Encyclopedia Mysteriosa: A Comprehensive Guide to the Art of Detection in Print, Film, Radio, and Television

by William L. DeAndrea

A good mystery is the essential element in every compelling plot. Encyclopedia Mysteriosa clues you in to the entire murky realm of detection. This comprehensive reference is an in-depth compendium that draws on 150 years of crime stories from the genesis of the mystery genre with the publication of Edgar Allan Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue" to the films of Alfred Hitchcock and television series like "The Fugitive."
Written and edited by two-time Edgar Award winner William L. DeAndrea, Encyclopedia Mysteriosa contains biographies of old and new writers and their memorable characters, as well as detailed entries on contributions to the genre on radio, television, and film. The evolution of the literature of detection progresses from the nineteenth-century master sleuths - Sherlock Holmes and Nick Carter - to the Golden Age when Ellery Queen and Agatha Christie produced their perennially popular stories. Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot can be found cheek-to-cheek with the hard-boiled detectives created by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and with the characters and writers who played out the espionage explosion of the sixties and seventies. You'll also find entries devoted to the current wave of women private eyes, a subgenre that was pioneered by Marcia Muller - the founding mother of the American female hard-boiled private eye - and continues with the popular alphabet mysteries of Sue Grafton. No story is too convoluted and no character is too small - you'll even find television and film detectives Maxwell Smart and Basil, the Great Mouse Detective.
An appendix provides directories of organizations for the mystery devotee, mystery booksellers, and lists of major award-winning writers honored with Edgars and Diamond Daggers. All entries are copiously cross-referenced to assure easy access.
For every would-be sleuth and armchair detective, Encyclopedia Mysteriosa is the complete reference to the entire genre of murder and mayhem.

Genres: Reference, History, Mystery, Literature

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

William L. DeAndrea (1952–1996) was born in Port Chester, New York. While working at the Murder Ink bookstore in New York City, he met mystery writer Jane Haddam, who became his wife. His first book, Killed in the Ratings (1978), won an Edgar Award in the best first mystery novel category. That debut launched a series centered on Matt Cobb, an executive problem-solver for a TV network who unravels murders alongside corporate foul play. DeAndrea’s other series included the Nero Wolfe–inspired Niccolo Benedetti novels, the Clifford Driscoll espionage series, and the Lobo Blacke/Quinn Booker Old West mysteries. A devoted student of the mystery genre, he also wrote a popular column for the Armchair Detective newsletter. One of his last works, the Edgar Award–winning Encyclopedia Mysteriosa (1994), is a thorough reference guide to sleuthing in books, film, radio, and TV.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compendium's title says it all. It is an alphabetical listing of authors, books, and characters related to mystery and covers decades with informative reviews of each. Being a lover of Golden Age Mystery, I was pleased to see many of my favorites included and some of which I was unfamiliar. I was particularly interested in the actors who portrayed characters on the radio, many of whom went on to film and television. There are also longer entries of particular important publications , such as the Pulp magazines and comic books which played an important part in the overall mystery genre.

If you are a fan of the history of mysteries in any form, I would recommend this book.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. I was going to say 3 to 3.5 but OK, 4 stars. Why the uncertainty? I like the author's friendly writing style and the information he provides about mystery and thriller writers, leading characters, TV, radio and movie mysteries, and other useful matters such as awards given annually by various organizations. Interesting, succinct, and there's usually something new in each of his over 1,400 entries. You can't go wrong with DeAndrea's 1994 guide. But I hesitated. Why? A great deal has happened in the intervening years and there has been no second or third editions of "... Mysteriosa;" sadly he passed away in 1996. His book is a good starter, an entry point, but one gets the feeling there is much more. And there is. Some other guides in the time frame contain more entries in categories, easier listings of series titles, and a wider range of extras - if only more photos and illustrations! Consider this one as containing just the highlights of our special field of interest. You'll enjoy the articles. Hopefully it tweaks your interest to go deeper. As I put together my "Basic Mystery and Thriller Compilation," this book was helpful. (October 2019)

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb compilation of lovely bits of info regarding zillions of mystery-related people, places, series, books, tv, comics, radio, etc.. A bit dated, as it's fifteen years old, but still a magnificent place to browse, or look for informative paragraphs on all the classics of the genre. Arranged alphabetically, very easy to dig into, and many wonderful pix too.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published 1994, so it's almost 30 years out of date. Still the best mystery reference I've found that includes TV and movies up till then. Rosemary Herbert's "Whodunit?" is more comprehensive for books, but it mentions adaptations only in passing and ignores movies and TV series based on original screenplays.