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mrbrownsays's review against another edition
2.0
Is it heresy to say I preferred this to his actual crime novels? I took a few recommendations from this and will probably refer to it again. Good solid book.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
Nominated for a 2017 Agatha for Best Non-Fiction, the excellent literary reference is a must read for any fans of classic mysteries. If I could have given this one 4.5 stars, I would have. In addition to the 100 titles profiled in the book, the author also includes references to a ton of other titles in each chapter, offering even more suggestions for classic mystery/crime reads. The book also includes an extensive bibliography of reference works, and an index of all of the titles mentioned in the book. Each of the titles is succinctly summarized and includes a brief biography of the author that explains their contribution to the mystery genre. I enjoyed how the chapters were arranged and how each title profiled in the chapter had a clear tie to the chapter's theme.
mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating study of Golden Age crime fiction, mainly the crime fiction of the UK, although many of the writers featured are from all points of the compass.
Each chapter consists of an essay and then 3 or 4 capsule reviews of books that illustrate the author's point(s). I found at least 40 books I want to read next. Note that there are no spoilers in these reviews, just tantalising hints.
This is the second of Martin Edwards'books I've read recently, the first being his “The Golden Age of Murder”. The two books make an excellent marriage.
Each chapter consists of an essay and then 3 or 4 capsule reviews of books that illustrate the author's point(s). I found at least 40 books I want to read next. Note that there are no spoilers in these reviews, just tantalising hints.
This is the second of Martin Edwards'books I've read recently, the first being his “The Golden Age of Murder”. The two books make an excellent marriage.
bronwynmb's review against another edition
4.0
This took me a long time to read because I originally tried to read it straight through and burned out. That said, this is a really interesting book of books from the Golden Age of mystery. My tbr list has grown so much. Edwards, of course, knows very much of what he speaks and this is incredibly comprehensive. Highly recommended, just dip in and out more than I initially did.
carlat22's review against another edition
I intend to come back to it...library book that needed returned. Very interesting, but not a book to read in one go, need some time between chapters as 100 books are critiqued.
shanaqui's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
This book can be a little difficult to read for any kind of extended period, because it's basically a list of books, with each themed chapter prefaced by more books that aren't part of the 100 list but are giving context to the list of 100. There's a lot going on.
That said, it's a really valuable resource if you're interested in classic crime: some of the books are republished in the British Library Crime Classics series (edited by the author of this book), but many are not, and some are still easily available -- making this a lovely way to pad out your wishlist.
So, not a super readable book, but a valuable one to have. Edwards tries not to totally spoil the stories, by the way, but if you don't like having clues for mystery novels, this is best skipped.
That said, it's a really valuable resource if you're interested in classic crime: some of the books are republished in the British Library Crime Classics series (edited by the author of this book), but many are not, and some are still easily available -- making this a lovely way to pad out your wishlist.
So, not a super readable book, but a valuable one to have. Edwards tries not to totally spoil the stories, by the way, but if you don't like having clues for mystery novels, this is best skipped.
fictionfan's review against another edition
5.0
Books, books, glorious books...
Having fallen deeply in love with the whole British Library Crime Classics thing, this book was bound to be right up my alley – a dark alley, full of sinister shadows and red herrings, of course! Martin Edwards has done a lot of the introductions for the novels in the BL collection and is the editor of all the great themed short story anthologies, so he knows his stuff. Here he looks at the rise of the crime novel and its development throughout the first half of the last century.
The book is split into themed sections, and is arranged roughly chronologically, although with some crossover in dates between the different groups. It starts with A New Era Dawns, which takes us back to look at some of the authors and books that pre-dated the Golden Age but influenced it: for example, Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles and Edgar Wallace's The Four Just Men. The next chapter looks at The Birth of the Golden Age, then on to The Great Detectives, and so on; through to The Psychology of Crime, as straight mystery novels began to give way a little to the more character driven books, like those of Patricia Highsmith, which formed a kind of bridge to the more psychological crime novels of today. Some of the chapters look at particular sub-genres with chapter titles that often mirror the themed short story collections – Capital Crimes (London based), Continental Crimes, Miraculous Mysteries (locked room mysteries), etc. And, although the vast majority of the books listed are British, Edwards takes a brief look at what was happening Across the Atlantic and also a few from Europe and elsewhere around the world.
Edwards writes knowledgeably but conversationally, so that it never feels as if one is being lectured by an expert – rather it's like having a chat with a well-read friend. He starts each chapter with a discussion around its theme, in which, I feel I have to warn you, he routinely mentions umpteen books which aren't part of the hundred but all sound like must-reads! He shows how the genre and various sub-genres developed, and gives a clear impression of how back then crime writers were as much of a community as they are now, feeding off each other and often referencing each other's work. Several of the authors were also critics and reviewers, and Edwards draws on their work to show how particular books and authors were thought of at the time. He discusses how the books reflect and were influenced by contemporary society and events, putting into context the “snobbishness” of some Golden Age writers that can sometimes be off-putting for the modern reader.
Following these interesting introductions, he lists the books he has selected for each section. He makes it clear he doesn't necessarily think they're all brilliant – rather, he feels they're either an important link in the development of the crime novel, or a good representative example of the sub-genre under discussion. There are some well known classics here – The Lodger, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Franchise Affair, The Dain Curse, etc. But there are also zillions that I had never heard of. Talking of zillions, I should mention that the 100 Books are actually 102 Books – a baffling mystery in itself! Edwards gives a brief spoiler-free preview of the plot of each book and then discusses why he's included it. He also includes some biographical details of the author, mainly more literary than personal, but often including interesting anecdotes about them. Edwards is the current President of the Detection Club amongst other things, and he tells us quite a lot about the history and membership of that organisation as he goes along too.
