collection “LE VERROU”, Editions Ferenczi

cover art: Géo SOGNY

Frank HARDING “Mort au bowling” (Le Verrou # 53)

Frank Harding is another pen-name of Léo MALET. He used this pseudonym mainly for the adventures of Johnny Metal, newspaperman at the New-York World.

Géo SOGNY

cover art for Roger VANEYRE “Cinq ans de prison” (Mon Roman Policier # 540, Ferenczi, 1958)

Roger Vaneyre was a pen-name of Roger Ménanteau (better know as Henri Nova or Roger Faller) whose style here reminds of Georges Simenon’s.

Géo SOGNY

Cover art for :Maurice Limat “Le puits de la mort lente” (Mon Roman Policier # 185, Ferenczi, 1951)

SOGNY illustrated circa 510 covers for this french crime pulp collection which had 560 issues and ran from May 13th, 1942 to December 1958. 

The french crime novel and cover art aficionados have reasons to be proud of this edition which probably has no equivalent in the whole world, considering that it was binding an uncommon shape (complete stories in 32pages, 110 x 160) with a long term run of constant quality and covering all styles of crime novels.

“Le puits de  la mort lente” (The well of the slow death) features Maurice Limat’s private-eye Teddy Verano whose first appearence dates back to 1937 and who was still investigating in the early 80′s...