Title Notes 1946-1959

Adapted with permission from a bibliography of Dennis Wheatley by Mr R Humphreys, 2002

Published: May 1946. Printed by the Anchor Press. Bound in black cloth. 320 pages. Cr 8vo. 10/6. Undated.

Other: On a page headed ‘Codeword Golden Fleece’ inserted somewhat curiously after the Contents page and before the start of the first Chapter of the first edition of ‘The Launching of Roger Brook’, DW revealed that the core of this Duke de Richleau story was based upon real events, and that a French nobleman did indeed seek to forestall the Nazis by buying the barges on the Rhine. Despite consulting various specialists in this period, I have been so far been unable to obtain any further information about this intriguing comment – CB.

Come Into My Parlour ^(note 1)

Published: November 1946 and is a continuation of Gregory Sallust's war-time exploits. Following the publication of this title Wheatley shelved Sallust's war adventures until 1958 when he published 'Traitor's Gate'. In between, he did produce an out of sequence novel featuring Sallust 'The Island Where Time Stands Still' 1954. Printed by The Anchor Press. Bound in black cloth. 384 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Undated.

Published: July 1947 and was to be the first of twelve books to feature the 18^th/19^th century spy. Bound in black cloth. One copy seen apparently with mid green cloth. The end-papers are maps. Printed at The Fleet Street Press. 381 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Undated.

Other: Latin speakers will notice a couple of mis-prints in the motto under the coat-of-arms on the dust-jacket. While the quotation from Ovid should read: ‘Audentum Forsque Venusque juvant’, or ‘Fortune and love favour the brave’, the dust-jacket has ‘Audentem’ rather than ‘Audentum at the beginning of the motto, and in ‘Forsque’, the ‘F’ has been erroneously replace with an ‘S’. Either the printers could not read DW’s handwriting, or Roger Brook dozed in one too many of his latin classes while at Sherborne.

Published: May 1948. The title Wheatley originally intended to use was ‘So Roger Went to Russia’.^(note 2) Printed by The Fleet Street Press. Bound in black cloth. The end-papers are maps. 380 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Undated.

Published: December 1948. Wheatley had begun this story some years earlier as a vehicle for Gregory Sallust,^(note 3) but then re-wrote the story into its present form. He believed it to be one of his most frightening novels. Printed at The Anchor Press. Bound in black cloth. 292 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Undated.

Published: October 1949, and places Roger Brook in the French Revolution. Wheatley discovered that this series of novels was becoming extremely popular and resolved to include all the main world events and present to his readership what he called ‘history without tears’.^(note 4) Printed at The Anchor Press.

Bound in black cloth. Front end-papers are maps. 432 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Undated.

Published: 1949 to commemorate the bi-centenary of Justerini and Brookes wine merchants. It includes a history of the company, and recipes for cocktails.^(note 5)

Published by Riddle Books it runs to 85 pages. Cr 8vo. No dust-wrapper was produced for this book. A revised edition was published in 1965.

A compliments slip often found inserted in this publication is illustrated in the ‘Hutchinson and other publicity material’ section of the website.

To read what DW wrote about it in his unpublished memoirs, click here ^(note 12)

Of Vice and Virtue was published in 1950.

This small book was commissioned by the Foreign Office in London for propaganda purposes in the Middle-East. First made available in English when it was published in ‘Dennis Wheatley: An Unpublished Miscellany’ in 2023. Until then the only copy in English known to exist was the typescript held by Wheatley that was sold as part of his collection by Blackwell in 1979. The catalogue describes this work thus: Of Vice and Virtue. An Eastern Romance. Typescript typed on recto of each leaf and with several holograph corrections in Wheatley’s hand throughout the text.^(note 6) 103 pages. DW’s English language typescript is illustrated in this site’s ‘virtual Museum’ in the room on the ‘Post War Years’, which also exhibits the only known copy of the Arabic edition, for which market the Foreign Office intended the book.

