The Bad Seed

London: Hamish Hamilton, 1954. First UK edition. Quarto in b&w illus jacket; 254 pages; 21 cm. Amply foxed jacket, text-block edges and, to a lesser degree, leaf margins; price-clipped jacket. A tight copy nonetheless; in an archival mylar. Small personal owner signature to top edge of FEP. Hardcover.

The uncommon UK first edition, with b&w cover art by Robin Jacques. Psychological fiction. ¶ "The best-selling inspiration for the chilling movie starring Patty McCormack and Nancy Kelly. What happens to ordinary families into whose midst a child serial killer is born? This spine-tingling tale investigates a mother's concerned suspicion surrounding several mysterious accidental deaths that all connect back to her eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda. Tremendously impacting the thriller genre, this masterpiece of suspense generated a whole crop of creepy kids, and it's as chilling, intelligent, and timely as ever before. Originally published in 1954, this National Book Award-nominated classic was adapted into film in 1956. With a new foreword. Vintage Movie Classics spotlights classic films that have stood the test of time, now rediscovered through the publication of the novels on which they were based." —Publisher (Prion) // Mothers and daughters -- Fiction. Serial murderers -- Fiction. Mères et filles -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. Tueurs en série -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. Fiction. Thrillers (Fiction) Suspense fiction. Thrillers (Fiction)