Book cover image

The McGovan Casebook: Experiences of a Detective in Victorian Edinburgh by James McGovan

$9.00 NZD Sold out
GST included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Almost twenty years after the publication of Detective James McLevy's memoirs there appeared in Edinburgh a series of volumes purporting to be the autobiographical writings of another policeman from the city, James McGovan. The first was Brought to Bay, or Experiences of a City Detective, which was issued by the Edinburgh Publishing Company in 1878. It was followed by Strange Clues and Solved Mysteries. Encouraged by the success of these books, which by 1884 had sold 25,000 copies and been translated into French and German, the author produced a fourth, Traced and Tracked. Despite their apparent authenticity, which was unquestioned either by the general public or the press of the day, these volumes were all the work of a musician and writer called William Crawford Honeyman. Doubtless inspired by McLevy, Honeyman created a character who can lay claim to being one of the first detectives in crime fiction. James McGovan walks the same Edinburgh beat as his real-life predecessor, shares his dry sense of humour and, like McLevy, never fails to get a conviction. According to present-day crime novelist Alannah Knight: Honeyman found a gold mine in McLevy's forgotten books. He lent the professional writer's touch, an air of sophisticaton and added literary embellishment. The books will almost certainly have been known to the young Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a student in Edinburgh in the 1870s and published his first Sherlock Holmes story in 1887. Hugely popular in their time-The Scotsman raved: Nowhere in the English language, so far as we know, are there any detective stories which can equal these for interest and genuine ability, and to the People's Friend he was the very Dickens of detectives-the McGovan books are now all but forgotten. American crime writer Ellery Queen was a famous admirer, and ranked the stories alongside the works of Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie as amongst the best in the detective genre. Editorial Reviews About the Author James McGovan was the pen-name of William Crawford Honeyman, who was born in 1845 and died in 1919. He was a professional violinist, and published a number of books on the instrument under his own name.
Publication Details

Title: The McGovan Casebook: Experiences of a Detective in Victorian Edinburgh

Author(s):

  • James McGovan

Illustrator:

Binding: Paperback

Published by: Birlinn Ltd: , 2003

Edition:

ISBN: 9781841830506 | 184183050X

200 pages. #REF!

  • ENG- English
Book Condition: Good
919t

Pickup currently unavailable at Book Express Warehouse

Afterpay
American Express
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Mastercard
PayPal
Shop Pay
Union Pay
Visa

Product information

What does the Book Condition Very Good mean? Good? Fair?
See our descriptions of book descriptions here: book's conditions.
What does ffep stand for?
Front-facing endpaper - the first page of a book inside the cover. This page is typically blank. Often people will write their name on this page at the top, or a gift message - which is why you will see ‘owner’s name on ffep’ in some of our book descriptions.
What does dj stand for?
Dust Jacket - the outer paper wrapping on a hardback book. If we mention a book is ’No dj’ this means it should have a dust jacket but it is missing.
What is foxing?
Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old books. The causes of foxing are not well understood, but high humidity may contribute to to foxing. 
Foxing - Wikipedia
What is tanning?
Age tanning, or browning, occurs over time on the pages of books. This process can show up on just the edges of pages, when this occurs it is sometimes referred to as "edge tanning." This kind of deterioration is commonly seen in books printed before the advent of acid-free paper in the 1980s.
r/BookCollecting - Is this mold or normal aging for a well used book?
 
Where do you get your books from?
We buy books from the public and also take donations. We travel regularly around the Wellington/Manawatu region, and will go further afield to collect larger quantities in our big van. We also like to go to book fairs and other charity events and buy books that catch our eye.
Are your photos of the actual books being sold?
It depends - we have sometimes used stock images for very common books but are in the process of photographing our entire inventory. This will take awhile to finish! If we have 10 copies of the Da Vinci code all in Very Good condition, we will just photograph one and use that to represent all 10 in stock. However if the next copy of worn and only in Fair condition, we will photograph that separately and create a new listing for it.
What is the most expensive book you have sold?
To date it was a first edition first printing copy of JRR Tolkien’s The Two Towers. It was in very poor condition but still was worth over NZ$1000.
What is your favourite book to sell?
I love seeing anything written by Stephen King - they just do not stay in our inventory for very long before someone spots it and buys it. And Alison Holst’s book on muffins will not stay in inventory very long either - too cheap at $7 maybe?
Why do you also sell mailing supplies?
We had a lot of trouble sourcing the right sort of bubble mailer to send our books out in, and eventually found a supplier of high quality mailers in China to import them from. We figured other sellers of small items in New Zealand might like to also use them.
Are you open to the public?
Unfortunately our books are all stored in a large warehouse in boxes so they are not easily browsable. The SKU number for a book tells us where to find it in the warehouse, but there is absolutely no order to where things are stored! We do allow pickups so if you find what you like online you can order it and drop in to pick up p, saving on shipping.