The Second Seal was published in November 1950. It was the first of Wheatley’s novels in which he gave the Duc de Richleau a history. This one being set in Europe on the eve of World War 1. Wheatley considered it to be one of his best books.^(note 7) This is the first of Wheatley’s novels to carry a publication date. Printed by The Mayflower Press. Bound in black cloth. Mapped end-papers. Dust-wrapper unattributed, assumed to be by Sax. 483 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Dated.

The Early Adventures of Roger Brook was published in July 1951 and was the second omnibus edition of Wheatley’s work. This book contains the two stories: ‘The Launching of Roger Brook’ and ‘The Shadow of Tyburn Tree’. Dust wrapper designed by Sax. Printed by The Mayflower Press. Bound in black cloth. 761 pages. End-papers are maps. Cr 8vo. 15/-. Undated.

The Man Who Killed the King was published in November 1951, the fourth Roger Brook adventure this time trying to rescue the French Royal family from imprisonment. Printed by The Anchor Press. Bound in black cloth. The dust-wrapper was designed by Sax and the end-papers are mapped. It ran to 568 pages. Cr 8vo. 15/-. Dated.

Published in May 1952. It is Wheatley’s only science-fiction novel although there are science-fiction elements in a small number of his other books (‘The Ka of Gifford Hillary’, ‘Black August’ etc.). Printed by The Anchor Press. Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Sax. 320 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Dated.

Worlds Far From Here published in November 1952 is the third Wheatley omnibus. It contains three ‘lost civilisation’ stories, ‘Uncharted Seas’; ‘The Man Who Missed the War’; ‘They Found Atlantis’. Dust wrapper designed by Ley Kenyon. Printed by The Premier Press. Bound in black cloth. 1120 pages. Cr 8vo. 17/6. Dated.

To the Devil—A Daughter published: January 1953 and is a return to occultism. This title and ‘The Satanist’ can be considered as a short series as they both involve the character Molly Fountain. Filmed in 1975 starring Christopher Lee. Printed by The Anchor Press. The dust-wrapper was designed by Frank Papé and there are mapped end-papers. It is bound in black cloth. 384 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Dated.

Published in 1953: the last of Wheatley's board games, this time a do-it-yourself detective game.

Published by Geographia Ltd.

Board game comprising a 4.9" x 4.6" (approx) contents box with fitted lid and a 19.6" x 14.4" (approx) playing board; the contents box and board are made of card covered in dark blue material, with identical pictorials labels on the front.
The box contains: 5 playing pieces (raincoated figures coloured dark brown / dark grey / light blue / bright green & beige), 12 suspect cards and 20 instruction cards (all with buff coloured backs), a stapled book of warrant slips, a dice with shaker and a small stapled 12 page rule book.

In the box, the playing pieces are laid out in a row and secured to a supporting piece of buff coloured card by small elastic bands. Underneath the playing pieces on the right are two larger elastic bands; presumably to hold in place the cards. The shaker fits into a vertical at the bottom left of the card.
Printed by Fisher, Knight & Co., Ltd., St. Albans. 10/6. Undated.

Curtain of Fear was published in October 1953 and Wheatley considered it to be one of his worst books.^(note 8) Printed by Premier Press Ltd. Bound in black cloth. 294 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Dated.

Those Modern Musketeers published in April 1954 is the revised version of the 1939 edition. This version omits ‘The Devil Rides Out’ containing: ‘The Forbidden Territory’; ‘Three Inquisitive People’; ‘The Golden Spaniard’.

Bound in maroon cloth it has illustrated end-papers by Joan and Dennis Wheatley and Diana Younger (front papers taken from The Forbidden Territory; rear papers from The Golden Spaniard). In some copies these maps are reversed. 928 pages. Cr 8vo. 15/-. Dated.

The Island Where Time Stands Still ^(note 9)

Published in September 1954. An out of series adventure for Gregory Sallust. Wheatley did not consider this book to be one of his best. Printed by The Mayflower Press. Bound in blue cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Sax. 336 pages. Cr 8vo. 12/6. Dated.

