Bill Pronzini
Author of The Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural
About the Author
Bill Pronzini was born in Petaluma, California on April 13, 1943. His first novel, The Stalker, was published in 1971. He is best known for his creation of the Nameless Detective Mystery series, as well as several westerns and novels of dark suspense. He has been a full time writer since 1969. He show more is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories. He has won numerous awards including three Shamus Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Mystery Writers of America. His book Snowbound received the Grand Prix de la Litterature Policiere, as the best crime novel published in France in 1988. Pronzini has established himself as a master of the Western novel as well as earning a name for himself in the dark fiction genre. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Robin Reese
Series
Works by Bill Pronzini
The Arbor House Treasury of Great Western Stories (1982) — Editor; Contributor — 107 copies, 1 review
Bug-Eyed Monsters: 13 Stories of Dripping, Creeping, Gurgling, Purling, Trilling, Oozing, Seeping, Gushing Deadly Monsters (1980) — Editor; Contributor — 79 copies, 2 reviews
The Web She Weaves: An Anthology of Mystery and Suspense Stories by Women (1983) — Editor — 60 copies, 2 reviews
Son of Gun in Cheek: An Affectionate Guide to More of the "Worst" in Mystery Fiction (1987) 56 copies, 3 reviews
The Arbor House Treasury of Detective and Mystery Stories from the Great Pulps (1983) — Editor — 51 copies, 3 reviews
Chapter and Hearse: Suspense Stories about the World of Books (1985) — Contributor; Editor — 49 copies, 1 review
The Edgar Winners: 33rd Annual Anthology of the Mystery Writers of America (1980) — Editor — 47 copies, 1 review
The Mystery Hall of Fame: An Anthology of Classic Mystery and Suspense Stories (1984) — Editor; Contributor — 36 copies, 1 review
The Paradise Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery (Carpenter and Quincannon, 9) (2021) 16 copies, 1 review
Tricks and Treats: An Anthology of Mystery Stories by the Mystery Writers of America (1976) — Editor; Contributor — 16 copies
Academy Mystery Novellas: Women Sleuths, Police Procedurals, Locked Room Puzzles, Great British Detectives (1991) — Editor; Contributor — 13 copies
Six-Gun in Cheek: An Affectionate Guide to the "Worst" in Western Fiction (1997) 12 copies, 1 review
The Western Hall of Fame: An Anthology of Classic Western Stories Selected by the Western Writers of America (1984) — Editor — 10 copies
Proof of Guilt 4 copies
Inaugural [short story] — Author — 4 copies
Incident in a Neighborhood Tavern 3 copies
The Pulp Connection 3 copies
Dry Spell [short story] 3 copies
The Pattern 2 copies
Black Wind 2 copies
Tales of the Impossible 2 copies
How Now Purple Cow [short story] 2 copies
Opening a Vein 2 copies
Schau mir in die Augen, Schnüffler. 13 Riesen- Stories. ( Schwarze Serie). (1995) — Editor — 2 copies
Cache and Carry 2 copies
Bedeviled 2 copies
A Clone at Last 2 copies
Escape [short story] 1 copy
Black Lizard 1 copy
Memento Mori 1 copy
The Giant Book of Golden Age SF — Editor — 1 copy
The Clincher [short story] 1 copy
La vita in bilico 1 copy
Souls Burning [short story] 1 copy
A Craving for Originality 1 copy
Rebound 1 copy
His Name Was Legion 1 copy
Caught In The Act 1 copy
Under the Skin 1 copy
Smuggler's Island 1 copy
Putting The Pieces Back 1 copy
Multiples 1 copy
I Don't Understand It 1 copy
A Lot On His Mind 1 copy
What Happened to Mary? 1 copy
Two Weeks Every Summer 1 copy
The Big Bite 1 copy
Words Do Not a Book Make 1 copy
Die Totenuhr 1 copy
Ein ganz besonderes Kaliber 1 copy
Here Comes Santa Claus 1 copy
Possibilities 1 copy
Nameless Detective series 1 copy
It's a Lousy World 1 copy
Paxton's World 1 copy
On the Nature of Time 1 copy
Invitation To Murder 1 copy
Do I Dare to Eat a Peach? 1 copy
Peekaboo 1 copy
The Hanging Man 1 copy
Il nemico sconosciuto 1 copy
Una maledetta fortuna 1 copy
Ombre cinesi 1 copy
Deathlove [short fiction] 1 copy
In der Kälte der Nacht. 1 copy
Teuflische Pläne. 1 copy
Gritos na Noite 1 copy
Bonecrack 1 copy
Changes 1 copy
The Prophecy 1 copy
The Space Killers 1 copy
Sanctuary 1 copy
Dödens diamanter 1 copy
Associated Works
The Best of Mystery: 63 Short Stories Chosen by the Master of Suspense (1982) — Contributor — 428 copies
100 Dastardly Little Detective Stories (1993) — Contributor; Contributor; Contributor — 231 copies, 1 review
Murder on the Menu: Cordon Bleu Stories of Crime and Mystery, Volume 1 (1984) — Contributor — 213 copies, 2 reviews
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories to Be Read with the Door Locked (1975) — Contributor — 189 copies, 4 reviews
