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Golden Age Bibliomysteries
In these classic mystery tales, literature is a matter of life or death
Of crime fiction’s many sub-genres, none is so reflexive and so intriguing as the “bibliomystery”: stories that involve crimes set, somehow, in the world of books.
In Vincent Starrett’s “A Volume of Poe,” a bookseller is murdered; in Ellery Queen’s “The Adventure of the Three R’s,” the detective tracks the disappearance of a local Missouri author; and a killer stalks the stacks of the New York Public Library in Robert L. Blochman’s “Death Walks in Marble Halls.”
With fourteen tales of bibliophilic transgression from the Golden Age of the mystery genre (the decades between the two World Wars), this volume collects stories guaranteed to entertain, featuring work from well-remembered authors such as Cornell Woolrich and Anthony Boucher and from those that are lesser-known today, such as Carolyn Wells and James Gould Cozzens.
Edgar Award-winning anthologist, editor, bookseller, and mystery scholar Otto Penzler has focused extensively on the history of the bibliomystery, and his expertise shines in this enjoyable collection—both in the selection of stories, and in the informative and illuminating introductions that accompany each one.
Of crime fiction’s many sub-genres, none is so reflexive and so intriguing as the “bibliomystery”: stories that involve crimes set, somehow, in the world of books.
In Vincent Starrett’s “A Volume of Poe,” a bookseller is murdered; in Ellery Queen’s “The Adventure of the Three R’s,” the detective tracks the disappearance of a local Missouri author; and a killer stalks the stacks of the New York Public Library in Robert L. Blochman’s “Death Walks in Marble Halls.”
With fourteen tales of bibliophilic transgression from the Golden Age of the mystery genre (the decades between the two World Wars), this volume collects stories guaranteed to entertain, featuring work from well-remembered authors such as Cornell Woolrich and Anthony Boucher and from those that are lesser-known today, such as Carolyn Wells and James Gould Cozzens.
Edgar Award-winning anthologist, editor, bookseller, and mystery scholar Otto Penzler has focused extensively on the history of the bibliomystery, and his expertise shines in this enjoyable collection—both in the selection of stories, and in the informative and illuminating introductions that accompany each one.
443 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2023
40 people are currently reading
207 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.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 14, 2023
Golden Age Bibliomysteries, edited by Otto Penzler, is a carefully curated anthology featuring fourteen mysteries revolving around libraries, librarians, rare manuscripts, antiquarian books and much more. I appreciated the structure of the anthology and that each story is preceded by a brief introduction on the author, the publication history, and screen adaptations if any. Most of these authors were new to me and I enjoyed getting to know more about them.
The Jorgenson Plates by Frederick Irving Anderson (1922) : This wasn’t quite a “bibliomystery” in the true sense of the term but I did like the central theme of a conman and his wife getting their comeuppance. (3)
The Aldine Folio Murders by Lawrence G. Blochman (1940): Several individuals express interest in a rare manuscript soon to be auctioned off. What follows is a sequence of events including, theft, murder, and deception. (4)
Death Walks In Marble Halls by Lawrence G. Blochman (1942): The murder of a Trustee at a Public Library has the library closed off as the police investigate several suspects. This is one of my favorites in the collection. (5)
QL 696 .C9 by Anthony Boucher (1942) A librarian is murdered and the probable suspects include her coworkers and one of the patrons. (4)
Foot In It by James Gould Cozzens (1935) The proprietor of a bookstore is confronted by a relative of a deceased customer over a hefty unpaid invoice. (3.5)
The Missing Shakespeare Manuscript by Lilian de la Torre (1946) During the Stratford Jubilee, 1769 after the rare manuscript of a previously unknown work of the bard goes missing the thief demands a hefty ransom. (3)
State Faír Murder by Frank Gruber (1939) The scion of a publishing house is murdered in public.(3.5)
The Episode of the Codex’ Curse by C. Daly King (1935)An Aztec Codex is stolen from a locked room in a museum. (3)
The Adventure of the Three R’s by Ellery Queen (1946) A college professor and aspiring author goes missing and the details of the case are eerily familiar to the story featured in his new manuscript. (4)
The Unique Hamlet by Vincent Starrett (1920) A Sherlock Holmes pastiche revolving around a missing rare signed Hamlet quarto. (4)
A Volume of Poe by Vincent Starrett (1929) A rare volume of poems leads to murder and mayhem. (4)
The Shakespeare Title-Page Mystery Carolyn Wells (1940) Rare books and a lot of “jiggery-pokery”!(3)
The Book That Squealed Cornell Woolrich (1939) Another favorite of mine featuring a resourceful librarian who follows clues she deciphers from the missing pages of a library book to solve a kidnapping! (5)
The final segment is a puzzle, The Stolen Endymion by Lassiter Wren & Randle McKay, from The Baffle Book, published in 1930.(3.5)
Most of the stories are not too complicated and I could guess a few of the endings. The stories vary in length and pacing. As with most anthologies, some stories were more appealing than others but overall, I found it to be an entertaining read. Those who enjoy mysteries set in libraries and/or bookstores would find this collection interesting in that you can get a historical perspective of the sub-genre. Many thanks to the publisher for granting access to the DRC via Edelweiss+. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Please note that few (not all) stories feature terminology, and/or dialogue and/or characters that do sound offensive (racist/sexist) if viewed from a contemporary perspective. However, as mysteries, these stories do make for interesting reading, if you can accept that these stories were written in a different time period.
Average Rating: 3.7⭐
August 5, 2024
I have been going through a lot of tests and blood draws to figure out what is going on with me since first writing my review for “The Lost Art of Dying” by Lydia S. Dugdale this past June. My Review (and personal update) included here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My go to place has been to get lost in books.
So, why not a book about books?
Well, as I was searching for the perfect book to get lost in, this one came up. And what made it even more perfect was my husband.
How does my husband fit in to this experience? What has been especially fun has been the experience of being read to by my husband. We use to do this early in our marriage, where when I might have some difficulty sleeping, (which has been happening to me a lot lately for obvious reasons) he would pull out some Ellery Queen short stories and read them. I know…you would think some cozy mysteries would get me excited and have difficulty sleeping. But in this case, it would be a perfect snoozer!
And, of course, with these short stories which also leads in on the cover, “crime strikes in the world of books.”
I have to admit, I did find myself falling asleep to some of the stories, and having to pick up and read them again to re-familiarize myself with what he read to me so I knew what I was reviewing! But the fun of being read too, again…priceless!
What attracted me most to this series of short stories was that the crimes were centered around books.
Penzler included classic authors from the past. Some printed so far back that it would be hard to find them. But he did.
The stories are imperfect, and because they are so old, you aren’t going to find modern police procedurals or DNA solutions.
Sometimes readers might find themselves sighing heavily, telling themselves, “really?” when the solution that is being brought forward, appears so implausible. But all in all, most the stories were fun and cozy. And, well worth the time to go back in time and appreciate Penzler’s willingness to find these stories for readers to get lost in.
And, if you can, I truly recommend making this a “read-to” experience. It’s my turn next book. To “read-to” my husband, that is.
My go to place has been to get lost in books.
So, why not a book about books?
Well, as I was searching for the perfect book to get lost in, this one came up. And what made it even more perfect was my husband.
How does my husband fit in to this experience? What has been especially fun has been the experience of being read to by my husband. We use to do this early in our marriage, where when I might have some difficulty sleeping, (which has been happening to me a lot lately for obvious reasons) he would pull out some Ellery Queen short stories and read them. I know…you would think some cozy mysteries would get me excited and have difficulty sleeping. But in this case, it would be a perfect snoozer!
And, of course, with these short stories which also leads in on the cover, “crime strikes in the world of books.”
I have to admit, I did find myself falling asleep to some of the stories, and having to pick up and read them again to re-familiarize myself with what he read to me so I knew what I was reviewing! But the fun of being read too, again…priceless!
What attracted me most to this series of short stories was that the crimes were centered around books.
Penzler included classic authors from the past. Some printed so far back that it would be hard to find them. But he did.
The stories are imperfect, and because they are so old, you aren’t going to find modern police procedurals or DNA solutions.
Sometimes readers might find themselves sighing heavily, telling themselves, “really?” when the solution that is being brought forward, appears so implausible. But all in all, most the stories were fun and cozy. And, well worth the time to go back in time and appreciate Penzler’s willingness to find these stories for readers to get lost in.
And, if you can, I truly recommend making this a “read-to” experience. It’s my turn next book. To “read-to” my husband, that is.
May 24, 2023
A good collection of mystery stories is a lovely thing. One can get the reward of "finishing" on a regular basis—and if one story doesn't suit, the next one may. Golden Age Bibliomysteries, collected and edited by Otto Penzler, is just such a collection. These mysteries featured stories of stolen books or documents, investigations by librarians, and clues only a bibliophile could interpret so the police can stay on the trail.
I had doubts about this collection at the beginning. The first story, The Jorgenson Plates, was not, as far as I could tell, a bibliomystery. One character was twice referred to as reading a book, but the book made no appearance in the story beyond those two mentions, and the mystery centered around plates for forging currancy. I'm dubious about Penzler's choice of the second story in this collection, The Aldine Folio Murders, which was unbearably long and full of sexism in exchanges between male and female characters. Sexism and racism are scattered through these stories, and readers will have to decide for themselves whether these are off-putting or understandable within their historical context.
After those two, I almost put Golden Age Bibliomysteries down, but I didn't, and I'm glad of that. My favorite stories were those dealing with rare documents/books: a purportedly "new" Shakespeare play and an investigation into its authenticity by Samuel Johnson; the disappearance of a rare early edition of Hamlet investigated by Sherlock Holmes. I also enjoyed the tale of a plucky librarian attempting to support the war effort by keeping an eye on borrowers of suspicious books.
Golden Age Bibliomysteries will please readers of mysteries, especially those interested in the history of the genre. With fourteen stories in the book, readers can skip the stories that don't engage and jump ahead to those that do (and these will be different for every reader). I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
I had doubts about this collection at the beginning. The first story, The Jorgenson Plates, was not, as far as I could tell, a bibliomystery. One character was twice referred to as reading a book, but the book made no appearance in the story beyond those two mentions, and the mystery centered around plates for forging currancy. I'm dubious about Penzler's choice of the second story in this collection, The Aldine Folio Murders, which was unbearably long and full of sexism in exchanges between male and female characters. Sexism and racism are scattered through these stories, and readers will have to decide for themselves whether these are off-putting or understandable within their historical context.
After those two, I almost put Golden Age Bibliomysteries down, but I didn't, and I'm glad of that. My favorite stories were those dealing with rare documents/books: a purportedly "new" Shakespeare play and an investigation into its authenticity by Samuel Johnson; the disappearance of a rare early edition of Hamlet investigated by Sherlock Holmes. I also enjoyed the tale of a plucky librarian attempting to support the war effort by keeping an eye on borrowers of suspicious books.
Golden Age Bibliomysteries will please readers of mysteries, especially those interested in the history of the genre. With fourteen stories in the book, readers can skip the stories that don't engage and jump ahead to those that do (and these will be different for every reader). I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
September 5, 2023
14 short stories from the golden age of noir (1920s - 1940s) all with a biblio aspect to the stories. I enjoyed the style of some less than others. Includes an excellent Sherlock Holmes pastiche. I never was able to figure out how the first story qualified as a bibliomystery, but still an enjoyable story. Includes an example of a puzzle mystery: a short mystery which the reader is asked to solve, with the answer provided in the back of the book. (I would say that I was able to solve about half the puzzle).
October 21, 2023
So, I’ve read a lot of the GAD short story collections and I must say this is the favorite of mine so far. The focus topic of mysteries that involve books actually made the mysteries varied and interesting. The length of the stories in general are longer short stories.
So while I liked all the stories (no small feat here.)
Loved: Death Walks the Marbled Halls by Lawrence G. Blochman
State Fair Murders by Frank Gruber, The Episode of the Codex Curse and The Book that Squealed by Cornell Woolrich.
The introductions were also well done; the introduction to the collection also gave a list of some full length stories to seek out if interested (I’ve read several on this list.)
So, if you’re a book person AND a mystery person- you should read the book if you can.
So while I liked all the stories (no small feat here.)
Loved: Death Walks the Marbled Halls by Lawrence G. Blochman
State Fair Murders by Frank Gruber, The Episode of the Codex Curse and The Book that Squealed by Cornell Woolrich.
The introductions were also well done; the introduction to the collection also gave a list of some full length stories to seek out if interested (I’ve read several on this list.)
So, if you’re a book person AND a mystery person- you should read the book if you can.
February 9, 2024
A solid--and atmore than 400-pages long, hefty--collection of mysteries about books, bookmen, librarians, and related things. (Although I personally didn't see the book-connection in the first story, "The Jorgenson Plates.") There are some little-known stories and authors, and unusually in this kind of anthology, two stories by the same author (twice!).
July 23, 2023
It grew on me. Some of the earlier entries are comparatively weak--I honestly can barely work out what happens in the first story, which seems to concern books only in the most tangential sense. Fortunately, some better ones arrive later: the Ellery Queen story is a hoot, the Woolrich entry is dryly funny (and its clues cleverly worked out), and the C. Daly King one excitingly exotic in its setup, though the execution is underwhelming. The NYPL one is fun as well, Vincent Starrett's two stories are better than his novels (ace Holmes pastiche), and I would read more of Frank Gruber's Oliver Quade stories (which, it turns out, you can get for about $15), even though I didn't totally get what the scheme was. But I dug the humbuggery celebrated at its core. Most of all, I glean an overwhelming sense of craft, as with the press's earlier locked-room anthology (which, also, at more than 400pp, is value for money): so many hopefuls out there in the 30s and 40s writing so assiduously, in a field stuffed with writers and magazines and publishers rushing out book after book. So of course you're going to get a subspecies of book-hooked mysteries. The other thing is the semi-terrifying, or just plain terrifying, expertise of Otto Penzler, whose asides about authors like Carolyn Wells ("wrote and edited one hundred seventy books, of which eighty-two are mysteries, many of which had exceptionally ingenious plot ideas, and most of which are achingly dull") bespeak massive quantities of time spent on people nobody has heard of. His ventures into old issues of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and everywhere else have unearthed enough fun examples of the form to make this worth your while.
October 10, 2024
The weakest compliation yet from the American Mystery Classics line, and a heady disappointment considering its theme. The only story I enjoyed was Cornell Woolrich's "The Book that Squealed" from 1939.
July 26, 2023
A solid 3-1/2 star rating! A fun read for lovers of bibliomysteries!!
August 9, 2023
Otto Penzler has done a nice job collecting American mystery stories from 1920 to 1950 that revolve around books, libraries and book collectors. For example, Cornell Woolrich, the master of dark noir, has a relatively light fun story that plays off the stereotype of the prim librarian. He includes solid stories by Ellery Queen, Anthony Boucher, and some lesser known Golen Age writers.
Several of the stories revolve around improbably rare Shakespearean volumes. Vincent Starrett has Sherlock Holmes trying to recover a first edition of "Hamlet", signed by the author! Lillian de Torre has Samuel Johnson trying to recover the manuscript of a previously unknown play by Shakespeare. Carolyn Wells has a story about a copy of Shakespeare's first publication, the poem "Venus and Adonis."
C. Daly King has an excellent story, "The Episode of the "Codex Curse". It pulls of the great short story trick of having a clever surprise twist ending that seems obvious once it is revealed.
There are a few clinkers. Surprisingly, the only author with two stories is the relatively unknown and undistinguished Lawrence G. Blochman. Neither of his stories is very good, and the second story is not very good, and the longest story in the book.
One issue in any anthology is deciding how to arrange the stories. Some editors try to vary the tone and length. Some collections are arranged chronologically by publication. Some are organized by topics or themes.
Penzler adopts the simple approach and organizes the stories alphabetically by author's last name. The problem in this book is the story by Frederick Irving Anderson is the weakest in the book. It is improbable and filled with stock characters. It is also not a bibliomystery. Nothing in the plot revolves around books. I am mystified by its inclusion. Not a great way to start what is, otherwise, a very enjoyable anthology.
Several of the stories revolve around improbably rare Shakespearean volumes. Vincent Starrett has Sherlock Holmes trying to recover a first edition of "Hamlet", signed by the author! Lillian de Torre has Samuel Johnson trying to recover the manuscript of a previously unknown play by Shakespeare. Carolyn Wells has a story about a copy of Shakespeare's first publication, the poem "Venus and Adonis."
C. Daly King has an excellent story, "The Episode of the "Codex Curse". It pulls of the great short story trick of having a clever surprise twist ending that seems obvious once it is revealed.
There are a few clinkers. Surprisingly, the only author with two stories is the relatively unknown and undistinguished Lawrence G. Blochman. Neither of his stories is very good, and the second story is not very good, and the longest story in the book.
One issue in any anthology is deciding how to arrange the stories. Some editors try to vary the tone and length. Some collections are arranged chronologically by publication. Some are organized by topics or themes.
Penzler adopts the simple approach and organizes the stories alphabetically by author's last name. The problem in this book is the story by Frederick Irving Anderson is the weakest in the book. It is improbable and filled with stock characters. It is also not a bibliomystery. Nothing in the plot revolves around books. I am mystified by its inclusion. Not a great way to start what is, otherwise, a very enjoyable anthology.
December 26, 2025
An excellent collection of golden-age mysteries centered around books, writing, and libraries. Several favorite authors of mine appear here. Cornel Woolrich provides a short story that has nifty twists and humor , but none of his usual horrific depression - which also was adapted to an episode of the radio program Suspense. Lawrence Blackman's "Death Walks in Marble Halls" provides humor, suspense, and a little romance in as style of the cleverest 1940s fims, and was later adapted to a rather different style movie. He's one of the several writers that I realize I want to read more of their works. If you love golden age wit suspense, and style, this book is for you.
July 28, 2023
Pay attention to titles! I was not fully paying attention to the title when I reserved this book at my library-- bibliomysteries (mysteries involving books), yay; golden age: 1920s-1940s, not really my decades for mystery reading. So I read two of the stories, which were pleasant, one of which included a murder, the other a sort of "you-solve-it" with questions and a solution. Both dealt with book collecting and first editions. Penzler's introductions are helpful as is his list in the intro of "bibliomystery novels."
October 12, 2023
I enjoyed all of these short mystery stories. Except for the first story, each story centered around either a book, a book store, or a library. My favorite story was The Book that Squealed by Cornell Woolrich. All of the stories were from the 1920s, 1930s or 1940s, so this was a fascinating trip down memory lane.
May 30, 2024
While some of the stories in this collection were engaging and translated well to modern times, many were plodding in nature, without the excitement that most modern mysteries spring from. However, it is important to remember that these stories set the stage for the future, so they were worth reading.
July 29, 2023
Not every story is a masterpiece; but there are some gems that it is good to have been made available again!
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October 13, 2023I just couldn't generate any interest in these stories. Too old-fashioned for my tastes.
October 28, 2023
I had heard once that it takes a true genius to write a mystery short. There are a few geniuses represented in this collection, which makes the volume worth reading.
March 3, 2024
There was only one I'd already read before, so that was nice.
November 7, 2024
Collection of good short mysteries.
April 29, 2025
A so-so collection of mysteries, linked by their bookish themes. The best of the lot was the Cornell Woolrich story. Woolrich was a great mystery writer.
May 19, 2025
I didn’t enjoy this anthology as much as some of the other Golden Age Mysteries books. A few good stories, and a few tedious ones.
September 2, 2023
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
January 3, 2025
For my full review click the link below:
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews