The Best American Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth Century (The Best American Series ®) - Hardcover

Penzler, Otto

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0544302222 ISBN 13: 9780544302228

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

Synopsis

An unparalleled treasury of crime, mystery, and murder from the genre’s founding century

With stories by Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum, Edith Wharton, Stephen Crane, and Jack London, The Best American Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth Century is an essential anthology of American letters. It’s a unique blend of beloved writers who contributed to the genre and forgotten names that pioneered the form, such as Anna Katharine Green, the godmother of mystery fiction, and the African-American writer Charles W. Chesnutt. Of course, Penzler includes “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” recognized as the first detective story, and with thirty-three stories spanning the years 1824–1899, nowhere else can readers find such a surprising, comprehensive take on the evolution of the American mystery story.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum, Edith Wharton, Stephen Crane, Jack London: mystery writers? Of course, Edgar Allan Poe’s pioneering stories are included in this collection, but you'll also find a thriller from Alcott, a tale of Gilded Age suspense from Wharton, and a case from a known admirer of Poe’s, Abraham Lincoln. The literary lights and well-known names writing stories of crime, mystery, and murder attest to the deep roots of the genre and, ultimately, its popularity in nineteenth-century America.

Spanning the years 1824 to 1899, the thirty-three stories in this collection trace the origins and evolution of mystery elements familiar to modern readers. The investigative maverick who works outside the system and the innocent man accused of a heinous crime both make early appearances. For the first time in fiction, fingerprints are used to identify a murderer, and there’s even a case solved by ballistic analysis—in 1827. With crime, detective, suspense, and riddle stories, ranging from humorous to deeply dark, this volume provides a surprising and comprehensive look at the DNA of the American mystery.
 

From the Back Cover

[BACK COVER]

Praise for The Best American Mystery Stories of the 19th Century

“Passion, mystery and adventure chosen from the past with a connoisseur's eye for the enjoyment of the present.” — Anne Perry, best-selling author of Blood on the Water

“When asked why I am so intrigued by the 19th century, I could hand over The Best American Mystery Stories of the 19th Century as my answer. This terrific anthology is a labyrinth of fascinating subjects and obsessions from some of the expected and some surprising names of the period, all framed with stylish insights and contexts by Otto Penzler.” — Matthew Pearl, best-selling author of The Dante Club and The Technologists
 

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0544302222
• ISBN 13: 9780544302228
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 624