I Should Have Stayed Home: The Worst Trips of the Great Writers (1994) — Contributor — 187 copies, 5 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes & Impossible Mysteries (2006) — Contributor — 160 copies, 4 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Locked-Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes (2000) — Contributor — 134 copies, 1 review
A Century of Great Western Stories-An Anthology of Western Fiction (2000) — Contributor — 127 copies
Isaac Asimov's Magical Worlds of Fantasy, Volume 7: Magical Wishes (1891) — Contributor — 96 copies, 1 review
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine Presents Fifty Years of Crime and Suspense (2006) — Contributor — 78 copies, 1 review
Murder by the Book: Literary Mysteries from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (1995) — Contributor — 71 copies
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: First Annual Collection (2000) — Contributor — 68 copies, 1 review
A Modern Treasury of Great Detective and Murder Mysteries (1994) — Contributor — 63 copies, 1 review
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection (2001) — Contributor — 57 copies, 1 review
Speculations : 17 Stories Written Especially for This Volume By Well-Known Science Fiction Authors, But Their Names are Concealed By a Code and It's Up to You to Figure Out Who… (1982) — Contributor — 53 copies, 1 review
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Third Annual Collection (2002) — Contributor — 46 copies
Between the Dark and the Daylight and 27 More of the Best Crime and Mystery Stories of the Year (2009) — Contributor — 44 copies, 1 review
All but Impossible! An Anthology of Locked Room and Impossible Crime Stories by Members of the Mystery Writers of America (1981) — Contributor — 30 copies
Ellery Queen's murdercade: 23 stories from Ellery Queen's mystery magazine (Mystery annual ; 29) (1975) — Contributor — 25 copies
The Eyes Have It: The First Private Eye Writers of America Anthology (1984) — Contributor — 17 copies
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: First Annual Edition (1992) — Contributor — 16 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction November 1978, Vol. 55, No. 5 (1987) — Contributor — 14 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction November 1982, Vol. 63, No. 5 (1982) — Contributor — 13 copies
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Second Annual Edition (1993) — Contributor — 13 copies
Horror Drive in Presents an All-Night Short Story Marathon (2012) — Contributor — 11 copies, 1 review
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Third Annual Edition (1994) — Contributor — 10 copies
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Seventh Annual Edition (1998) — Contributor — 9 copies
Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror (2019) — Contributor — 9 copies
The Best Western Stories of Lewis B. Patten (G. K. Hall Nightingale Series Edition) (1987) — Editor — 8 copies
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Fifth Annual Edition (1996) — Contributor — 7 copies
Crimes and Misfortunes: The Anthony Boucher Memorial Anthology of Mysteries — Contributor — 5 copies
Killers of the Mind: A Collection of Stories by the Mystery Writers of America (1974) — Contributor — 5 copies
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Sixth Annual Edition (1997) — Contributor — 5 copies, 1 review
Killer Crimes 1 copy
La rivista di Alfred Hitchcock n.6 — Author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Pronzini, William John
- Other names
- Davis, William Hart
Foxx, Jack
Jeffrey, William
Saxon, Alex - Birthdate
- 1943-04-13
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Santa Rosa Junior College
- Occupations
- detective novelist
anthologist
journalist - Organizations
- Petaluma Argus-Courier
- Awards and honors
- Grand Prix de la Litterature Policiere (best crime novel - Snowbound ∙ 1988)
Shamus Award (The Eye for Lifetime Achievement ∙ 1987)
MWA Grand Master (2008)
The Eye (Lifetime Achievement Award, PWA 1987) - Relationships
- Muller, Marcia (wife)
- Short biography
- William John Pronzini was born in Petaluma, California. He has been married three times. The first marriage was with Laura Patricia Adolphson, (1965 to 1967; divorce); the second was with Brunhilde Schier, July 28, 1972 (separated December 1985; divorce a couple years later). He married Marcia Muller (also a mystery writer) in 1992. They have collaborated on three novels: Beyond the Grave (1986), The Lighthouse, (1987); and Double (1984), a Nameless Detective novel, as well as on numerous anthologies. In 1987 he won The Eye, which is the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by The Private Eye Writers of America. It is a more exclusive version of their Shamus Award. He has been nominated three times by the Mystery Writers of America for an Edgar Award, and received their Grand Master designation in May of 2008.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Petaluma, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Petaluma, California, USA (birth)