So you can tell the book is positively stuffed full of info, which left me with a much greater understanding of the development of the genre and an uncontrollable desire to pop off and search for all 102 books. And the good thing is that, following the BL's lead, lots of publishers are bringing these old books back into print, or at least into e-books, so of the sample of 20 or so that I checked, the vast majority are available at prices that won't require me to defraud a bank or poison a rich relative. Though I'm pretty sure that I'm knowledgeable enough now to do either and get away with it...
Highly recommended to anyone who'd like to know more about the history of the crime novel, or who'd like to read some of the classic books but doesn't know quite where to begin. But I'd say this book would also be great for people who already know quite a bit about the genre – it's so packed with goodies I can't imagine many people wouldn't learn something from it as well as being entertained by some of the stories about the authors. Personally, I feel a new challenge coming on...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press (who publish the Kindle versions of the British Library Crime Classics series).
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Having fallen deeply in love with the whole British Library Crime Classics thing, this book was bound to be right up my alley – a dark alley, full of sinister shadows and red herrings, of course! Martin Edwards has done a lot of the introductions for the novels in the BL collection and is the editor of all the great themed short story anthologies, so he knows his stuff. Here he looks at the rise of the crime novel and its development throughout the first half of the last century.
The book is split into themed sections, and is arranged roughly chronologically, although with some crossover in dates between the different groups. It starts with A New Era Dawns, which takes us back to look at some of the authors and books that pre-dated the Golden Age but influenced it: for example, Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles and Edgar Wallace's The Four Just Men. The next chapter looks at The Birth of the Golden Age, then on to The Great Detectives, and so on; through to The Psychology of Crime, as straight mystery novels began to give way a little to the more character driven books, like those of Patricia Highsmith, which formed a kind of bridge to the more psychological crime novels of today. Some of the chapters look at particular sub-genres with chapter titles that often mirror the themed short story collections – Capital Crimes (London based), Continental Crimes, Miraculous Mysteries (locked room mysteries), etc. And, although the vast majority of the books listed are British, Edwards takes a brief look at what was happening Across the Atlantic and also a few from Europe and elsewhere around the world.
The main aim of detective stories is to entertain, but the best cast a light on human behaviour, and display both literary ambition and accomplishment. And there is another reason why millions of modern readers continue to appreciate classic crime fiction. Even unpretentious detective stories, written for unashamedly commercial reasons, can give us clues to the past, and give us insight into a long-vanished world that, for all its imperfections, continues to fascinate.
Edwards writes knowledgeably but conversationally, so that it never feels as if one is being lectured by an expert – rather it's like having a chat with a well-read friend. He starts each chapter with a discussion around its theme, in which, I feel I have to warn you, he routinely mentions umpteen books which aren't part of the hundred but all sound like must-reads! He shows how the genre and various sub-genres developed, and gives a clear impression of how back then crime writers were as much of a community as they are now, feeding off each other and often referencing each other's work. Several of the authors were also critics and reviewers, and Edwards draws on their work to show how particular books and authors were thought of at the time. He discusses how the books reflect and were influenced by contemporary society and events, putting into context the “snobbishness” of some Golden Age writers that can sometimes be off-putting for the modern reader.
With relatively few exceptions, they [Golden Age crime writers] came from well-to-do families, and were educated at public school; many went to Oxford or Cambridge. . . .
Theirs was, in many ways, a small and elitist world, and this helps to explain why classic crime novels often include phonetic renditions of the dialogue of working-class people which make modern readers cringe. Some of the attitudes evident and implicit in the books of highly educated authors, for instance as regards Jewish and gay people, would be unacceptable in fiction written in the twenty-first century. It is worth remembering that theirs was not only a tiny world, but also a very different one from ours, and one of the pleasures of reading classic crime is that it affords an insight into the Britain of the past, a country in some respects scarcely recognisable today.
Following these interesting introductions, he lists the books he has selected for each section. He makes it clear he doesn't necessarily think they're all brilliant – rather, he feels they're either an important link in the development of the crime novel, or a good representative example of the sub-genre under discussion. There are some well known classics here – The Lodger, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Franchise Affair, The Dain Curse, etc. But there are also zillions that I had never heard of. Talking of zillions, I should mention that the 100 Books are actually 102 Books – a baffling mystery in itself! Edwards gives a brief spoiler-free preview of the plot of each book and then discusses why he's included it. He also includes some biographical details of the author, mainly more literary than personal, but often including interesting anecdotes about them. Edwards is the current President of the Detection Club amongst other things, and he tells us quite a lot about the history and membership of that organisation as he goes along too.
So you can tell the book is positively stuffed full of info, which left me with a much greater understanding of the development of the genre and an uncontrollable desire to pop off and search for all 102 books. And the good thing is that, following the BL's lead, lots of publishers are bringing these old books back into print, or at least into e-books, so of the sample of 20 or so that I checked, the vast majority are available at prices that won't require me to defraud a bank or poison a rich relative. Though I'm pretty sure that I'm knowledgeable enough now to do either and get away with it...
Highly recommended to anyone who'd like to know more about the history of the crime novel, or who'd like to read some of the classic books but doesn't know quite where to begin. But I'd say this book would also be great for people who already know quite a bit about the genre – it's so packed with goodies I can't imagine many people wouldn't learn something from it as well as being entertained by some of the stories about the authors. Personally, I feel a new challenge coming on...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press (who publish the Kindle versions of the British Library Crime Classics series).
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
backpackfullofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
5.0