Thu 26 Sep 2013
FORTY INTERESTING BIOGRAPHIES OF MYSTERY WRITERS – A List by Josef Hoffmann.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Reference works / Biographies[11] Comments
OF MYSTERY WRITERS
A List by Josef Hoffmann
This list contains only biographies which are written about one crime writer or a couple who works together. It does not include books which have two or three short biographies like Master of the “Humdrum” Mystery: Cecil John Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, Alfred Walter Stewart and the British Detective Novel 1920-1961 by Curtis Evans.
Furthermore the list does not contain autobiographies of the writers like G. K. Chesterton’s Autobiography or memories of partners or relatives like Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers by Jo Hammett or Highsmith – A Romance of the 1950s by Marijane Meaker (Vin Packer).
Also the list does not contain biographical fiction like Arthur and George by Julian Barnes about Arthur Conan Doyle.
I cannot say that the selected biographies are the best because there are many more I do not own and have not read. I also have to admit that I have not read all forty biographies on the list in full length because some I use only as reference books. Fortunately most of them have an index where you can look for special names, books and events. I am sure that I missed several real gems on my list, and I hope that readers will supplement the list with their comments.
The list presents the books in the chronological order of the lives of the mystery writers. It begins with the oldest and ends with the youngest person.
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)
Ackroyd, Peter: Poe: A Life Cut Short, Vintage Books 2009
Symons, Julian: Tell-Tale Heart: The Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Penguin Books 1981
Zumbach, Frank T.: Edgar Allan Poe. Eine Biographie, Winkler 1986
Collins, Wilkie (1824-1889)
Klimaszewski, Melisa: Brief Lives: Wilkie Collins, Hesperus 2011
Doyle, Arthur Conan (1859-1930)
Carr, John Dickson: The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Pan 1953
Lycett, Andrew: The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes, FREE PRESS 2007
Stashower, Daniel: Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle, Henry Holt & Company 1999
Chesterton, Gilbert Keith (1874-1936)
Pearce, Joseph: Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G. K. Chesterton, Hodder & Stoughton 1996
Ward, Maisie: Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Rowman & Littlefield 2005
Wallace, Edgar (1875-1932)
Lane, Margaret: Edgar Wallace: The Biography of a Phenomenon, Doubleday, Doran 1939
Van Dine, S. S. (1888-1939)
Loughery, John: Alias S. S. Van Dine, Charles Scribner’s Sons 1992
Chandler, Raymond (1888-1959)
Hiney, Tom: Raymond Chandler: A Biography, Vintage Books 1998
MacShane, Frank: The Life of Raymond Chandler, E. P. Dutton & Co. 1976
Williams, Tom: A Mysterious Something in the Light: Raymond Chandler: A Life, Aurum Press 2012
Christie, Agatha (1890-1976)
Morgan, Janet: Agatha Christie: A Biography, HarperCollins 1984
Osborne, Charles: The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie, HarperCollins 2000
Cain, James M. (1892 -1977)
Hoopes, Roy: Cain: The Biography of James M. Cain, Southern Illinois University Press 1987
Sayers, Dorothy Leigh (1893-1957)
Hitchman, Janet: Such a Strange Lady: A Biography of Dorothy L. Sayers, New English Library Hodder and Stoughton 1988
Hone, Ralph E.: Dorothy L. Sayers: A Literary Biography, Kent State University Press 1979
Hammett, Dashiell (1894-1961)
Johnson, Diane: The Life of Dashiell Hammett, Picador 1985
Layman, Richard: Shadow Man: The Life of Dashiell Hammett, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1981
Mellen, Joan: Hellman and Hammett: The Legendary Passion of Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett, HarperCollins 1996
Nolan, William F.: Hammett – A Life at the Edge, St Martin’s Press 1983
Marsh, Ngaio (1895-1982)
Lewis, Margaret: Ngaio Marsh: A Life, Chatto & Windus 1991
Glauser, Friedrich (1896-1938)
Saner, Gerhard: Friedrich Glauser. Eine Biographie, Suhrkamp 1981
Woolrich, Cornell (1903-1968)
Nevins, Francis M., Jr.: Cornell Woolrich: First You Dream, Then You Die, The Mysterious Press 1988
Simenon, Georges (1903-1988)
Bresler, Fenton: The Mystery of Georges Simenon, Heinemann 1983
Eskin, Stanley G.: Simenon. A Critical Biography, McFarland&Company 1987
Marnham, Patrick: The Man Who Wasn’t Maigret: A Portrait of Georges Simenon, Bloomsbury 1992
Dent, Lester (1905-1969)
Cannaday, Marilyn: Bigger Than Life: The Creator of Doc Savage, Bowling Green State University Popular Press 1990
Queen, Ellery: Fredric Dannay (1905-1982), Manfred Bennington Lee (1905-1971)
Nevins, Francis M.: Ellery Queen: The Art of Detection: The Story of How Two Fractious Cousins Reshaped the Modern Detective Novel, Perfect Crime Books 2013
Thompson, Jim (1906-1977)
McCauley, Michael J.: Jim Thompson: Sleep with the Devil, Mysterious Press
Polito, Robert: Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson, Vintage Books 1996
Fleming, Ian (1908-1964)
Pearson, John: Alias James Bond – The Life of Ian Fleming, Bantam Books 1967
Himes, Chester (1909-1984)
Muller, Gilbert H.: Chester Himes, Twayne Publishers 1989
Ambler, Eric (1909-1998)
Howald, Stefan: Eric Ambler. Eine Biographie, Diogenes 2002
Marlowe, Dan J. (1914-1986)
Kelly, Charles: Gunshots in Another Room: The Forgotten Life of Dan J. Marlowe, Asclepian Imprints 2012
Macdonald, Ross (1915-1983)
Nolan, Tom: Ross Macdonald: A Biography, Poisoned Pen Press 2001
MacDonald, John D. (1916-1986)
Geherin, David: John D. MacDonald, Frederick Ungar 1982
Highsmith, Patricia (1921-1995)
Wilson, Andrew: Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith, Bloomsbury 2004.
