Books

First edition, first printing, of the fifth Nero Wolfe novel, in the bright, rare dust jacket. This copy is from the collection of the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (1941-2021), who took a passionate interest in crime fiction, with his posthumous bookplate. The novel follows Stout's detective as he investigates a murder during a banquet hosted by the world's greatest chefs. Its alluring representations of gourmet cuisine won particular praise from Agatha Christie: "I must reveal that greed and the general enjoyment of food is one of my main characteristics and the descriptions of the meals served and prepared by Nero Wolfe's cook have given me a lot of pleasure and a great wish to have occasionally tasted these suggestions myself. Perhaps for that reason, I particularly liked Too Many Cooks" (quoted in McAleer, p. 263). The book includes 12 recipes enjoyed by Wolfe, printed on blue paper and bound at the rear. The story was originally serialized in the American Magazine from March to August 1938. Octavo. Original red cloth, spine and front cover lettered in black, top edge blue. With dust jacket. Pencilled ownership signature of "Joseph A. Murphy" to front free endpaper; bookseller's ticket to rear pastedown. Binding bright, a few faint marks and bumps to extremities, outer leaves slightly foxed, marginal chips to pp. 263-5 not affecting text; jacket spine slightly sunned, extremities lightly worn, pale red splash to verso, else bright and unclipped: a very good copy in very good jacket. John McAleer, Rex Stout: A Biography, 1977.

Too Many Cooks is a mystery novel by Rex Stout, featuring his detective, Nero Wolfe. It was first published in 1938 by Farrar & Rinehart.