THE REFERENCE SHELF:

A bibliography of print sources for mystery and detective fiction

GENERAL REFERENCE:

Pederson, Jay P., ed., St. James guide to crime & mystery writers, 4th ed., St. James Press, 1996.

Formerly titled Twentieth-century crime and mystery writers , this is the bible of mystery reference; covers over 500 American and British mystery writers, with short biographical entries, bibliographies, critical essays, and author comments. Since the latest edition has dropped some entries, earlier editions should be retained.

DeAndrea, William L., Encyclopedia mysterioso: a comprehensive guide to the art of detection in print, film, radio and television, Prentice Hall, 1994.

A breezy overview of the mystery genre, in A-Z format, with individual entries on writers and series characters, appendices, a glossary, and reading lists; extensively cross-referenced. Includes references to film, TV and radio adaptations of the classic mystery series. Now available online, the text serving as the major source for the Arts and Entertainment Channel's Online Mystery Database.

Lachman, Marv, et al., eds., Encyclopedia of mystery & detection, McGraw-Hill, 1976.

The first mystery and detective fiction encyclopedia. Long out-of-date, but still fun to browse. Includes background information on writers and series characters, movie and radio adaptions, bibliographies. Extensively illustrated.

Hubin, Allen J., Crime fiction II: a comprehensive bibliography, 1749-1990, rev. ed., 2 vols., Garland, 1994.

A massive work of scholarship, including complete bibliographies of mystery and detective story writers, with author, title, series character, setting and other indexes. I understand that Mr. Hubin has lost his publisher and unfortunately this essential reference work will not be updated, but a CD-ROM publication may be forthcoming.

Klein, Kathleen Gregory, Great women mystery writers: classic to contemporary , Greenwood Press; 1994.

Short biographical essays and bibliographies; especially good for classic writers.

Heising, Willetta L., Detecting women 2: a readers guide and checklist for mystery stories written by women, Purple Moon Press, 1996.

A great resource for readers looking for the next book in a series. Complete bibliographies and availability of mystery novels.

Heising, Willetta L., Detecting men: a readers guide and checklist for mystery series written by men, Purple Moon Press, 1998.

After the great success of Detecting women, Heising has followed up with a similar resource for male mystery writers. Both books are relatively inexpensive and a good addition to even a small library's reference collection.

Contento, William G., and Martin H. Greenberg, Index to crime and mystery anthologies., G.K. Hall, 1991.

Great resource for hard-to-find mystery short stories.

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READER'S ADVISORY & BOOKS OF LISTS:

Barzun, Jacques and Wendell H. Taylor, A catalogue of crime: revised and enlarged edition, Harper & Row, 1989.

A browser's delight, this is a compilation of short mystery reviews by Barzun and Taylor, reflecting their extensive reading in the mystery genre. Includes separate sections on novels, short stories, history and criticism, true crime, and Holmesiana, as well as a comprehensive index. Since both authors prefer classic, Golden Age detective stories, the book is a goldmine for finding reviews and bibliographic information for long out-of-print novels.

King, Nina, with Robin Winks, Crimes of the scene: a mystery novel guide for the international traveler, St. Martin's Press, 1997.

A great new source: essays on mysteries set in foreign countries (excluding the US and UK), with reading lists. Admirably fills a need for the traveler, whether actual or armchair. Recommended for concentrating on native authors, usually in translation.

Swanson, Jean and Dean James, Killer books: a reader's guide to exploring the popular world of mystery and suspense, Berkeley Prime Crime, 1998.

A browsing companion. Short essays on authors with background on their series and representative titles; subdivided into suspense, cops, historical, private eyes and more. Includes character, location, and author indexes.

Swanson, Jean and Dean James, By a woman's hand: a guide to mystery fiction by women, 2d ed., Berkeley Prime Crime, 1996.

The long-awaited sequel to an essential tool. Contains short essays on more than 200 women mystery writers, with lists of 'read-alikes' for the reader's advisor; indexed by series character, setting, and profession.

Stine, Kate, The Armchair Detective book of lists, rev. 2d ed., Simon & Schuster, 1995.

Lists, lists, lists: award winners, critics' bests, reference, locked-room puzzles and other sub-genres, bookstores, organizations, and more. Compiled by the former editor of The Armchair Detective (aka TAD), one of the top journals in the mystery field (now unfortunately on hiatus).

Keating, H.R.F., Crime & mystery: the 100 best books, Carroll & Graf, 1988.

Individual essays on Keating's favorites: great fun! Keating is a well-known mystery critic and writer (of the Inspector Ghote series). A list of the 100 titles is available on the web at http://hem.passagen.se/orange/topplist.htm.

Menendez, Albert, The subject is murder: a selective subject guide to mystery fiction, 2 vols., Garland, 1986, Supplement, 1990.

Short essays and lists of mystery novels on various topics: murder on the high seas, musical murders, groves of academe, etc., etc.

Gorman, Ed, et al., The fine art of murder: the mystery reader's indispensable companion, Carroll & Graf, 1993.

Essays by various hands on all aspects of the mystery genre, with generous lists of selected titles. Sections include: American mysteries, British mysteries, traditional, police procedurals, suspense, PIs, true crime, and more.

Bourgeau, Art, The mystery lover's companion, 1986.

A labor of love by a mystery bookseller; includes selected titles in various genres: British, procedural, American, etc., with brief bios, plot synopses, and recommendations.