The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time

Otto Penzler is a leading authority on mystery and crime fiction. He's the editor of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time, a collection that showcases the best of the genre. If you love a good whodunit, you'll appreciate his deep knowledge.

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in...

William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist, playwright and short story writer best known for The Woman in White (1859) and The Moonstone (1868). The last has been called the first modern English detective novel. Born to the family of a painter, William Collins, in London, he grew up in Italy and France, learning French and Italian. He began work as a clerk for a tea merchant. After his first novel, Antonina, appeared in 1850, he met Charles Dickens, w...

Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet of the naturalist movement, although in several poems he displays elements of the previous romantic and enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural. While he regarded himself primarily as a poet who composed novels mainly for financial gain, during his lifetime he was much better known for his novels, such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd, which earned him a reputation as a grea...

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle KStJ, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish writer and physician, most noted for creating the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and writing stories about him which are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction. He is also known for writing the fictional adventures of a second character he invented, Professor Challenger, and for popularising the mystery of the Mary Celeste. He was a prolific writer whose other works include fantasy...

Melville Davisson Post was a master of classic mystery, weaving intricate tales that have stood the test of time. His collection, Great Classic Mysteries, showcases his skill in crafting suspenseful plots and memorable characters. If you enjoy a good old-fashioned whodunit, Post's work is a must-read.

E. W. Hornung is the author behind The Shadows of Sherlock Holmes. He's known for his work in the mystery and detective fiction genres.

Edith Wharton was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer and designer. The Age of Innocence (1920) won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for literature, making her the first woman to win the award. She spoke fluent French as well as several other languages and many of her books were published in both French and English. ([Source][1]) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wharton

John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first writers to become a worldwide celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush...

O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings. ([Source][1].) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Henry

Jacques Futrelle was a master of classic mystery. He's best known for his "Great Classic Mysteries" series, which showcases his clever plotting and memorable characters. If you enjoy a good old-fashioned puzzle, Futrelle's work is a must-read.

A Canadian/British writer of novels and short stories (<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Barr_(writer)>Wikipedia</a>). Born in Scotland, he went with his parents to Canada when he was four, taught and did some writing in Canada until he emigrated to England in 1881 where he did most of his writing and was associated with, inter alia, <a href=http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL215610A>Jerome K. Jerome</a> and Sir <a href=http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL2623297A>Arthur Conan Doyle</a>.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, lay theologian, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer, and Christian apologist.

Frederick Irving Anderson is your go-to for all things mysterious. His book, The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time, is a fantastic guide for anyone who loves a good puzzle. He's got a knack for uncovering the most intriguing stories.

Duplicate. See https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL283368A/Vincent_Starrett

Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems.

Ring Lardner was a sharp-witted American humorist whose work is collected in A Subtreasury of American Humor. He's known for his satirical take on everyday life and the foibles of human nature.

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American writer and journalist. During his lifetime he wrote and had published seven novels; six collections of short stories; and two works of non-fiction. Since his death three novels, four collections of short stories, and three non-fiction autobiographical works have been published. Hemingway received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Hemingway was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school he worked as a reporter but within months he left...

Full name Sydney Thomas Burke

Georges Joseph Christian Simenon était un écrivain belge. Auteur prolifique, il a publié près de 200 romans et de nombreuses nouvelles. Il est surtout connu pour avoir créé le roman policier Maigret. ---------- Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.^[1][1] [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Simenon

Logan Clendening is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. He's a writer who clearly enjoys exploring the unexplained and the intriguing.

James Gould Cozzens is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. He's a writer who clearly enjoys exploring the intriguing and the unexplained. If you're looking for a good mystery, his work is a solid place to start.

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett was born in Ireland, the first son of John William Plunkett, 17th Baron of Dunsany and Ernle Elizabeth Louisa Maria Grosvenor Ernle-Erle-Drax. He spent his childhood at several family properties, including Dunstall Priory in Shoreham, Kent, Dunsany Castle in County Meath, as wells as other family homes such as in London. His schooling was at Cheam, Eton and finally Sandhurst, which he entered in 1896. He became the 18th Baron of Dunsany when his father died in 1...

John Collier is the author of the collection Short Stories from the New Yorker. His work often explores dark humor and the uncanny.

Ben Ray Redman is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. He's a writer who enjoys exploring intriguing subjects.

