On this page

This page lists dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, "top 100" type books and other reference books covering the broad area of crime fiction and crime fiction writers.

Note that bibliographies are listed on a separate page.

Queen's Quorum: A History Of The Detective-Crime Short Story As Revealed In The 106 Most Important Books Published In The Field Since 1845

Ellery Queen

1951

This book was based on articles originally published in The American Mercury in 1949-50.

Buy from amazon.co.uk

Who's Whodunit

Leonore S. Gribbin

1968

A list of 3218 Detective Story Writers and their 1100 Psuedonyms

Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection

Chris Steinbrunner / Otto Penzler

1976

"Offers profiles of mystery writers, lists their major works, and looks at fictional detectives in movies, television shows, and novels."

Detectionary: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Characters in Detective and Mystery Fiction

Editor: Otto Penzler, Chris Steinbrunner, Marvin Lachman

1977

"Lists all major characters of detective fiction, providing information on their creators, their actions, the cases they were involved in, and their destinies."

Who's Who in Spy Fiction

Donald McCormick

1977

"The A-Z of espionage thrillers and their creators."

Twentieth-Century Crime And Mystery Writers

John M Reilly

1980

"This authoritative reference book provides detailed information on more than 600 English language writers of mystery fiction. Each entry includes a biography, a complete bibliography of the writer's works and a signed critical essay. In many cases the author comments on his or her own work. Also included are two appendices on nineteenth century mystery writers and on foreign language mystery writers."

Mystery, Detective, and Espionage Magazines

Michael L. Cook

Greenwood Press

1983

Private Eyes: One Hundred and One Knights : A Survey of American Detective Fiction, 1922-1984

Robert A. Baker & Michael T. Nietzel

1985

"Private Eyes is the complete map to what Raymond Chandler called 'the mean streets', the exciting world of the fictional private eye. It is intended to entertain current PI fans and to make new ones."

The Subject is Murder: A Selective Subject Guide to Mystery Fiction

Albert J. Menendez

1986

"A two volume reference guide to mystery fiction, arranged by subject, including mysteries about archeology, circuses, hotels, literary people, department stores, holidays, newspapers & journalists, bookstores, libraries & bibliomysteries, railroads, medical murders & doctors, gardening, academics, radio/TV studios & personalities, politicians, sports, theater, supernatural, weddings, Hollywood & films, and much more."

Murder in Print: Guide to Two Centuries of Crime Fiction

Melvyn P. Barnes

1986

A reference guide that provides information about over 480 books by over 250 authors.

1001 Midnights: The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction

Bill Pronzini & Marcia Muller

1986

"Provides plot summaries to more than one thousand classic mystery, detective, and espionage novels and short story favorites, as well as informative commentary on each author."

The Mystery Lover's Companion

Art Bourgeau

1986

"Rating guide to 2,500 mysteries and detective stories. This includes an A-Z encyclopedia of authors, divided into categories such as 'American', 'English', 'Thriller' and 'Police Procedural'. Contains a short synopsis and/or opinion of each by Bourgeau, and a rating system of from one to five daggers."

Mystery Index: Subjects, Settings and Sleuths of 10,000 Titles

Steven Olderr

1987

"Provides indexes to American and British mystery novels by author, title, subject, setting, and characters."

Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books

H.R.F. Keating

Xanadu / Carroll & Graf

1987

"H.R.F Keating, author of The Perfect Murder and mystery reviewer for teh Times of London, offers a concise commentary on the finest mystery books ever written. From Poe's tales of mystery and imagination to P.D. James's A Taste for Death, Keating delivers a highly-readable evaluation of the 100 authors and their masterpieces. This collection is a must for all devoted mystery readers."

A Reader's Guide to the Classic British Mystery

Susan Oleksiw

1988

"From 19th century classics to as recent as 1985, this complete source book of British Mystery covers more than 1440 titles by 121 authors."

Detective Fiction: The Collector's Guide

John Cooper & B.A. Pike

1988

Second edition published by Scolar Press in 1994.

"Indispensable reference book for all collectors of detective fiction ..... provides a checklist of the works of 157 of the most collected authors, listing all their detective novels and short story collections, with details of first editions, dust-wrappers and series characters."

Mystery, Detective, and Espionage Fiction: A Checklist of Fiction in the U.S. Pulp Magazines, 1915-1974 (2 Vols)

Michael L. Cook and Stephen T. Miller

1988

A two volume publication which indexes over 50,000 stories in over 350 magazines.

British Mystery Writers, 1860-1919

Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol 70

Editor: Bernard Benstock and Thomas F. Staley

1988

Provides biographic and bibliographical information on most popular British authors of the period.

