The Art of the Mystery Story

by Howard Haycraft (Editor)

Book by Haycraft, Howard

Genres: Mystery, Nonfiction, Crime, Reference, Literary Criticism

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

A publisher, editor, critic and anthologist who wrote one of the first serious books of criticism of the mystery/detective genre, Murder for Pleasure: The Life and times of the Detective Story , still in print and considered a classic. He also edited a number of interesting and important anthologies.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would suggest that before reading this book, you ask yourself these questions.

* Do I enjoy the Golden Age of the mystery story?
* I don't care if a book is somewhat dated?
* Am I prepared to disagree with some of the contents?

If you answer yes, then read on!

This is a compilation of essays by various authors, scholars, and critics which address the beginnings of the mystery genre, the famous fictional detectives, and where mystery/detective stories fit into literature. As in most books that offer the opinions of critics, the reader will not always be in harmony with their conclusions but so be it. One of my favorite essays entitled "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd" (taken from the classic Agatha Christie story "Who Killed Roger Ackroyd") made me chuckle since I do care who killed him!

The book, which was published in 1946, of course omits many of our favorite detectives/stories but if you answered my second question with a "yes" then it won't bother you. And being dated gives the reader a chance to learn that some authors who were quite popular many years ago are practically unheard of by the modern lover of mystery. It will make you want to search out their works, if they can be found.

There is a cache of readers who will enjoy this book as much as I did and you know who you are.......so I recommend this book to you.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive (for its time) collection of essays and pastiches, poems and lists regarding the mystery. We have everything from "A Defense of Detective Stories" by G. K. Chesterton to Rex Stout's controversial address to a meeting of the New York Baker Street Irregulars title "Watson was a Woman." There are essays dissecting what makes the mystery popular to the best methods of detection to examinations of the various forms. There is a biting parody of Philo Vance in Christopher Ward's "The Pink Murder Case." We are told that the detective sstory is everything from a modern romance with the detective in the role of a modern knight-errant to a morality tale. And, Edmund Wilson's essay "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?" notwithstanding, those of us who love a good mystery will agree with Willard Huntington Wright (known for detective fiction under the name S. S. Van Dine) in "The Great Detective Stories" that

There is no more stimulating activity than that of the mind; and there is no more exciting adventure than that of the intellect. Mankind has always received keen enjoyment from the mental gymnastics required in solving a riddle; and puzzles have been its chief toy throughout the ages.

There are other elements that are important (setting/atmosphere; characters; etc.), but a good puzzle is absolutely essential and we love it when we can solve the puzzle before the sleuth in the story.

I will say that if this volume had not come up as a prompt in the Reading Randomize reading challenge, that I probably would not have read this straight through. My suggestion is that those who are interested should pick and choose--read a few essays here, put the book away for a while, and then come back to it. Trying to gulp all this down in one reading was a bit much. There is a lot to think about and a lot to enjoy and it would be best to do so in small batches.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a wide variety of essays/articles written writers, readers and critics of Crime Fiction in its various forms. These pieces range from 1902 (an article written by G. K. Chesterton) to the 1940s, the time this collection was originally published. It has lots of useful information about the history of genre and presents a plethora views (including Edmund Wilson's damning criticisms of the genre as a whole). Unsurprisingly due to the time it was published, some ideas and perceptions have aged and modern readers will struggle to identify with them. An important example of this is how certain contributors such as "Judge Lynch" perceives female readers of the genre stating views for instance, that female readers want to read crime novels about "nice" people who they would want to invite around to tea. On a more positive note, the collection of humorous works concerning detective stories was very entertaining. One which particularly stood out was a short piece by Pierre Very called 'Murder on Parnassus' which creates a world in the future where students are taught all subjects including maths, science and P.E. using crime fiction. Due to the mixed quality and sometimes repetitive nature of some of the pieces I would recommend this as a book to dip into, rather than read from cover to cover.

[Oliver Ho · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had this book on my shelf for years and finally got around to reading it. It's very dated, and the essays reflect prejudices and attitudes of the the 20s, 30s and 40s. For example, at least two essays state that good detective stories must have "no chinamen" (not sure why), and several go on about how men like detective stories because they are manly-macho men, while women are too gentle and fragile, blah blah. It's funny and kind of interesting at first, in terms of historical insights, but it quickly becomes tiresome and just plain dull. There are some useful surveys of the history of detective fiction, but overall this was a slog to get through. I liked the inclusion of Dashiell Hammet's "Memoirs of a Private Detective", for its oddness more than anything else.

[Steve Goble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still working my way through this book, but really enjoying it. It is a collection of essays by mystery authors and critics, offering everything from writing advice, historical perspective, notes on characters and origins, humor, speculation, etc. Writers include G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, Vincett Starrett, Raymond Chandler, Anthony Boucher, Rex Stout, Dashiell Hammett, Ellery Queen and more. The book has been around a while and has an old-school vibe, but that's what I read -- so I am really enjoying this. It is excellent for browsing, and a must have for old-school mystery aficionados.

[Rene Blansette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having been first published in 1947, it was very dated. A lot of the articles covered the same ground, but the articles by Chandler and Hammett, plus the poem by Ogden Nash stood out.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: essays and articles including critiques of crime fiction up to the 1940s. More than 50 of them.