The Dark Secret of Josephine ^(note 10)

Published in September 1955. Printed by William Brendon and Son Ltd., The Mayflower Press, Watford, Herts. Bound in black cloth with mapped end-papers. The dust-wrapper was designed by Sax. 448 pages. Cr 8vo. 15/-. Dated.

Published in June 1955. The first of the Sallust omnibuses. This volume contains: ‘The Scarlet Impostor’; ‘Faked Passports’; ‘The Black Baroness’. Printed by The Mayflower Press. Bound in black cloth the dust-wrapper was designed by Sax and the end-papers (from The Scarlet Impostor and Faked Passports) were designed by Diana Younger. 1260 pages. Cr 8vo. 17/6. Dated.

First published in July 1956. Printed by Taylor, Garnett, Evans and Co. Ltd. Wheatley was particularly proud of his discourse on the communist threat that intrudes into the story.^(note 11) Bound in black cloth (with the first state having the title on the spine stamped in gold and a presumably later state having the title stamped in turquoise) the dust wrapper was designed by Sax. 407 pages. Cr 8vo. 16/-. Dated.

First published in November 1956. Containing: ‘The Devil Rides Out’; ‘Strange Conflict’; ‘To the Devil—A Daughter’. Printed by Taylor, Garnett, Evans and Co. Ltd. Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Sax. 987 pages. Cr 8vo. 21/-. Dated.

First published: September 1957. This is the earliest episode from the de Richleau cycle of novels. Printed by Taylor, Garnet, Evans and Co. Ltd. Bound in pictorial boards with a design, repeated on the dust-wrapper, by Sax. The end-papers are illustrated. 383 pages. Cr 8vo. 15/-. Dated.

First published: November 1957. The second and last Roger Brook omnibus including: ‘The Rising Storm’; ‘The Man Who Killed the King’. Printed by Taylor, Garnett, Evans and Co. Ltd. Bound in black cloth, the dust wrapper was designed by Sax. 568 pages. Cr 8vo. 21/-. Dated.

Published: September 1958. Wheatley’s return to the World War II adventures of Gregory Sallust. Bound in pictorial boards with a design repeated on the dust wrapper by Sax. End-papers are illustrated with maps of Budapest and the Tower of London. Printed by Taylor, Garnet, Evans and Co. Ltd. 383 pages. Cr 8vo. 16/-. Dated.

Published: December 1958. Omnibus edition including three ‘out of series’ titles: ‘The Eunuch of Stamboul’; ‘The Fabulous Valley’; ‘The Secret War’. Bound in red covered boards with a dust wrapper designed by Sax. Printed by Taylor, Garnett Evans and Co. Ltd. 928 pages. Cr 8vo. 21/-. Dated.

Published: February 1959.

A collection of papers written by Wheatley during the war for consideration by the Joint Planning Staff. Printed by The Anchor Press. Bound in red cloth. Illustrated. 364 pages. Demy 8vo. 25/-. Dated.

First published: October 1959. Bound in blue boards with design on spine and top board. Dust wrapper by Sax. End-paper maps of Venice. Printed by Taylor, Garnett, Evans and Co. Ltd. 446 pages. Cr 8vo. 15/-. Dated.

First published: December 1959. Contents: ‘Black August’; ‘Contraband’; ‘The Island Where Time Stands Still’. Bound in black boards with a design to spine. Dust wrapper designed by Sax. Printed by Taylor, Garnett, Evans and Co. Ltd. 848 pages. Cr 8vo. 21/-. Dated.

*Variants*	1.	While everything else is as described above, the suspect cards and instruction cards have bright red backs.
	2.	The dark grey figure is replaced by a dark blue figure, and the inside of the box has a fundamentally different layout. The figures are set out in two rows rather than one (three above and two below) and there is no evidence of elastic bands; small apertures are cut in the card to hold the bases of the figures. There are apertures in the card for both the shaker and the cards, and the rulebook is made of three pieces of paper folded together without the use of staples. It is possible this variant represents the earliest version the game although there is no typographic evidence that one version is earlier than the other.