British Mystery Writers, 1920-1939

Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol 70

Editor: Bernard Benstock and Thomas F. Staley

1989

Provides biographic and bibliographical information on most popular British authors of the period.

British Mystery And Thriller Writers Since 1940

Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol 87

Editor: Bernard Benstock and Thomas F. Staley

1989

Provides biographic and bibliographical information on most popular British authors of the period.

Index to Crime and Mystery Anthologies

William G. Contento and Martin H. Greenberg

1990

An index that covers over 1000 anthologies and over 12,000 stories

Spy Fiction: A Connoisseur's Guide

Donald McCormick and Katy Fletcher

1990

"Following an introduction to the genre of detective novels from the mid-1800s to the present day, this reference guide presents biographies of important authors, critical analyses of their work, and additional chapters on treachery, and the treatment of real events in spy fiction."

Murder By Category: A Subject Guide To Mystery Fiction

Tasha Mackler

1991

A reference work that arranges stories by over 500 20th century authors into categories of story.

A Reader's Guide to the American Novel of Detection

Marvin Lachman

1993

"This essential sourcebook to the American novel of detection offers mystery fans fully annotated entries on 1,314 titles by 156 authors in the genre. The perfect guide to the adventures of such classic sleuths as Philo Vance, Ellery Queen, Perry Mason, and Nero Wolfe, the volume also covers the works of today's finest mystery writers. Detailed cross-reference listings, including pseudonyms, creators and series characters, occupations of series characters, and periods, locations, and settings of the stories. An invaluable resource for fans, occasional readers, and mystery book collectors alike."

The Fine Art of Murder: The Mystery Reader's Indispensable Companion

Editor: Ed Gorman, Martin H. Greenberg, Larry Segriff, Jon L. Breen

1993

"Features interviews, essays, photographic layouts, and recommended reading lists, with contributions by such notables as Robert Bloch, Dorothy Cannell, and Bill Pronzini."

Encyclopedia Mysteriosa: A Comprehensive Guide to the Art of Detection in Print, Film, Radio, and Television

Editor: William L. DeAndrea

1994

"Containing more than 1,500 entries, this is a compendium to the many elements of the mystery story, from its history, themes, and subgenres to its authors and characters. Organized in an A-to-Z format with exaustive cross-referencing, this is the ultimate companion for fans of mystery."

Detecting Women: A Reader's Guide and Checklist for Mystery Series Written by Women

Willetta L. Heising

1994

A second edition was published in 1996 followed by a third edition in 1999.

A guide to mystery series written by women.

Great Women Mystery Writers: Classic to Contemporary

Editor: Kathleen Gregory Klein

1994

"This dictionary evaluates 117 widely read historical and contemporary women mystery writers and over 1000 novels. From the sensationalist women mystery writers of the 19th century to the mid-1990s practitioners such as Margaret Maron, Karen Kijewski, and Sue Grafton, this work celebrates the contributions of women writers to mystery fiction, with an emphasis on contemporary writers. Signed interpretive and evaluative essays by 86 scholar-critics in the field are 4-5 pages in length and review the writer's work: the relationship among her novels, her place in the genre; recommendations of her best books; whether to read a series in order; and which novelists have similar settings, writing styles or reader appeal. A mystery bibliography and selected appendices conclude the volume."

The Crown Crime Companion: The Top 100 Mystery Novels Of All Time

Selected by: Mystery Writers Of America

Random House

1995

"For The Crown Crime Companion, the Mystery Writers of America have compiled a list of the best 100 mystery novels of all time, as well as a list of favorites in ten categories. Fully annotated and reviewed by Otto Penzler, this list of the top 100 mysteries will be a valuable resource to fans, introducing them to new novels and reminding them about books by favorite writers they may have missed. Each of the ten category lists is introduced by a master of that category. Also included is a list of all the Edgar Award-winning books since the inception of the award."

Mystery and Crime: the New York Public Library Book of Answers

Jay Pearsall

1995

"Part of The New York Public Library's popular question-and-answer reference series, Mystery and Crime provides hundreds of questions (and answers) on everything from Amateur Detectives to Sherlock Holmes to Private Eyes, Grifters, and Dames."

St. James Guide to Crime & Mystery Writers

4th edition

1996

Alphabetic guide to crime writers with brief biography and list of main works for each writers.

A Reader's Guide to the Spy and Thriller Novel

Nancy-Stephanie Stone

1997

"With synopses of 1,372 spy and thriller novels by more than 150 authors, this is simply the most valuable and comprehensive guide for all interested in this popular genre. From the early works of Ian Fleming, Somerset Maugham, and Graham Greene to todays best-sellers by John Le Carr and Tom Clancy, the author catalogs the series characters and creators, period and story locations, and film and television adaptations."

