What do you think?
Rate this book
The Best American Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth Century
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.
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.
604 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
82 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
Otto Penzler
374 books537 followersOtto Penzler is an editor of mystery fiction in the United States, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, where he lives.
Otto Penzler founded The Mysteriour Press in 1975 and was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years.
Penzler has won two Edgar Awards, for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1977, and The Lineup in 2010. The Mystery Writers of America awarded him the prestigious Ellery Queen Award in 1994, and the Raven--the group's highest non-writing award--in 2003.
Otto Penzler founded The Mysteriour Press in 1975 and was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years.
Penzler has won two Edgar Awards, for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1977, and The Lineup in 2010. The Mystery Writers of America awarded him the prestigious Ellery Queen Award in 1994, and the Raven--the group's highest non-writing award--in 2003.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 13, 2018
This collection had some good not often seen mystery stories from the 19th Century and it had some stinkers.
It is a good collection to read during the month of October, seeing as many of the authors in this collection are known for good ghost and horror stories.
Get ready for some mind twisting creepers.
It is a good collection to read during the month of October, seeing as many of the authors in this collection are known for good ghost and horror stories.
Get ready for some mind twisting creepers.
July 21, 2019
As ever, 3.5. The majority of the stories were quite interesting but some of them were certainly not mysteries by my reckoning. I'm going to have to review them story by story. I beg your indulgence.
The Story of the Young Robber - Washington Irving. A bit melodramatic, not at all a mystery
The Rifle - William Leggett - enjoyable, some pretty simple detectoring and sleuthing. A mystery!
Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe - Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hilarious! I need to read more Hawthorne. A mystery!
Murders in the Rue Morgue & The Purloined Letter - Edgar Allan Poe - the entire collection is pretty much framed around these stories as they are considered the earliest detective and mystery stories (they predate Conan Doyle and The Woman in White by a few decades I believe). While I love Poe, he is rather fond of unnecessarily archaic and lengthy words--which is why he's a great favorite of H.P. Lovecraft and writers of that sort. Still, very clever stories. I decided to just re-read the Purloined Letter as I read all of Poe's works a year or so earlier.
Remarkable Case of Arrest for Murder - Abraham Lincoln - mostly included for its novelty, it's an interesting legal mystery based on a case Lincoln was aware of in his days as an attorney in Illinois.
The Fatal Secret - Daniel Webster - very flowery prose mercifully short. Not a mystery, more of a parable or something?
The Danseuse - Thomas Bailey Aldrich - I loved this story! So unusual, such a compelling narrator and good surprise ending. A mystery, and I should like to read more of this man's work.
A Double Tragedy: an actor's story - Louisa May Alcott - embarrassingly, I have never read Little Women, so I can say that I've finally read something by Louisa May Alcott. Some melodrama, but enjoyable. Not a super surprising mystery, but still a mystery in format.
The Two Sister; or the Avenger - Allan Pinkerton - Allan Pinkerton would like to humbly assert before the unsuspecting reader how freakin' awesome he is at length. Not a mystery, and not particularly good, though I was interested to learn more about Allan Pinkerton and the Pinkertons.
The Lady or the Tiger? & The Discourager of Hesitancy - Frank Stocton - not really mysteries so much as "riddle stories" as the editor terms them. But great clever stories for all that.
A Thumb-Print and What Came of It - Mark Twain - I had forgotten what this story was about. But scanning through it again, it's quite a good read. Reminds me of Poe with more restraint. More thriller or horror story than mystery, it still has some mystery plotting.
My Favorite Murder - Ambrose Bierce - not a mystery at all but a morbidly comical and bizarre story.
The Sheriff's Children - Charles W. Chesnutt - I think Chesnutt is the only African-American writer in this collection, which is notable, and the fact that he got published in the 19th century while talking about race and miscegenation is impressive. The story itself is okay, sort of a mystery.
Gallegher: A newspaper story - Richard Harding Davis - a good read. The characters are interesting and well-conceived if not very deep. Gallagher is a great protagonist. A good mystery and partly a detective story.
