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Classic Mysteries: A Collection of Mind-Bending Masterpieces
A collection of mystery stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and others.
- GenresMysteryShort Stories
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 14, 2024
This volume contains six stories, all by different authors, and could serve as an introduction to mysteries for a child/teen. Of the six stories, I had already read the Sherlock Holmes entry. The Checkhov was a bit confusing, and I still am not certain it would be possible to figure out the ending from the clues in the story, so I'm not certain if it counts as a true mystery. My favorite story was the third one, about Miss Van Snoop. The ending was simultaneously sad and deeply satisfying. I may scout around to see if the author wrote any other stories about her. The fourth story was a classic cozy and rather meandered in the middle, but I enjoyed the detective as a character (a very decent and compassionate man), and the solution to the mystery was quite unexpected. The Twain and Poe mysteries were the least interesting in the collection. I slogged through them merely because I had never read a mystery by either one before.
The brief biographical notes were interesting (although the teaser introductions to the stories were unnecessary and rather spoiled them, in my opinion), and there is a glossary at the back of the book, which could be very helpful for readers unaccustomed to reading 19th century books.
The brief biographical notes were interesting (although the teaser introductions to the stories were unnecessary and rather spoiled them, in my opinion), and there is a glossary at the back of the book, which could be very helpful for readers unaccustomed to reading 19th century books.
January 1, 2016
For my full review, along with reviews of individual stories, please visit Casual Debris.
It is a clever though not unique method to tempt a young audience to read classic authors, such as Chekhov, Twain and Poe, by collecting together a selection of their mysteries. This would also perhaps encourage them to chase down further classic works. This trick worked well on me as a ten year-old. I was first exposed to mysteries from those Alfred Hitchcock Random House anthologies geared to young readers, starting with Spellbinders in Suspense and quickly moving onto other titles. To add to my quickly growing interest in suspense stories, my elementary school English teacher, Mrs. Wise, read aloud some of the classics, and it was from her that I first encountered W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw." A little later, as a twelve year-old in my first high school English class, I was first exposed to the wonders of Poe with "The Tell-Tale Heart," and to Shirley Jackson's masterful "The Lottery." There was no turning back.
Classic Mysteries: A Collection of Mind-bending Mysteries collects six such works, all originally published between 1844 and 1927. The stories collected here make up an odd but interesting mix. The title is a little much, though, as really only two of the selections can be called mind-bending, and not because they are beyond reason, but because they have enough plot twists to at least bend the course of one's thoughts. These are Mark Twain's "A Curious Experience" and Anna Katharine Green's "The Ruby and the Caldron." I wonder about the choice to include the weaker Clarence Rook piece; I suppose a young female sleuth would prevent alienating female readers. In fact, most of the stories do have a strong female element, which is refreshing, and likely a conscious consideration by female editor Molly Cooper.
Each author is introduced by Cooper and each story is highlighted by a pencil sketch from Barbara Kiwak. The introductions are quite good as they include some unusual tidbits amid the standard biographical fare we encounter in countless anthologies. The drawings are from an integral point of each story and are a nice addition. Drawn simply and thankfully without modern pretensions, sticking to their time periods, with not too much detail but enough to make the image real and whole. I like Kiwak's interpretations of both the situations and the characters.
Overall the book would entertain most youths, I think, though for adult readers some of the stories are a little tame. I have always enjoyed the works of Chekhov and Twain, and the selections by both are very good, particularly Twain's piece. I was also impressed with lesser-known Anna Katharine Green piece.
It is a clever though not unique method to tempt a young audience to read classic authors, such as Chekhov, Twain and Poe, by collecting together a selection of their mysteries. This would also perhaps encourage them to chase down further classic works. This trick worked well on me as a ten year-old. I was first exposed to mysteries from those Alfred Hitchcock Random House anthologies geared to young readers, starting with Spellbinders in Suspense and quickly moving onto other titles. To add to my quickly growing interest in suspense stories, my elementary school English teacher, Mrs. Wise, read aloud some of the classics, and it was from her that I first encountered W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw." A little later, as a twelve year-old in my first high school English class, I was first exposed to the wonders of Poe with "The Tell-Tale Heart," and to Shirley Jackson's masterful "The Lottery." There was no turning back.
