Estimate: $450 - $650
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[ARKHAM HOUSE, publishers]. - Robert BLOCH (1917-1994). The Opener of the Way. Sauk City, WI: Arkham House, 1945. Octavo (7 3/8 x 5 inches; 187 x 127 mm). Pp. [i-]x-xi[-xii; 1-]4-309[-312]. Original black cloth, spine lettered in gilt, original dust-jacket, printed in sepia with a design by Ronald Clyme. Provenance: signed by Robert Bloch on front free endpaper.
First edition, one of just 2065 copies: an excellent signed copy in fine dust-jacket. A very sharp copy of Bloch's first substantial book. The dust-jacket includes a biography on back flap. The introduction (pages ix-xi) answers the question, "Where do you get the ideas for your stories?". Listed as #23 on Arkham House Books: A Collector's Guide's list of the 35 most valuable Arkham editions, and Stephen King listed ‘The Opener of the Way” as one of Arkham House's "most important works": essentially, this work launched Bloch's writing career, paving the way for ‘Psycho’ and others.
Currey p.37