'Round the Opium Lamp - William Norr - Hoo boy. The racism in this story and a much later one by Jack London are pretty difficult to take. More of a PSA on the dangers of opium, there's still a little bit of a reveal in the story.
Lingo Dan - Percival Pollard - More of a crime story than a mystery if I remember correctly.
I will have to come back to this at a later time with more of the stories.
The Story of the Young Robber - Washington Irving. A bit melodramatic, not at all a mystery
The Rifle - William Leggett - enjoyable, some pretty simple detectoring and sleuthing. A mystery!
Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe - Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hilarious! I need to read more Hawthorne. A mystery!
Murders in the Rue Morgue & The Purloined Letter - Edgar Allan Poe - the entire collection is pretty much framed around these stories as they are considered the earliest detective and mystery stories (they predate Conan Doyle and The Woman in White by a few decades I believe). While I love Poe, he is rather fond of unnecessarily archaic and lengthy words--which is why he's a great favorite of H.P. Lovecraft and writers of that sort. Still, very clever stories. I decided to just re-read the Purloined Letter as I read all of Poe's works a year or so earlier.
Remarkable Case of Arrest for Murder - Abraham Lincoln - mostly included for its novelty, it's an interesting legal mystery based on a case Lincoln was aware of in his days as an attorney in Illinois.
The Fatal Secret - Daniel Webster - very flowery prose mercifully short. Not a mystery, more of a parable or something?
The Danseuse - Thomas Bailey Aldrich - I loved this story! So unusual, such a compelling narrator and good surprise ending. A mystery, and I should like to read more of this man's work.
A Double Tragedy: an actor's story - Louisa May Alcott - embarrassingly, I have never read Little Women, so I can say that I've finally read something by Louisa May Alcott. Some melodrama, but enjoyable. Not a super surprising mystery, but still a mystery in format.
The Two Sister; or the Avenger - Allan Pinkerton - Allan Pinkerton would like to humbly assert before the unsuspecting reader how freakin' awesome he is at length. Not a mystery, and not particularly good, though I was interested to learn more about Allan Pinkerton and the Pinkertons.
The Lady or the Tiger? & The Discourager of Hesitancy - Frank Stocton - not really mysteries so much as "riddle stories" as the editor terms them. But great clever stories for all that.
A Thumb-Print and What Came of It - Mark Twain - I had forgotten what this story was about. But scanning through it again, it's quite a good read. Reminds me of Poe with more restraint. More thriller or horror story than mystery, it still has some mystery plotting.
My Favorite Murder - Ambrose Bierce - not a mystery at all but a morbidly comical and bizarre story.
The Sheriff's Children - Charles W. Chesnutt - I think Chesnutt is the only African-American writer in this collection, which is notable, and the fact that he got published in the 19th century while talking about race and miscegenation is impressive. The story itself is okay, sort of a mystery.
Gallegher: A newspaper story - Richard Harding Davis - a good read. The characters are interesting and well-conceived if not very deep. Gallagher is a great protagonist. A good mystery and partly a detective story.
'Round the Opium Lamp - William Norr - Hoo boy. The racism in this story and a much later one by Jack London are pretty difficult to take. More of a PSA on the dangers of opium, there's still a little bit of a reveal in the story.
Lingo Dan - Percival Pollard - More of a crime story than a mystery if I remember correctly.
I will have to come back to this at a later time with more of the stories.
June 13, 2016
A nice look at some classic mysteries from unexpected authors. You have L. Frank Baum, Abraham Lincoln, Louisa May Alcott, and dozens of others all participating in mysteries. If that's not enough to make you read it, I don't know what will.
September 16, 2019
The Prologue is everything to this collection.
Was concerned because many reviews were not happy that some of the stories were not of mystery status.
A cup of tea and pick and choose whichever fits your fancy.
Was concerned because many reviews were not happy that some of the stories were not of mystery status.
A cup of tea and pick and choose whichever fits your fancy.
