Year: 1953 (First Edition, stated; LoC Card No. 52-7338)
• Format: Hardcover in dust jacket
• Pages: Not specified | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Book VG/VG+; Jacket G+/VG- — full report below

THE STORY

Code Three is a police procedural in the roman policier tradition — a term the author himself invoked in his dedication to this book. Detective Sergeant Jerry Long works the gritty, unglamorous side of law enforcement in a large West Coast city, dealing with informants, jealousies, and the grinding daily reality of criminal investigation. Fox wrote with the authenticity of someone who understood police work from the inside, placing him alongside contemporaries like Ed McBain and Joseph Wambaugh in the procedural tradition.

THIS EDITION

Published by Little, Brown and Company in 1953, this first edition was cataloged by the Library of Congress that same year (Card No. 52-7338). The Canadian edition was published simultaneously by McClelland and Stewart Limited. The copyright page confirms “FIRST EDITION” and credits the copyright to James M. W. Knipscheer — Fox’s legal name, used only on copyright pages while his pen name appeared on all public-facing text.

COVER ART

The dust jacket features a striking nighttime police scene rendered in a bold, graphic mid-century style. Deep blue dominates the composition, with a police car’s lights cutting through the darkness and silhouetted figures suggesting the tension of an active investigation. The front flap credits jacket design to Charles L. Gipson. The grey cloth boards beneath carry the title and author in dark blue titling on the spine, with the Little, Brown imprint at the base.

WHY IT MATTERS

• James M. Fox was described by Little, Brown as “an able exponent of the rough-and-tough school” — one of several mystery writers the publisher promoted under its “A Select Company” banner alongside Ellery Queen, Ngaio Marsh, and Cyril Hare
• Part of the post-war wave of American police procedurals that established the genre as distinct from private-eye fiction
• The dedication — “For Ned and Jane, Patron Saints of San Diego, California, and of the roman policier” — signals Fox’s literary ambitions within the French detective fiction tradition

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First Edition, as stated on the copyright page. Copyright 1953 by James M. W. Knipscheer. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 52-7338.

What condition is it in? Book is Very Good to Very Good+; dust jacket is Good+ to Very Good-. Full condition report below.

Is the dust jacket original? Yes, the original unclipped dust jacket is present with artwork by Charles L. Gipson.

FOR COLLECTORS

First editions of mid-century police procedurals by lesser-known Little, Brown authors are genuinely scarce. Fox published at least four novels in the Jerry Long series — this and Bright Serpent are the most commonly encountered. The jacket art and “A Select Company” back cover make this an attractive display piece for mystery collectors.

Book Details

Author: James M. Fox (James M. W. Knipscheer)

Jacket Design: Charles L. Gipson

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

BINDING: HARDCOVER, cloth wrapped boards

Edition Points: Stated “FIRST EDITION”, copyright 1953; original jacket flap intact with $2.75 price.

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Book: Very Good (VG)/Very Good+ (VG+) / Jacket: Good+ (G+)/Very Good- (VG-)

Cover & Spine: Grey cloth boards with dark blue titling on spine; color fairly uniform all around, maybe just the slightest hint of tanning on spine (?). Board corners are crisp, not bumped. Spine head ever so slightly bumped and tail just a bit more.

Dust Jacket: Fair amount edge wear top and lower edges; flap fold corners are chipped with small losses; unclipped ($2.75). Colors are fairly even throughout, not showing tanning or sunning. No marks or tags

Text Block & Pages: Text block upper and outer edges are lightly tanned, the middle segment of the book is a bit more than front and back portions, likely due to having been published on a differing paper stock. The lower has a few light specks or foxing, not much and light.

Binding: Sound, square, and tight, hinges are good.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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