A Catalogue of Crime

This is the most beat-up book in my library. In fact, I have opened & closed this book so many times that one of the middle signatures fell out and got lost (pp. 417-438). I had to photocopy the missing pages from the public library and stick them back in. I always consult it whenever I've read a mystery, to check my opinion against Barzun & Taylor's thumbnail review. And we disagree, often. What they seem to like best is narrative thrust and cumulative suspense. And that's not always what I read mysteries for. One very odd thing: They have an inventory of the 100 "classics of crime" (actually two sets of 50 each, one pre-1950, one post-1950 until 1975.) These are all designated by a star in the catalog. Yet, in reading the little show more critical precis for many of these "classics", it's hard to understand why they were singled out. Just an example -- [Death and Letters] by Elizabeth Daly. Here's the entire critique: "This is a well-organized and appropriately atmospheric novel about a woman kept under drugs and restraint in a big Hudson River family mansion. Gamadge {the detective} does a good job of work, and there are no embarassing episodes of spiritualism or bibliomania to spoil a standard plot". Hardly a candidate for one of the 100 best of all time, would you think? show less

Regarding “A Catalog of Crime”, 1st edition (1971); I think there is a later edition:

There is a very thoughtful introduction that starts with:

“What is critical survey of some 7,500 works provides is the kind of repertory that French call a catalgoue raisonne – a list with reasons. Some of the reasons are negative: “Don’t bother!” This injunction may save the time and money of readers who, after perusing these remarks and sampling few entries, will know where our standard are and decide to follow them for their own pleasure. “

Part I deals with novels of detection, crime, mystery, and espionage. In this section:
An author is introduced

“Innes, Michael (pseud.of John Innes Mackintosh Steward, b. 1906)

“b. Edinburgh; educ. show more Oriel, Oxf. Professor of English at Univ. of Adelaide till 1954. Tutor at Christ Church, Oxf., since 1948. Has written on character and motive in Shakespeare and and contributes to The New Statesman, …. Began his career in detective fiction in 1936 with “Seven Suspects” and achieved fame with Hamlet Revenge! The next few were too wild for these readers (see The Spider Strikes, 1939), but about 1950 Innes sobered down and produced a good proportion of first-rate stories. He has also written a dozen novels without detection and an excellent little book on Kipling.”

Then, for Innes, the are 19 one paragraph commentaries on a section of his mysteries, followed by a list of 7 other mysteries.

Example:

“One-Man Show (In Eng.: A Private View

“It begins with a stunning description of a lecture by Mervyn Twist, the art critic, to a group of people in the gallery where the show opening takes place. The account of the facial expressions of the listeners is a marvel, and the ensuing events live up to this flourish of virtuosity. Paintings are stolen from the duke of Horton’s mansion (where the murder of “Hamlet, Revenge!” occurred). The object of the chase, the murder, and the missing girl are all well conceived and cleverly combined, and at the end the character of the duke and the melee in which he takes part are excellently done: Innes’ undoubted masterpiece.“

Part II deals with short stories, c0olelctions anthologies, magazine, parodies and plays.

Part III: Studies and Histories of the Genre, Lives of Writer, and the Literature of Edwin Drood

Part IV: True Crime

Part V: The literature of Sherlock Holmes

Part VI: Ghost Stories, Studies and Reports of the Supernatural, Psychical Research, and E. S. P.

Each part starts with “Gems from the Literature”, for example:

“Do I believe in ghosts?” I have seen too many to believe in them in them.
--Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Jacques Barzun is a well-known critic and together with Taylor were award a special Edgar award for this book. show less

critical bibliography of crime fiction

Ex-lib. JCC