September 26th, 2013 at 6:10 am
I’ve developed a long time habit going back to the 1960’s of routinely buying just about every mystery, crime, and detective reference book and biography as they are published. I now have enough volumes in my library to fill a room and they are now being published so fast and frequent that I no longer have any hope of keeping up by reading them.
So why do I keep buying them? I’ve always felt that I want to have my own personal library for my personal use. Like any comprehensive library it will never be possible for me to read them all but I love having them around.
I guess this is what collectors do: they buy books and fiction magazines and they keep them. Hopefully they will find the time to read many of them. I’m still at it and having fun and I love seeing lists like this one because it means that there are other collectors and readers that feel the same way.
September 26th, 2013 at 11:04 am
Missing from this list is, I think, the only biography of Margery Allingham: INK IN HER BLOOD by Richard Martin. Both a literary criticism of her work and an overview of her messy life with her philandering artist husband it makes for fascinating if sometimes upsetting reading.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
I’m reading the Dan J. Marlowe book and it is quite interesting.
September 26th, 2013 at 4:29 pm
James Sallis- a fine crime writer himself- wrote a good biography of Chester Himes.
September 27th, 2013 at 10:17 am
It will be interesting to see how quickly another 40 titles show up on this list. And so on into infinity.
September 28th, 2013 at 2:25 am
There is also THE ADVENTURES OF MARGERY ALLINGHAM by Julia Jones:
http://golden-duck.co.uk/adventures-of-margery-allingha/
September 28th, 2013 at 7:06 am
As far as I can remember Bill Crider and James Reasoner reviewed the Dan J. Marlowe biography in their blogs some time ago.
September 28th, 2013 at 8:36 am
I too am in the middle of the Marlowe book, I am amazed that for an established author, he seemed to have his outlines or ideas rejected more times than not, especially when he was at his most popular.
Also, Josef, is that you mentioned in the Marlowe book several times?
September 28th, 2013 at 9:29 am
David
yes, it’s me. I sent Charles Kelly the copy of an unpublished essay by Marlowe which Albert Nussbaum had sent to me. After reading the book I am not sure if I would have liked Marlowe if I had met him during his life.
September 28th, 2013 at 11:01 am
Josef,
I agree with you, everyone that meets or is a friend of his sort of says he’s a nice guy but . . . Even his friends from Michigan are not 100% sold on him.
April 13th, 2024 at 6:09 am
[…] This list contains only biographies which are written about one crime writer or a couple who works together. It does not include books which have two or three short biographies like Master of the “Humdrum” Mystery: Cecil John Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, Alfred Walter Stewart and the British Detective Novel 1920-1961 by Curtis Evans. Furthermore the list does not contain autobiographies of the writers like G. K. Chesterton’s Autobiography or memories of partners or relatives like Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers by Jo Hammett or Highsmith – A Romance of the 1950s by Marijane Meaker (Vin Packer). Also the list does not contain biographical fiction like Arthur and George by Julian Barnes about Arthur Conan Doyle. I cannot say that the selected biographies are the best because there are many more I do not own and have not read. I also have to admit that I have not read all forty biographies on the list in full length because some I use only as reference books. Fortunately most of them have an index where you can look for special names, books and events. I am sure that I missed several real gems on my list, and I hope that readers will supplement the list with their comments.FORTY INTERESTING BIOGRAPHIES OF MYSTERY WRITERS A List by Josef Hoffmann […]