Robert Albert Bloch was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of German-Jewish Americans. During the 1930s, he was an avid reader of Weird Tales magazine and H. P. Lovecraft in particular. He wrote to Lovecraft, who responded with advice on writing, and Bloch sold his first published short story, "The Feast in the Abbey" to Weird Tales when he was just seventeen. He continued to write for Weird Tales and went on to become one of its most popular authors, while also contributing to other magazine...

Barry Perowne was a pseudonym of the British writer Philip Atkey, best known for his crime fiction.

The author of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and the creator of numerous New Yorker magazine cover cartoons, was born in Columbus, Ohio on December, 8, 1894. One of the foremost American humorists of the 20th century, his inimitable wit and pithy prose spanned a breadth of genres, including short stories, modern commentary, fiction, children's fantasy and letters. Thurber's father, Charles, was a civil clerk, and his mother, Mame, was an eccentric woman who would influence many of her son's...

C. P. Donnel is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. They have a knack for uncovering fascinating stories within the mystery genre.

Harry Kemelman is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. He's known for his engaging explorations of mystery and crime fiction.

Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared by The New York Times "the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry." Wikipedia

Stanley Ellin is the editor of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time, a collection that showcases some of the best crime and mystery fiction. He has a keen eye for what makes a great suspenseful story.

A. A. Milne was born in Kilburn, London and went to school at a small independent school run by his father, John Vine Milne. He went to Westminster School and studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was married in 1913, and then joined the British Army in World War I. In 1920, his son, Christopher Robin Milne, was born. In 1925, Milne moved to a country home called Cotchford Farm in Hartfield, East Sussex. Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne's most famous work, was published in 1926. Althoug...

Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel (David) Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay (October 20, 1905–September 3, 1982) and Manford (Emanuel) Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee (January 11, 1905–April 3, 1971), to write detective fiction. In a successful series of novels that covered 42 years, Ellery Queen served as both author's name and that of the detective-hero. Movies, radio shows, and television shows have b...

Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.

Frank Morrison Spillane, better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. In 1980, Spillane was responsible for seven of the top 15 all-time best-selling fiction titles in the United States. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Spillane was the only child of his Irish bartender father, John Joseph Spillane, and...

Jack Ritchie is the author behind The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time, a great read for anyone who loves a good puzzle. He's got a knack for exploring the world's most intriguing enigmas.

Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories throughout her career spanning nearly five decades, and her work has led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her writing derived influence from existentialist literature, and questioned notions of identity and popular mora...

Longtime mystery writer and editor Edward Dentinger Hoch was practically an institution in the field. Born in 1930, he published over eight hundred mystery stories including one in every issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine from 1973 to 1981. His TV writing credits include episodes of "MacMillan and Wife", "Night Gallery", the "Alfred Hitchcock Show", and "Tales of the Unexpected". Mr. Hoch served as president of the Mystery Writers of America. He also wrote mysteries under the pseudonyms...

Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 in Petrovichi in Smolensk Oblast, RSFSR (now Russia), the son of a Jewish family of millers. Although his exact date of birth is uncertain, Asimov himself celebrated it on January 2. His family emigrated to Brooklyn, New York and opened a candy store when he was three years old. He taught himself to read at the age of five. He began reading the science fiction pulp magazines that his family's store carried. Around the age of...

John Champlin Gardner Jr. was an American novelist, essayist, literary critic, and university professor. He is best known for his 1971 novel Grendel, a retelling of the Beowulf myth from the monster's point of view.

Clark Howard is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. He has a knack for exploring intriguing subjects that keep readers guessing.

Ruth Barbara Rendell is an English crime author (<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Rendell>Wikipedia</a>).

American crime writer

Stephen Greenleaf is the author behind The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. He's a writer with a clear interest in the world of mystery and intrigue.

Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a telegrammatic prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black Dahlia (1987), The Big Nowhere (1988), L.A. Confidential (1990), White Jazz (1992), American Tabloid (1995), The Cold Six Thousand (2001), and Blood's a Rover (2009). -- Wikipedia

Sara Paretsky is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. She's a trusted voice for anyone who loves a good mystery.

Harlan Ellison was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of a Jewish-American family. His family moved to Painesville, Ohio, but returned to Cleveland in 1949 after the death of his father. As a child, he performed in minstrel shows, and frequently ran away from home, taking odd jobs. He attended Ohio State University but was expelled after 18 months for hitting a professor who had denigrated his writing ability. He moved to New York City in 1955 to become a science fiction writer. Over the next...

Charles McCarry is the author of The 50 Greatest Mysteries of All Time. He's a writer who knows how to pick a compelling subject.

Elmore John Leonard Jr. was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures. --Wikipedia