I picked up this book in a thrift store for pennies. The book is published by Word Cloud Classics and features a number of novels and stories, mostly from the early 20th Century.
The oldest story is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a tale many claim as the first detective story.
Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers are represented by two solid mysteries. Sherlock Holmes solves “The Adventure of the Creeping Man,” and John Buchan takes us up those scary 39 steps that Hitchcock made famous.
This entertaining collection is rounded out by Chesterton, Bramah, and Freeman stories. If you’re looking for a big, fat book of mysteries, Classic Tales of Mystery delivers plenty of enjoyment. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Murder on the Links (1923) by Agatha Christie — 1
The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe — 213
Whose Body? (1923) by Dorothy Sayers –255
The Adventure of the Creeping Man (1923) by Arthur Conan Doyle –441
The Blue Cross (1910) by G. K. Chesterton — 467
The Coin of Dionysius (1914) by Ernest Bramah — 491
The Anthropologist at Large (1909) by R. Austin Freeman –511
The Thirty-nine Steps (1915) by John Buchan — 537
Was there anything new to you in the book?
Todd, you’re right: I’ve read all these stories/novels long ago. For some reason, I’m rereading more stuff in 2022.
Comfort reading? Reacquaintance?
Todd, yes to comfort reading and yes to reacquaintance. After snowplowing a couple feet of snow, reading some vintage mysteries after taking a Motrin reduces all the aches and pains.
The Doyle story interests me the most. I must have read it at one point but now can’t remember it. Does it have something to do with India?
Neeru, no mention of India in “The Adventure of the Creeping Man.” India plays a big role in “The Sign of the Four,” however.
I only read books of this size on kindle now. My wrists get too tired.
Patti, Jackie is totally with you on that. She says she can’t even hold regular paperbacks open for too long without her wrists hurting, so wants me to get everything for her on Kindle, or if not that, in a regular hardback.
Jeff, I’m in the same club as Patti and Jackie: big books hurt my hands. I either have to prop the up…or go the Kindle route.
Patti, the Kindle version is $4.99 and the edition I have is $10.99. Either way, a great value for the money: https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Tales-Mystery-Cloud-Classics/dp/1645171531/ref=asc_df_1645171531/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416691064987&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11229800352275424794&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005508&hvtargid=pla-901652890960&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=95590146124&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416691064987&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11229800352275424794&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005508&hvtargid=pla-901652890960
Same here with heav books, no way!
And my wife is even “worse”. The last Game of Thrones paperback I had to cut in 4 pieces for her …
Since then it’s only ebooks. She’s lucky that there seem to be many Hungarian fans that know English and translate the books.
She only learned Russian at high school.
Me I’ve probably read most of these as a teenager at my fatherly friend’s house but don’t remember much. He had a large collection of mystery and detective stories.
But at 16 or 17 years I switched completely to Science Fiction.
Don’t know if this has happened before, but I’ve read every novel and story in this collection. I think the Christie was one of the earliest Poirots. The Sayers was definitely the first Wimsey book, though far from her best. In those days, many short stories were about theft or other scams rather than murder.
Jeff, like you, I’ve read ever story and novel in CLASSIC TALES OF MYSTERY. But that didn’t stop me from buying this book for a pittance.
Surprisingly, I have never read THE 39 STEPS, although I have the various films many times. Does this make me a bad person?
Jerry, if you want a copy of THE 39 STEPS let me know and I’ll send it to you. Unlike the lost LEM box, I know exactly where THE 39 STEPS can be found on my shelves.
No, Jerry, it doesn’t.
Since you are reviewing a mystery book today, George, I wonder if you have any comments on the Edgar Award nominees that were announced.
https://crimereads.com/here-are-the-2022-edgar-nominations/
I was just commenting on that elsewhere, Byron. My comment was: RAZORBLADE TEARS should be a no-brainer, especially when he didn’t win last year, but FIVE DECEMBERS could easily win and be a worthwhile choice.
Byron, sadly, I’ve read none of the Edgar Award nominees other than Five Decembers by James Kestrel. You can read my review here: http://georgekelley.org/five-decembers-by-james-kestrel/ Back in the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties I read almost all the nominees. There’s just less Time now.
Have read all these, Not the best Freeman or Chesterton, but all solid, considering the nature of the anthology.
Rick, the overall quality of CLASSIC TALES OF MYSTERY makes it worth its cost.
That looks like a big fat book. If possible, I prefer to read novels in not in omnibuses. I make exceptions for the Library of American volumes and I do hang on to my Rex Stout omnibuses.
Tracy, I’m sure those Rex Stout omnibuses are worth a Pretty Penny these days! Art Scott told me that a Nero Wolfe paperback–TOO MANY WOMEN–was going in the $35 range!