A Classic Work…
A classic work reissued and very worthy of a dip in approach but detailed read. Critical analysis of the detective story from the 1840’s through the 1940’s via a plethora of authors. It is, of course, of its time but remains a useful and interesting resource.

This book has a very thorough grounding of the writers and crime/mystery fiction both in America and England, written in the 1940, it gives a very interesting history of the culture, interest and writing style of the period prior and of the period.
Very interesting reading for anyone that has any interest in the gene as well as the social thinking of the times, I found it fascinating to read

This is an interesting and thought provoking book which shows the reader how the detective story and its practitioners were perceived back in the 1940s and 50s. As well as taking a chronological approach to looking at UK and USA detective fiction from 1841-the writer's present day, there are a number of thematic chapters, looking at the rules of the genre, detective fiction and democracy, as well as a quiz!
I think this is a book which will readers a lot to think about, challenging readers to consider what they think on certain matters. In some ways you could say this is a contentious book, with some of the opinions that Haycraft offers. Though in some ways that makes it a more interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dover Publishing for the digital ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Here comes the blurb as they say it better than I ever could!

Author Howard Haycraft, an expert in detective fiction, traces the genre's development from the 1840s through the 1940s. Along the way, he charts the innovations of Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins, and Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the modern influence of George Simenon, Josephine Tey, and others. Additional topics include a survey of the critical literature, a detective story quiz, and a Who's Who in Detection.

Absolutely not what i thought it was!! this is a re release, and what a very pleasant trip it was, beautiful written and full of information.

This was a fascinating read that helped to discover a lot of forget or less known mystery writer.
I read this is classic in its genre and even if it was written long ago it's still an engaging and interesting read.
I liked the style of writing and how it discusses the mystery writer and their characters.
A very good book that aged well.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

A classic work of detective fiction history/criticism, first published in 1941, is here re-issued in its 1951 update. Dover Publications is to be congratulated for making it more generally available.

I suspect that this is a work more quoted from than read in full. I found it digestible only in short bursts. The style is certainly dated, and it seems to me to fall between two stools, being neither entirely academic nor totally popular in its approach. The somewhat “homely” biographical details about some of the authors are cringe-making: what does it add to my appreciation of the marvellous Margery Allingham, for instance, to know that she was ”plump” ? Modern sensibilities will also be disturbed by the misogynism of a lot that is said about women writers.

Much of the “criticism”- it is not “critical analysis”- is highly subjective and of dubious value to a reader in 2019, the writer being dismissive of many now-popular sub-genres such as the historical detective. The Second World War looms heavily over the whole work whose central thesis- that detective novels only flourish in democracies- is questionable.

What is immensely valuable, however, is his listing/mentioning of many worthwhile writers who might be overlooked by modern readers, despite the sterling work in reprinting being done by publishers such as Dover. For this aspect alone, I am glad to have read the book.

Recommended for dipping-into, since there are many plums to be pulled out, but not ideal for a sustained read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dover Publications for the digital review copy.

Edgar Allen Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue is considered the first detective story, but that statement is just the headline. In Murder for Pleasure, Howard Haycraft becomes an obsessed detective himself as he traces the progress of detective fiction, from 1841 through the late 1940’s, to provide a rich historical perspective of this genre.

In some detail, Haycraft discusses specific authors, their detective characters and their place in and/or contribution to the genre, in his opinion. According to Sara Weinman, on www.crimereads.com, “Murder for Pleasure and The Art of Mystery are likely why Haycraft won an Edgar Award for Outstanding Mystery Criticism in 1948. He won a second Edgar in 1975 ‘for his distinguished contribution to mystery criticism and scholarship’”.

A well regarded critic of crime novels, Haycraft died in 1991. His legacy: a fascinating history of the Detective Story as popular fiction.

Originally published in 1941, this book was updated and republished in 1951. In 2019, the 1951 version is being reprinted and distributed by Dover Publications.