The Hands of Orlac. New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., (1929).
First Edition stated. M. B. K. dustjacket art. Extremely scarce Bleiler and Hubin listed horror novel which served as the basis for several films including Mad Love, directed by Karl Freund and starring Peter Lorre. Orlac, a famous concert pianist, who is severely injured in a train wreck that fractures his skull and mutilates his hands. The supervising surgeon, however, decides to amputate Orlac's ruined hands and replace them with the hands of a recently executed prisoner who was serving time for murder. Once the pianist recovers and realizes that his hands are those of a killer, he becomes too distraught to resume his career and begins to question his sanity. Who is that strange man who is shadowing him? Why do his hands seem to have a life of their own? The storyline becomes increasingly grim as Orlac's father is found murdered and the fingerprints on the knife match those on the pianist's new hands. Very Good or better, top fore-edge corners mildly bumped, in nearly Very Good dustjacket, split along front spine edge (mended with archival tape at verso), nickel sized chip at top spine end, shallow loss at top front flap corner area.
Price: $5,500.00