- Associated Place (for map)
- Petaluma, California, USA
Members
Discussions
THE DEEP ONES: "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (April 2016)
Reviews
Give-a-Damn Jones by Bill Pronzini
Big smile on my face as I type this review :)
Why? Well…my father put himself through school working as a printer and his stories of being a printer, friendships with printers and his collection of beautifully printed documents lead me and my siblings to choose printing instead of shop or home economics as our electives in high school. As I read about the typesetting and the terms used to describe the press and ink and everything else…so many memories show more were tapped that I sat and smiled then smiled again because…the book also tapped memories of reading my father’s collection of westerns…and in many ways this story of itinerate journeyman printer Artemas Give-A-Damn Jones made this Sunday a splendid one for me as I revisited the historical past of the United States but also my own.
The way this story is told made me think of Mark Twain, O’Henry and also of other authors from the past. It is told by various supporting characters who encounter Artemas but we never really hear from the main character except a few times in dialogue. Artemas may or may not have a reputation that is exaggerated – kind of like that of Paul Bunyan – but in truth he is bigger than life and a man I would love to meet.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars show less
Big smile on my face as I type this review :)
Why? Well…my father put himself through school working as a printer and his stories of being a printer, friendships with printers and his collection of beautifully printed documents lead me and my siblings to choose printing instead of shop or home economics as our electives in high school. As I read about the typesetting and the terms used to describe the press and ink and everything else…so many memories show more were tapped that I sat and smiled then smiled again because…the book also tapped memories of reading my father’s collection of westerns…and in many ways this story of itinerate journeyman printer Artemas Give-A-Damn Jones made this Sunday a splendid one for me as I revisited the historical past of the United States but also my own.
The way this story is told made me think of Mark Twain, O’Henry and also of other authors from the past. It is told by various supporting characters who encounter Artemas but we never really hear from the main character except a few times in dialogue. Artemas may or may not have a reputation that is exaggerated – kind of like that of Paul Bunyan – but in truth he is bigger than life and a man I would love to meet.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars show less
Good-but-not-great compendium of horror stories originally published in 1981 and since reissued under a number of different titles (Great Tales of Horror and the Supernatural, The Giant Book of Horror Stories, et al.). It covers a lot of ground, but much of the book reflects the very individual tastes of its editors...and, particularly amongst the more recent material, this leads to the ill-advised inclusion of stories which, even by the loosest definition, struggle to qualify as "horror." show more Hence a couple of pointless, uninvolving vignettes like Arthur L. Samuels's "Mass Without Voices" and Elizabeth Morton's "Namesake," and a longer story such as editor Bill Pronzini's "Black Wind." (Pronzini wrote at least one bang-up horror tale, "Peekaboo," and it's the one that should have appeared in this collection. You can find it in Nightmares, the anthology edited by Charles L. Grant, or Frank McSherry's A Treasury of American Horror Stories.) Most of the earlier stories are fantastic, however, and Truman Capote's chilling "Shut a Final Door" demonstrates that horror can be found in atypical locations. There's a curious lack of emphasis on English authors, who were incredibly important to the development of ghost and horror stories. You may find it difficult to imagine a book that purports to trace the history of the genre yet includes nothing by M.R. James or Algernon Blackwood, but here it is. (However, James's favorite ghost story writer--the Irishman Sheridan Le Fanu--is represented with "Squire Toby's Will," one of his greatest works.)
