A Catalogue of Crime

A Catalogue of Crime (1971) is a comprehensive reference work on crime fiction by Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor. The book won a Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1972. This extensive volume contains critical analyses and reviews of crime fiction works, spanning 831 pages in its first edition and expanding to 952 pages in the 1989 revised edition. After Taylor's death in 1985, Barzun completed the second edition using Taylor's finished contributions. The book serves as both a scholarly examination of the crime fiction genre and a practical guide for readers. It covers novels, short stories, and true crime works, evaluating their literary merit and contributions to the field. The catalogue represents a significant academic contribution to crime fiction studies, establishing a framework for understanding and analyzing works in the genre. Its systematic approach to categorizing and critiquing crime literature helped legitimize the scholarly study of mystery fiction.

Readers value this reference work as a detailed guide to mystery fiction, though some find it dated since its 1989 publication. The book contains over 5,000 reviews of detective stories, true crime accounts, and critical works. Readers appreciate: - Thorough, analytical reviews - Historical context for each work - Coverage of obscure and rare titles - Clear ratings system - Helpful cross-referencing Common criticisms: - Focus on older/classical mysteries - Some reviews deemed too harsh or dismissive - Limited coverage of contemporary authors - British-centric perspective - Physical book quality (thin pages, small print) Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (42 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (12 ratings) Notable reader comment: "An incredible resource for mystery fans, though the authors' biases show through. They're particularly hard on hardboiled writers like Mickey Spillane." - Goodreads reviewer "The encyclopedic scope makes up for the occasional snobbery" - Amazon reviewer

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Bloody Murder by Julian Symons A comprehensive history of crime fiction that traces the genre's evolution from Victorian detective stories through hardboiled noir to modern psychological thrillers.

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🔍 The book's co-author Jacques Barzun continued writing well into his late 90s, publishing his masterwork "From Dawn to Decadence" at age 92 and living to be 104 years old. 📚 The catalogue contains reviews and analyses of over 5,000 crime fiction works, making it one of the largest single-volume reference works dedicated to the genre. 🏆 When the Special Edgar Award was presented to this book in 1972, it was one of the rare instances where a reference work received this prestigious mystery writing honor. 🕰️ The authors spent more than 35 years collaborating on this project, beginning their collection of reviews and notes in the 1930s before publishing the first edition in 1971. 🌟 Wendell Hertig Taylor, the co-author, was particularly known for his expertise in the "locked room mystery" subgenre and helped create one of the first comprehensive taxonomies of this plot type.