Thu 8 Dec 2011
Masters of the “Humdrum” Mystery: Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, Alfred Walter Stewart and the British Detective Novel, 1920-1961, by Curt Evans
Publisher: McFarland
Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-7024-2
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-9089-9
ca. 35 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
softcover (7 x 10) 2012
Price: $49.95
Not Yet Published, Available Spring/Summer 2012
About the Book:
In 1972, in an attempt to elevate the stature of the “crime novel,” influential crime writer and critic Julian Symons cast numerous Golden Age detective fiction writers into literary perdition as “Humdrums,” condemning their focus on puzzle plots over stylish writing and explorations of character, setting and theme. This volume explores the works of three prominent British “Humdrums” — Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, and Alfred Walter Stewart — revealing their work to be more complex, as puzzles and as social documents, than Symonds allowed. By championing the intrinsic merit of these mystery writers, the study demonstrates that reintegrating the “Humdrums” into mystery genre studies provides a fuller understanding of the Golden Age of detective fiction and its aftermath.
About the Author:
Curt Evans, an independent scholar and book dealer, is the author of one book and numerous articles and essays on detective fiction.
December 8th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Sounds like a great idea for a book.
Back when I was a retail book buyer, I had McFarland as one of the companies I ordered from. McFarland books are generally aimed at libraries and can be difficult to find at a Barnes & Noble.
I don’t know about today, but in the past you could buy directly from McFarland. Those interested might contact McFarland for their great catalog too.
Good luck to you Curt and hope you make it available as an e-book for us heathens.
December 8th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Michael, it has an eBook ISBN, so will be available as an eBook. I’ve emailed them about this matter.
I know people will see $49.95 as pricey. This tends to be the way of academic presses (the Edmund Crispin bio, which I’ve reviewed in four parts on my blog — see http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-killed-crispin-life-and-death-of.html — lists at $125).
I was hoping the book might be cheaper, but it’s pretty long by academic standards these days (350+ pages, I think). A lot of academic books these days are written in short, rather impenetrable, prose. This book is longer and much more readable, even though it addresses Big Points. I wanted this to be a book that would appeal to fans as much as academics (and academics who are real fans, of course).
December 8th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Thanks, Curt, I will keep my eye out for it.
December 8th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
I’ll remind everyone when the book comes out. I’ve saving up my pennies, and I’m looking forward to it already!
There is a link to McFarland’s page for the book in the original post. I assume from there you can check out the rest of their offerings.
December 8th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
I shouldn’t have gone looking. I found another “must have” book from McFarland:
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-6682-5
Pulp Fiction to Film Noir
The Great Depression and the Development of a Genre
William Hare
Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-6682-5
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-9029-5
ca. 20 photos, bibliography, index
softcover (7 x 10) 2012
Buy Now!
Price: $45.00
Quantity:
Not Yet Published, Available Spring/Summer 2012
About the Book
During the Great Depression, pulp fiction writers created a new, distinctly American detective story, one that stressed the development of fascinating, often bizarre characters rather than the twists and turns of clever plots. This new crime fiction adapted brilliantly to the screen, birthing a cinematic genre that French cinema intellectuals following World War II christened “film noir.” Set on dark streets late at night, in cheap hotels and bars, and populated by the dangerous people who frequented these locales, these films introduced a new antihero, a tough, brooding, rebellious loner, embodied by Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep. This volume provides a detailed exploration of film noir, tracing its evolution, the influence of such legendary writers as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and the films that propelled this dark genre to popularity in the mid-20th century.
About the Author
Movie historian and writer William Hare is a contributor to Films of the Golden Age. He has also written for the Los Angeles Examiner and the Inglewood Daily News. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
December 8th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Here’s the link (hopefully corrected) to Part I of my blog piece on the Edmund Crispin biography, which is priced at $125! Only 314 pages too.
http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-killed-crispin-life-and-death-of.html
Steve, that book sounds right up mysteryfile’s dark alley. I like the cover too. Didn’t have anything to do with picking mine! I was glad they used all my illustrations and photos though. There are quite a few and some are some people will not have seen anywhere before.
December 8th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Curt
I’ve fixed that first link to your blog, the one leading to your article on Crispin. They both work fine now.
December 8th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
And just in passing, in case anyone reading this post is wondering, Cecil John Charles Street was both John Rhode and Miles Burton; and Alfred Walter Stewart became J. J. Connington when he turned to writing detective fiction.
I’ve never read anything by the latter, but luckily there’s time to make up for that before Curt’s book comes out.
December 8th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Steve, this is a point that concerns me with the subtitle. The publisher wanted to use the real names, because they didn’t want to have two people listed for Street, i.e.,
Masters of the “Humdrum” Mystery:
John Rhode/Miles Burton, Freeman Wills Crofts, J. J. Connington and the British Detective Novel, 1920-1961
I have what will be about thirty pages on the Burton books, so the name would have to be included. But Crofts is the only actual name that is immediately familiar, so it’s a bit concerning.
December 8th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Well, I might have left Street in the subtitle and gone for Connington over Stewart, but I don’t think it matters much. Neither of the latter are known to anyone but the most ardent fan of British detective puzzlers of the era anyway.
The key portion of the subtitle is going to be the phrase “…the British Detective Novel, 1920-1961.” That’s what will have to attract prospective buyers eyes.
That and the word “humdrum.” What’s that about, people will wonder.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
I’ve bought many McFarland books, usually from amazon.com. They often have third party sellers who sell copies cheaper. I recently obtained a couple books about Raymond Chander for only $13.50 each from a scholar/reviewer who was selling his review copies.
PULP FICTION TO FILM NOIR is already up on the amazon site. I’ll keep an eye out for the MASTERS OF HUMDRUM book.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Walker, that’s how I got my $35 copy of the Edmund Crispin bio!