All in all there's some terrific stuff, including less frequently anthologized tales by Poe ("Hop Frog") and Nathaniel Hawthorne ("Rappaccini's Daughter"), as well as undisputed classics by Henry James ("The Jolly Corner"), Lovecraft ("Pickman's Model") and Karl Edward Wagner ("Sticks"). The intro was written by Stephen King, who also contributes one of his best and most overtly horrific stories ("The Crate," later dramatized in George Romero's 1982 film Creepshow). Not a comprehensive anthology, but a very readable one for the most part. show less
All in all there's some terrific stuff, including less frequently anthologized tales by Poe ("Hop Frog") and Nathaniel Hawthorne ("Rappaccini's Daughter"), as well as undisputed classics by Henry James ("The Jolly Corner"), Lovecraft ("Pickman's Model") and Karl Edward Wagner ("Sticks"). The intro was written by Stephen King, who also contributes one of his best and most overtly horrific stories ("The Crate," later dramatized in George Romero's 1982 film Creepshow). Not a comprehensive anthology, but a very readable one for the most part. show less
Damn you Bill Pronzini! I was jotting down authors names before I reached the back and discovered and neatly listed bibliography. I had every intention of taking your advice to seek out these B-grade gems of the mystery fiction genre, after-all, many a B-grade film has, with time, become a cult classic.
I liked the way Bill uses his chapters to tackle the different aspects of the fictional mystery - the amateur detective, the police investigator, the private eye, the gentleman rogue, the evil show more oriental - as well as the spy story. We gain an insight into the publishing - and specifically Phoenix Press, who apparently published the majority of these gems (see page 91). There are comparisons between more popular characters with, often, their not so well known contemporaries and imitators.
Pronzini peppers each chapter with some of the best (??) of the writing of these featured authors:
"He keeps on waiting awhile longer. Then, at five o'clock, he gets up, locks the office door, and goes out (in that order)." "Tomorrow was another day." (Robert Twohy's "Slime"). Even some of our more well-known authors make the list (ie: Spillane, West, Basinsky, Brown, Leroux).
The titles of some of these works border on the fantastical and highly imaginable (No Coffin For The Corpse, The Clue of the Leaning Chimney, The Face on the Cutting Room Floor, When Last I Died, No Luck With The Hanged Man) ; the men are invariably rugged, macho and mysoginistic; the women sport bazooka bras and ooze sex appeal; the dialogue is cliched; the villains suitably nefarious. They were quick reads - they were escapism. But don't be fooled - many of these B-graders were at the height of popular fiction during their day and were prolific in their writing - these were the authors that contributed to what we now refer to as "pulp fiction".
"The good mystery gets all the credit, all the attention .... But what about the BAD mystery?" Well, Pronzini has certainly brought together the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in such a way that you may look twice at some of the lesser gems. I know I have. show less
I liked the way Bill uses his chapters to tackle the different aspects of the fictional mystery - the amateur detective, the police investigator, the private eye, the gentleman rogue, the evil show more oriental - as well as the spy story. We gain an insight into the publishing - and specifically Phoenix Press, who apparently published the majority of these gems (see page 91). There are comparisons between more popular characters with, often, their not so well known contemporaries and imitators.
Pronzini peppers each chapter with some of the best (??) of the writing of these featured authors:
"He keeps on waiting awhile longer. Then, at five o'clock, he gets up, locks the office door, and goes out (in that order)." "Tomorrow was another day." (Robert Twohy's "Slime"). Even some of our more well-known authors make the list (ie: Spillane, West, Basinsky, Brown, Leroux).
The titles of some of these works border on the fantastical and highly imaginable (No Coffin For The Corpse, The Clue of the Leaning Chimney, The Face on the Cutting Room Floor, When Last I Died, No Luck With The Hanged Man) ; the men are invariably rugged, macho and mysoginistic; the women sport bazooka bras and ooze sex appeal; the dialogue is cliched; the villains suitably nefarious. They were quick reads - they were escapism. But don't be fooled - many of these B-graders were at the height of popular fiction during their day and were prolific in their writing - these were the authors that contributed to what we now refer to as "pulp fiction".
"The good mystery gets all the credit, all the attention .... But what about the BAD mystery?" Well, Pronzini has certainly brought together the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in such a way that you may look twice at some of the lesser gems. I know I have. show less
I love anthologies. You can enjoy a fully formed story whenever you have a few spare minutes & It’s such a great way to find new-to-you authors. This volume is in honour of the MWA’s 75th anniversary so it’s only appropriate that all 19 entries have some kind of anniversary to be celebrated. Or not. Because these are crime & mystery writers so don’t go in expecting tales full of roses, cake & karaoke.
The first thing you’ll notice is the stellar line-up of authors. It’s veritable show more who’s who of the genre including Lee Child, Sue Grafton, Jeffrey Deaver, Meg Gardiner, William Kent Krueger, Laura Lippman & S.J. Rozan to name a few. The wide range of style, location & time period guarantees something for everyone. As usual, readers will have different personal favourites & I’ll just mention the ones that stood out for me.
If You Want Something Done Right - by the late, great Sue Grafton. ‘Nuff said.
Ten Years On - a shortie by Laurie R. King featuring May Russell & Sherlock Holmes. I’ve read & loved this series for years so it’s always a pleasure.
Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date - S.J. Rozan writes the popular Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series but every now & then pens a short story featuring Lydia’s mother, a woman I find frightening & hilarious.
Ten Years, Two Days, Six Hours - the take away message for me was do NOT piss off a woman the day she buries her husband. I’m ashamed to say Wendy Hornsby is a new author for me, something I plan to rectify after reading this.
30 and Out - by Doug Allyn, another author I haven’t read (must crawl out of my cave more often…). A gritty procedural that delivers a gripping & complete story in few pages. And there’s a police dog!
Those were my faves but there’s really not a dud in the bunch. Bring on the next one. show less
The first thing you’ll notice is the stellar line-up of authors. It’s veritable show more who’s who of the genre including Lee Child, Sue Grafton, Jeffrey Deaver, Meg Gardiner, William Kent Krueger, Laura Lippman & S.J. Rozan to name a few. The wide range of style, location & time period guarantees something for everyone. As usual, readers will have different personal favourites & I’ll just mention the ones that stood out for me.
If You Want Something Done Right - by the late, great Sue Grafton. ‘Nuff said.
Ten Years On - a shortie by Laurie R. King featuring May Russell & Sherlock Holmes. I’ve read & loved this series for years so it’s always a pleasure.
Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date - S.J. Rozan writes the popular Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series but every now & then pens a short story featuring Lydia’s mother, a woman I find frightening & hilarious.
Ten Years, Two Days, Six Hours - the take away message for me was do NOT piss off a woman the day she buries her husband. I’m ashamed to say Wendy Hornsby is a new author for me, something I plan to rectify after reading this.
30 and Out - by Doug Allyn, another author I haven’t read (must crawl out of my cave more often…). A gritty procedural that delivers a gripping & complete story in few pages. And there’s a police dog!
Those were my faves but there’s really not a dud in the bunch. Bring on the next one. show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 341
- Also by
- 154
- Members
- 9,539
- Popularity
- #2,521
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 205
- ISBNs
- 1,079
- Languages
- 11
- Favorited
- 7