The Oxford Book of English Detective Stories - Softcover

Craig, Patricia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192829688 ISBN 13: 9780192829689

Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks, 1998

Synopsis

The detective story as we know it came into being in the 1890s with The Adventures of Sherlock Homes , and has never looked back. Its popularity has a good deal to do with its pungency, and with its power to intrigue and absorb the reader while abiding by the rules of the genre (however flexible these have become). Every age has produced a kind of detective fiction which exemplifies its distinctive manners and customs, from the sedate tales which began to appear in the wake of Sherlock Holmes to the debonair detection of the 1920s and after. The short tale of crime took off in many directions, with authors such as Anthony Berkeley, Freeman Wills Crofts, Carter Dickson, and Edmund Crispin bringing the utmost expertise, originality, and ingenuity to bear on the detective theme. An increasing realism is apparent from the post-war era on, and as we come up to the present, the detective story has been adapted further to accommodate bleakness, sexual comedy, incorrigibility, and other facets of modern life. This book is intended for lovers of crime and detective fiction, and of short stories in general.

About this title

Review

'highly entertaining' John Mortimer, Mail on Sunday

'Essential for all armchair detectives, this collection of the cream of crime includes stories by Agatha Christie and P D James.' Publishing News

'According to W.H. Auden, reading detective stories is an addiction like tobacco or alcohol ... and this new collection of 33 stories will satisfy the most desperate of cravings.' Evening Advertiser

'in terms of sheer enjoyment ... a great deal to offer ... excellent introduction' Jeremy Lewis, New Statesman & Society

'Only la creme de la creme of detective fiction here ... a whole autumn's worth of the most enduringly popular stories with brief notes on each author.' Keith Taylor, Bristol Evening Post

'addicts should find plenty in this collection to keep them happy ... enjoyable book' Books

'an eminently representative volume ... a nice balance between Golden Age and Modern Age' Stephen Walsh, Oxford Times

'an anthology to set the pulse racing ' Barry Forshaw, Islington Gazette

'remind the reader of old favourites while introducing unfamiliar stories that may well become favourites of the future' Ion Trewin, Hampstead & Highgate Express

'In Patricia Craig's collection, covering roughly a century, there is something for everyone already addicted to the genre plus a risk of chronic intoxication for those who come new to it.' Matthew Coady, Guardian

About the Author

About the Editor Patricia Craig is a freelance critic, reviewer, and writer. Her books include, with Mary Codogan, You're a Brick, Angela! and The Lady Investigates.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0192829688
• ISBN 13: 9780192829689
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 575