Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Fiery Eye
1970s Nostalgia Adventure Detective Fiction Boys' Adventure Vintage YA Children's Mystery Juvenile Series Fiction
First-edition hardcover of Robert Arthur’s 1974 classic “The Mystery of the Fiery Eye” puts you right inside the original Three Investigators series that Hitchcock fans and vintage-YA collectors still hunt for. This Collins first printing carries the dramatic, full-page line illustrations that never appeared in later paperbacks, making it the definitive shelf-piece for anyone who wants the story exactly as 1970s readers first met Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews.
The plot delivers everything that made the series addictive: a cursed ruby that glows like a live coal, a crumbling Hollywood mansion rigged with secret panels, cryptic Latin clues, and a ticking deadline that forces the boys to out-think both criminals and the police. Arthur keeps the chapters short, the stakes high and the humour dry—so younger readers race through the pages while adult collectors enjoy the tight, almost noir pacing that set Three Investigators apart from other juvenile mysteries of the era.
This 1974 copy is in acceptable vintage condition—no writing or ex-library stamps, binding still tight, pages only lightly toned—so you get all the period charm without collector-level prices. Whether you’re completing a hardcover set, gifting a nostalgic reader, or introducing a new generation to “the best bloody detective series for kids ever printed” (as early fans used to say), owning the first edition of “The Fiery Eye” is the fastest way to light up a bookshelf.
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