Detecting Men: A Reader's Guide and Checklist for Mystery Series Written by Men

Willetta L. Heising

1998

"You will find: Detectives, private eyes, assassins, avengers and spies; Historical mysteries from 56 BC to 22nd Century; Sports mysteries from auto racing to yachting; Correct series order for more than 4,500 titles; Over 800 detectives from more than 600 authors; Mysteries indexed by type, background and setting; Alphabetical and chronological lists of all titles; Winners and nominees for annual mystery awards."

The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing

Editor: Rosemary Herbert

1999

"The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing provides scholars and fans of this genre with an authoritative yet playful compendium of knowledge about a literature known for its highly entertaining treatment of deadly serious puzzles. Editor Rosemary Herbert has brought together 666 articles - written by such authorities as Edward D. Hoch, Sara Paretsky, and the late Julian Symons - that will accompany readers in their armchair investigations. Here can be found informative biographies of great mystery writers from Edgar Allan Poe to Rex Stout to Ruth Rendell. .... In the great tradition of Oxford Companions, this volume features extended essays on the development of this literature, its subgenres and schools of writing."

Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers: The Essential Guide to More Than 200 Pulp Pioneers and Mass-market Masters

Lee Server

2002

"From the early days of dime novels to contemporary mass-market paperbacks, pulp fiction is a vital part of popular culture. This volume offers a survey of the scores of well-known and unsung heroes of popular literature. It seeks to cover the entire spectrum of pop literature's greatest entertainers and artists; the multimillion-copy bestsellers; and the inventors of the modern genres, such as the western, the hardboiled detective novel, the spy thriller, science fiction, horror, the legal thriller, crime fiction and the erotic/romance novel. The work also profiles colourful but lesser-known underground figures, as well as a wide variety of talented paperback authors who were never given their due."

Reference Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction

Richard J. Bleiler

1999

The second edition in 2004 was called Reference and Research Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction.

"This new edition of Bleiler's popular and award-winning guide is a superb reference and research tool, as well as an invaluable aid to collection development. Evaluative reviews of approximately 1,000 reference works on mystery and detective fiction provide in-depth discussions of their contents, strengths, weaknesses, and usefulness, often comparing titles to similar or competing works. Encyclopedias, biographical dictionaries, genre guides, national bibliographies, media studies, general reader's guides, web sites, and organizations are just some of the information sources covered in this thorough source. All annotations from the previous edition have been reviewed, revised, and updated; and complete critical reviews of works published since the last edition have been added, including titles released in the present year (2003)."

The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopedia

Matthew Bunson

2000

"Join author Matthew Bunson in this entertaining and highly enjoyable tour of the vast world of mystery created by Christie, and discover. . . a comprehensive biography of Christie, including new theories on her strange disappearance in 1926; plot synopses that offer colorful capsules of the stories (without giving away the solutions!); A-to-Z entries on characters from vicars to butlers, police sergeants to maids, each cross-referenced to the story or novel; detailed listings of all films, television programs, radio shows, and documentaries of Christie and her works; up-to-date entries on the most recent releases of previously unpublished Christie writings; and sixty illustrations, including book covers, shots from movies, and stage productions. Whether you've read every title in the giant Christie canon, or are just discovering her writing, The Complete Christie reveals in delectable detail why the mystique, fascination, and brainteasing fun of the mysteries penned by the century's most successful writing remain forever undiminished."

The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction: The Authors, Their Works and Their Most Famous Creations

Editor: Mike Ashley

2002

"A reference and overview of the genre of crime fiction, primarily covering the 1950s onwards, although major earlier writers, such as Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, also have entries. .... The author A-to-Z covers 500 entries on the major writers in the crime fiction field, from Edward S. Aarons to Mark Zubro. Each entry gives a brief biographical background, highlight the key words, gives a brief bibliography and notes significant films/series adapted from their works. The four appendices at the end of the volume cover key characters, key books and magazines, key films and TV series and awards and award winners, including the Edgar Awards, the Dagger Awards, the Shamus Awards and other important awards."

The Cambridge Companion to Crime Fiction

Editor: Martin Priestman

2003

"The Cambridge Companion to Crime Fiction covers British and American crime fiction from the eighteenth century to the end of the twentieth. As well as discussing the detective fiction of writers like Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, it considers other kinds of fiction where crime plays a substantial part, such as the thriller and spy fiction. It also includes chapters on the treatment of crime in eighteenth-century literature, French and Victorian fiction, women and black detectives, crime on film and TV, police fiction and postmodernist uses of the detective form. The collection, by an international team of established specialists, offers students invaluable reference material including a chronology and guides to further reading."

British Mystery And Thriller Writers Since 1960

Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol 276

2003

Provides biographic and bibliographical information on most popular British authors of the period.

Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing

Rosemary Herbert

2003

"Here mystery expert Rosemary Herbert brings together enlightening and entertaining information on hundreds of classic and contemporary characters and authors. Some - such as P.D. James, Ian Rankin, Sherlock Holmes, and Kinsey Millhone - appear in individual entries. Still more keep company in articles about characters we admire, such as the Clerical Sleuth, and in pieces about those we love to hate, including the Femme Fatale and Con Artist. There is even an article on a figure that haunts so many great works of mystery - The Corpse. Drawing on the Edgar Award-nominated volume The Oxford Companion to Crime & Mystery Writing, Herbert has added 101 new entries on the hottest new names in works ranging from puzzling whodunits to chilling crime novels."

The Pocket Essential Agatha Christie

Mark Campbell

2005

Revised edition published by Oldcastle Books in 2015.

"The Pocket Essential Guide To Agatha Christie provides an informed introduction to the whole Christie phenomenon; a biography of Dame Agatha Christie; in-depth profiles of ten of her most popular characters together with an analyses of the stories in which they appeared; a look at her espionage thrillers and non-crime titles; a section on film, TV and stage adaptations; appendices that include an exhaustive bibliography and an overview of the best Agatha Christie websites around."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

Mystery Women: An Encyclopedia of Leading Women Characters in Mystery Fiction

Volume 1: 1860-1979 / Volume 2: 1980-1989 / Volume 3: 1990-1999

Colleen A. Barnett

Poisoned Pen

2006-2010?

(Unsure of publication dates. Some or all of these volumes were probably published at an early date in the 1980s/1990s.

"Many bibliographers focus on women who write. Lawyer Barnett looks at women who detect, at women as sleuths and at the evolving roles of women in professions and in society. Excellent for all women's studies programs as well as for the mystery hound."

The Cambridge Companion to American Crime Fiction

Editor: Catherine Ross Nickerson

2010

"From the execution sermons of the Colonial era to television programs like The Wire and The Sopranos, crime writing has played an important role in American culture. Its ability to register fear, desire and anxiety has made it a popular genre with a wide audience. These new essays, written for students as well as readers of crime fiction, demonstrate the very best in contemporary scholarship and challenge long-established notions of the development of the detective novel. Each chapter covers a sub-genre, from 'true crime' to hard-boiled novels, illustrating the ways in which 'popular' and 'high' literary genres influence and shape each other. With a chronology and guide to further reading, this Companion is a helpful guide for students of American literature and readers of crime fiction."

The Crime Fiction Handbook

Peter Messent

2012

"The Crime Fiction Handbook presents a comprehensive introduction to the origins, development, and cultural significance of the crime fiction genre, focusing mainly on American British, and Scandinavian texts. Provides an accessible and well–written introduction to the genre of crime fiction. Moves with ease between a general overview of the genre and useful theoretical approaches. Includes a close analysis of the key texts in the crime fiction tradition. Identifies what makes crime fiction of such cultural importance and illuminates the social and political anxieties at its heart. Shows the similarities and differences between British, American, and Scandinavian crime fiction traditions."

Historical Dictionary of British Spy Fiction

Alan Burton

2016

"The Historical Dictionary of British Spy Fiction is a detailed overview of the rich history and achievements of the British espionage story in literature, cinema and television. It provides detailed yet accessible information on numerous individual authors, novels, films, filmmakers, television dramas and significant themes within the broader field of the British spy story. It contains a wealth of facts, insights and perspectives, and represents the best single source for the study and appreciation of British spy fiction. British spy fiction is widely regarded as the most significant and accomplished in the world and this book is the first attempt to bring together an informed survey of the achievements in the British spy story in literature, cinema and television."

100 Greatest Literary Detectives

Editor: Eric Sandberg

2018

"100 Greatest Literary Detectives offers a selection of the most influential, important, and intriguing fictional sleuths--amateur or professional--from around the world. From Sherlock Holmes to Harry Hole, Kinsey Millhone to Kiyoshi Mitarai, the detectives profiled here give readers a broader picture of one of fiction's most popular genres. Each entry summarizes the distinctive features of notable investigators and their approaches to crime, provides a brief outline of major features of their fictional careers, and makes a case for their importance based on literary-historical impact, novelty, uniqueness, aesthetic quality, or cultural resonance. The characters profiled here include Lew Archer, Martin Beck, Father Brown, Brother Cadfael, Adam Dalgliesh, Mike Hammer, Miss Jane Marple, Hercule Poirot, Ellery Queen, Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, Kay Scarpetta, Sam Spade, Phillip Trent, V. I. Warshawski, Lord Peter Wimsey, Nero Wolfe, and many others. Readers will find some of their favorite detectives here, learn more about their literary and cultural significance, and discover other great sleuths."