Want to read
September 27, 2025Read so far:
The story of the young robber / Washington Irving --2
The rifle / William Leggett --4
Mr. Higginbotham's catastrophe / Nathaniel Hawthorne --3
The murders in the Rue Morgue / Edgar Allan Poe --3
The purloined letter / Edgar Allan Poe --4
Remarkable case of arrest for murder / Abraham Lincoln --
The fatal secret / Daniel Webster --
The danseuse / Thomas Bailey Aldrich --3
A double tragedy: an actor's story / Louisa May Alcott --3
The two sisters; or, The avenger / Allan Pinkerton --
The lady, or the tiger? and The discourager of hesitancy / Frank Stockton --3
A thumb-print and what came of it / Mark Twain --3
My favorite murder / Ambrose Bierce --2
The sheriff's children / Charles W. Chesnutt --3
Gallegher / Richard Harding Davis --3
'Round the opium lamp / William Norr --
Lingo Dan / Percival Pollard --
*The nameless man and the Montezuma Emerald / Rodrigues Ottolengui --
The doctor, his wife, and the clock / Anna Katharine Green --2
A very strange case / William M. Hinkley --
The long arm / Mary E. Wilkins --3
The mysterious card and The mysterious card unveiled / Cleveland Moffett --3
*Tom Sawyer, Detective / Mark Twain --
The corpus delicti / Melville Davisson Post --2
The suicide of Kiaros / L. Frank Baum --3
The purple emperor / Robert W. Chambers --3
At Pinney's ranch / Edward Bellamy --
The blue hotel / Stephen Crane --2
*A cup of cold water / Edith Wharton --
The detective's pretty neighbor / Nicholas Carter --
A point in morals / Ellen Glasgow --3
A thousand deaths / Jack London--3
The story of the young robber / Washington Irving --2
The rifle / William Leggett --4
Mr. Higginbotham's catastrophe / Nathaniel Hawthorne --3
The murders in the Rue Morgue / Edgar Allan Poe --3
The purloined letter / Edgar Allan Poe --4
Remarkable case of arrest for murder / Abraham Lincoln --
The fatal secret / Daniel Webster --
The danseuse / Thomas Bailey Aldrich --3
A double tragedy: an actor's story / Louisa May Alcott --3
The two sisters; or, The avenger / Allan Pinkerton --
The lady, or the tiger? and The discourager of hesitancy / Frank Stockton --3
A thumb-print and what came of it / Mark Twain --3
My favorite murder / Ambrose Bierce --2
The sheriff's children / Charles W. Chesnutt --3
Gallegher / Richard Harding Davis --3
'Round the opium lamp / William Norr --
Lingo Dan / Percival Pollard --
*The nameless man and the Montezuma Emerald / Rodrigues Ottolengui --
The doctor, his wife, and the clock / Anna Katharine Green --2
A very strange case / William M. Hinkley --
The long arm / Mary E. Wilkins --3
The mysterious card and The mysterious card unveiled / Cleveland Moffett --3
*Tom Sawyer, Detective / Mark Twain --
The corpus delicti / Melville Davisson Post --2
The suicide of Kiaros / L. Frank Baum --3
The purple emperor / Robert W. Chambers --3
At Pinney's ranch / Edward Bellamy --
The blue hotel / Stephen Crane --2
*A cup of cold water / Edith Wharton --
The detective's pretty neighbor / Nicholas Carter --
A point in morals / Ellen Glasgow --3
A thousand deaths / Jack London--3
February 6, 2017
I'm not very familiar with older mystery stories, but I picked out this book because it looked interesting, and I like to try new things once in a while. There were a few gems in this collection, and I enjoyed getting to read a variety of different authors that I wasn't familiar with. I'm not sure I agree with the editor's assertion that all the stories in this collection are mysteries (some would seem to be more appropriately labeled as "crime fiction"), but I still enjoyed reading most of them. While I didn't enjoy all of the stories, I thought it was a very good collection, and I appreciated the history that the editor provided ahead of each story.
June 16, 2019
Mostly melodramatic.
March 25, 2021
Great stories.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews