Item 66 is a signed inscription from the great mystery writer, Ellery Queen, to a British autograph collector. Queen was not only the writer, but also the lead character in his mysteries. His books were so popular that two separate television programs, naturally called "Ellery Queen," were spawned from them. That should be the end of the story, but this is, after all, a mystery. There was no Ellery Queen. In reality, "Queen" was a penname of Brooklyn cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee. But, it doesn't end there, as those were in turn pseudonyms for the two mystery-writing cousins. Dannay was actually Daniel Nathan; Lee was Manford Leposky. And, Queen-Dannay-Lee-Nathan-Leposky was also mystery writer Barnaby Ross. So, you really get a lot more than Ellery Queen with this autograph. $85.

James Pepper Rare Books may be reached at 805-963-1025 or pepbooks@aol.com; website www.JamesPepperBooks.com.