Classic Mysteries: A Collection of Mind-bending Mysteries collects six such works, all originally published between 1844 and 1927. The stories collected here make up an odd but interesting mix. The title is a little much, though, as really only two of the selections can be called mind-bending, and not because they are beyond reason, but because they have enough plot twists to at least bend the course of one's thoughts. These are Mark Twain's "A Curious Experience" and Anna Katharine Green's "The Ruby and the Caldron." I wonder about the choice to include the weaker Clarence Rook piece; I suppose a young female sleuth would prevent alienating female readers. In fact, most of the stories do have a strong female element, which is refreshing, and likely a conscious consideration by female editor Molly Cooper.
Each author is introduced by Cooper and each story is highlighted by a pencil sketch from Barbara Kiwak. The introductions are quite good as they include some unusual tidbits amid the standard biographical fare we encounter in countless anthologies. The drawings are from an integral point of each story and are a nice addition. Drawn simply and thankfully without modern pretensions, sticking to their time periods, with not too much detail but enough to make the image real and whole. I like Kiwak's interpretations of both the situations and the characters.
Overall the book would entertain most youths, I think, though for adult readers some of the stories are a little tame. I have always enjoyed the works of Chekhov and Twain, and the selections by both are very good, particularly Twain's piece. I was also impressed with lesser-known Anna Katharine Green piece.
February 18, 2016
This is a great collection of mysteries - all short stories written by masters of mystery such as Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Mark Twain. This book presents each mystery with an introduction that summarizes the life and writing of its author and the origin of the story. It's a great edition for school-aged children, with a glossary in the back and a few black and white illustrations.
Stories in this book:
- The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Safety Match by Anton Chekhov
- The Stir Outside the Café Royal by Clarence Rook
- The Ruby and the Caldron by Anna Katharine Green
- A Curious Experience by Mark Twain
- The Oblong Box by Edgar Allen Poe
Each of the stories stands well on its own, though often the introduction to the story does set the scene for the reader which I believe makes it an even more complete experience. Some of the outcomes were surprising, such as in The Safety Match. Some of them were not as surprising, but hauntingly beautiful, such as The Oblong Box. Overall this is a wonderful collection of short stories and a nice representation of the mystery genre.
Stories in this book:
- The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Safety Match by Anton Chekhov
- The Stir Outside the Café Royal by Clarence Rook
- The Ruby and the Caldron by Anna Katharine Green
- A Curious Experience by Mark Twain
- The Oblong Box by Edgar Allen Poe
Each of the stories stands well on its own, though often the introduction to the story does set the scene for the reader which I believe makes it an even more complete experience. Some of the outcomes were surprising, such as in The Safety Match. Some of them were not as surprising, but hauntingly beautiful, such as The Oblong Box. Overall this is a wonderful collection of short stories and a nice representation of the mystery genre.
December 21, 2012
This is actually a collection of six contemporary mysteries compiled by Molly Cooper and featuring stories from such famous authors as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Anton Chekhov, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe and others. I have to say that none of the short stories included in this book were particularly memorable to me - except perhaps the last story The Oblong Box by Edgar Allen Poe.
This is a children's book that Mareena thought I might like to read, however it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. I give this book a B+!
This is a children's book that Mareena thought I might like to read, however it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. I give this book a B+!
unread
March 25, 2009Contents:
The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
by Sir Arthur Conana Doyle
The Safety Match
by Anton Checkov
The Stir Outside the Cafe Royal
A Story of Miss Van Snoop, Detective
by Clarence Rook
The Ruby and the Caldron
by Anna Katharine Green
A Curious Experience
by Mark Twain
The Oblong Box
by Edgar Allen Poe
128 pages
The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
by Sir Arthur Conana Doyle
The Safety Match
by Anton Checkov
The Stir Outside the Cafe Royal
A Story of Miss Van Snoop, Detective
by Clarence Rook
The Ruby and the Caldron
by Anna Katharine Green
A Curious Experience
by Mark Twain
The Oblong Box
by Edgar Allen Poe
128 pages
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December 18, 2008Source for "The Ruby and the Caldron" (copyright 1905)by Anna Katharine Green, known as the mother, grandmother and godmother of the detective story. Most famous work is The Leavenworth Case.
February 21, 2016
A quick read for both teens and adults. I think this is a great book to use to introduce the younger crowd to the classics or any age group to the mystery genre.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews