The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Hi Everyone!!

We at Renaissance Literary wanted to let you know we've published the short stories, novellas and novels of CORNELL WOOLRICH as ebooks! His works date back to the 1940's and were originally published in classic crime magazines (Dime Detective, Argosy, Detective Fiction Weekly, etc.) and were translated into a multitude of radio plays, TV series and movies. Many of these stories haven't seen the light of day in decades and we're incredibly excited to be putting them out into the world again. Woolrich is best known for his novel "It Had to be Murder" which was adapted into Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" and "The Black Series" collection. We're talking old school pulp-thriller!

Many are individual but we've also curated a few collections thematically (Literary Noir: A Series of Suspense, An Obsession with Death and Dying and The Black Series) with more to come!

Cover Artist: Abigail Larson

If you've never hear of Cornell Woolrich or want to brush up on your history, here's a little more about him:

George Hopley-Woolrich (4 December 1903 – 25 September 1968) is one of
America’s best crime and noir writers who sometimes wrote under the
pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. He’s often compared to other
celebrated crime writers of his day, Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and
Raymond Chandler.

Born in New York City, his parents separated when he was young and he
lived in Mexico for nearly a decade with his father before returning to New York
City to live with his mother, Claire Attalie Woolrich.

He attended New York’s Columbia University but left school in 1926 without
graduating when his first novel, “Cover Charge”, was published. “Cover
Charge” was one of six of his novels that he credits as inspired by the work of F.
Scott Fitzgerald. Woolrich soon turned to pulp and detective fiction, often
published under his pseudonyms. His best known story today is his 1942 “It Had
to be Murder” for the simple reason that it was adapted into the 1954 Alfred
Hitchcock movie “Rear Window” starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. It was
remade as a television film by Christopher Reeve in 1998.

Woolrich was a homosexual but in 1930, while working as a screenwriter in
Los Angeles, he married Violet Virginia Blackton (1910-65), daughter of silent
film producer J. Stuart Blackton. They separated after three months and the
marriage was annulled in 1933.

Woolrich returned to new York where he and his mother moved into the
Hotel Marseilles (Broadway and West 102nd Street). He lived there until her
death on October 6, 1957, which prompted his move to the Hotel Franconia (20
West 72nd Street). In later years he socialized on occasion in Manhattan but
alcoholism and an amputated leg, caused by an infection from wearing a shoe
too tight which he left untreated, turned him into a recluse. Thus, he did not
attend the New York premiere of Truffaut’s film based on his novel “The Bride
Wore Black” in 1968 and, shortly thereafter, died weighing only 89 pounds. He
is interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
Woolrich bequeathed his estate to Columbia University to endow
scholarships in his mother’s memory for journalism students.

Enjoy!!!!

Lauren wrote: "Hi Everyone!!

We at Renaissance Literary wanted to let you know we've published the short stories, novellas and novels of CORNELL WOOLRICH as ebooks! His works date back to the 1940's and were ori..."

How wonderful!!! And timely -- we just finished Woolrich's Night Has a Thousand Eyes.

Oh that's so great to hear! That's one of our favorites. It's been so fun going through all of his works, especially the short stories. Happy reading!!

I have been picking up Woolrich as I find him. I started a few years ago when I found an old copy of The Bride Wore Black at a used book sale. So this is good news.