THE THREE INVESTIGATORS (formally ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE THREE INVESTIGATORS) #35 - THE MYSTERY OF THE KIDNAPPED WHALE by MARC BRANDEL, published by Random House, copyright 1983, First Printing (complete 1 - 9 0 numberline on copyright page), Gibraltar Library Binding, white endpapers, illustrated front board.  VERY RARE HARDCOVER EDITION - ONLY SOLD TO LIBRARIES. 

     STARTING WITH THREE INVESTIGATORS #29, RANDOM HOUSE ONLY SOLD THREE INVESTIGATORS BOOKS IN PAPERBACK-ONLY FORMAT (THE LAST TRADE HARDCOVER EDITION SOLD TO THE PUBLIC WAS #28).  THE HARDCOVER EDITION WAS ONLY MADE WITH RE-ENFORCED HINGES (I.E. "GIBRALTAR LIBRARY BINDING") AND SOLD EXCLUSIVELY TO SCHOOL LIBRARIES.  AS A RESULT VIRTUALLY EVERY SINGLE HARDCOVER COPY OF THIS BOOK THAT IS FOR SALE ONLY EXISTS AS A DISCARDED EX-LIBRARY BOOK.  THIS BOOK WAS ONE OF THE LAST OF THE 'ORIGINAL FORMAT' THREE INVESTIGATOR BOOKS.

   Book is VERY NICE CONDITION - no ex-library markings/stamps/stickers/card pocket to front endpaper, title page, copyright page, rear endpaper or outer page edges, no creased page corners, no spine lean, no foxing/age darkening/dust soiling to outer page edges, endpapers are clean and free from soiling or discoloratipon, no former owner's markings or used bookseller stamps/stickers inside, no wear to board edges or board corners, barest hint of wear to spine tips, no soiling or staining, no color tearing, no color rubbing to boards (small color rub on spine near bottom), no dust rubbing to rear cover, no spine sun fading (common defect with this book), no bumped board corners.  

     Note: This book comes protected by a removable clear Brodart book cover (cover is not taped to book - it can be simply slipped off if desired) which prevents further rubbing/soiling damage to the outer boards.  Any white marks/glare lines in the photo are simply glare from the flatbed scanner reacting to this Brodart cover (and are not actual defects with the book).  

     Overall a FINE-/N-FINE book of a very rare hardcover first printing Three Investigators book.   THIS IS THE LAST OF THE ORIGINAL 43 THREE INVESTIGATOR HARDCOVERS AND IS NEVER FOUND WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT WEAR AND EX-LIBRARY MARKINGS.  I have a number of other hardcover and paperback Three Investigator books up for auction on ebay - just click on the 'see other items' link to the right of the picture.

      NOTE - MEDIA MAIL ROUTINELY TAKES 3-4 WEEKS (REGARDLESS OF WHAT EBAY MAY SAY - THEY DON'T CONTROL THE POST OFFICE).  For U.S. buyers, both priority mail (3-5 days) and media mail (3-4 weeks) shipping options will be listed in the ebay invoice (or if the book is a paperback or small magazine both 1st class mail (5-7 days) and media mail shipping options will be listed in the ebay invoice) - SIMPLY CLICK ON THE BLUE 'OTHER SHIPPING OPTIONS' LINK IN THE INVOICE TO SEE BOTH SHIPPING OPTIONS/COST.


     DELIVERY CONFIRMATION IS NOT TRACKING (despite what ebay and paypal want to call it - again they don't control the U.S. post office).  Delivery confirmation is merely what it says it is - it confirms delivery to prevent fraudulent chargebacks of claimed unreceived items (which is why I don't charge for delivery confirmation in the shipping costs).  Also, since I print shipping labels from home (as opposed to purchasing shipping at the post office), the delivery confirmation number IS NOT SCANNED BY THE POST OFFICE AT THIS END.  Therefore, in most cases, the first time that the Post Office will show anything when you check the delivery confirmation number is when the package hits your local post office/sorting center (basically the day before its delivered to you).   Occasionally (about 25% of the time) a package will get scanned at the Federal Way, WA transfer station, but in the vast majority of the cases the delivery confirmation won't show anything until basically the day before you get the package.


     I  DO COMBINE SHIPPING COSTS FOR MULTIPLE  ITEMS WON (if you would like estimates of what combined shipping costs might be for a certain group of auctions, please e-mail me before the auctions close but a very rough estimate is $.50-$1.00 per additional book for media mail, $1.00-$2.00 per additional book for priority mail, and $6.00-$7.00 per additional book for international mail). 


       As for returns -All items are used (not new) books and therefore are sold as-is, which is why I try to provide a fairly detailed description of the item itself (i.e. what it is and what it is not) as well its specific condition, noting any significant defects (for collectible items).  Book grades are provided in the posting, however book grading standards/categories very widely from seller to seller, so please do not rely solely on the grade that I have given a book or ebay's provided "condition" box description, without considering the specific condition/defects described for that particular book.  I do, on occasion, miss a significant defect in an item or simply make a cut/paste error in the description (i.e. an error in the description from using a prior posting as the "shell" for this book's description), and for collectible items, if that happens, on a case-by-case basis I do issue a full refund (including the cost of return shipping) depending upon the collectible significance of the undisclosed defect.