 

New Zealand Delivery

Shipping Options

Shipping options are shown at checkout and will vary depending on the delivery address and weight of the books.

We endeavour to ship the following day after your order is made and to have pick up orders available the same day. We ship Monday-Friday. Any orders made on a Friday afternoon will be sent the following Monday. We are unable to deliver on Saturday and Sunday.

Pick Up is Available in NZ:

Warehouse Pick Up Hours

  • Monday - Friday: 9am-5pm
  • 35 Nathan Terrace, Shannon NZ

Please make sure we have confirmed your order is ready for pickup and bring your confirmation email with you.

Rates

  • New Zealand Standard Shipping - $6.00
  • New Zealand Standard Rural Shipping - $10.00
  • Free Nationwide Standard Shipping on all Orders $75+

Please allow up to 5 working days for your order to arrive within New Zealand before contacting us about a late delivery. We use NZ Post and the tracking details will be emailed to you as soon as they become available. There may be some courier delays that are out of our control. 

International Delivery

We currently ship to Australia and a range of international locations including: Belgium, Canada, China, Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, United States, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand,  Philippines, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden & Singapore. If your country is not listed, we may not be able to ship to you, or may only offer a quoting shipping option, please contact us if you are unsure.

International orders normally arrive within 2-4 weeks of shipping. Please note that these orders need to pass through the customs office in your country before it will be released for final delivery, which can occasionally cause additional delays. Once an order leaves our warehouse, carrier shipping delays may occur due to factors outside our control. We, unfortunately, can’t control how quickly an order arrives once it has left our warehouse. Contacting the carrier is the best way to get more insight into your package’s location and estimated delivery date.

  • Global Standard 1 Book Rate: $37 + $10 for every extra book up to 20kg
  • Australia Standard 1 Book Rate: $14 + $4 for every extra book

Any parcels with a combined weight of over 20kg will not process automatically on the website and you will need to contact us for a quote.

Payment Options

On checkout you can either opt to pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express), Google Pay, Apple Pay, Shop Pay & Union Pay. Paypal, Afterpay and Bank Deposit.

Transactions are processed immediately and in most cases your order will be shipped the next working day. We do not deliver weekends sorry.

If you do need to contact us about an order please do so here.

You can also check your order by logging in.

Contact Details

  • Trade Name: Book Express Ltd
  • Phone Number: (+64) 22 852 6879
  • Email: sales@bookexpress.co.nz
  • Address: 35 Nathan Terrace, Shannon, 4821, New Zealand.
  • GST Number: 103320957 - We are registered for GST in New Zealand
  • NZBN: 9429031911290

       

      We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.

      To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unread. 

      To start a return, you can contact us at sales@bookexpress.co.nz. Please note that returns will need to be sent to the following address: 35 Nathan Terrace, Shannon, New Zealand 4821. 

      If your return is for a quality or incorrect item, the cost of return will be on us, and will refund your cost. If it is for a change of mind, the return will be at your cost. 

      You can always contact us for any return question at sales@bookexpress.co.nz.

       

      Damages and issues
      Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.

       

      Exceptions / non-returnable items
      Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food, flowers, or plants), custom products (such as special orders or personalised items), and personal care goods (such as beauty products). Although we don't currently sell anything like this. Please get in touch if you have questions or concerns about your specific item. 

      Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on gift cards.

       

      Exchanges
      The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and once the return is accepted, make a separate purchase for the new item.

       

      European Union 14 day cooling off period
      Notwithstanding the above, if the merchandise is being shipped into the European Union, you have the right to cancel or return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. As above, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.

       

      Refunds
      We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method within 10 business days. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
      If more than 15 business days have passed since we’ve approved your return, please contact us at sales@bookexpress.co.nz.

      Â