45 review for A Catalogue of Crime: Being a Reader's Guide to the Literature of Mystery, Detection, and Related Genres

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Larry – Sep 13, 2009

   This book is incomplete (Taylor died in his late 70s and Barzun is pushing 100, after all), but it is the greatest guide to crime writing (real and imagined) ever written. Taylor and Barzun share a rigorous standard, but apply it fairly. Ratiocination is the high standard they apply (see intro).

2. 

   4 out of 5

   Jack Heath – Jul 29, 2018

   3 Stars. It's tough to review this book in the age of the Internet and Goodreads. Does it add value for someone researching the literature of mystery stories? A qualified "Yes." That's not a shout-out-loud response though. What does add value? The authors have distinguished backgrounds in the field. The 1989 edition contains over 5,000 numbered entries reviewing novels and short stories, biographies of authors, true crime and a special section on Sherlock Holmes. Just the numerous references to 3 Stars. It's tough to review this book in the age of the Internet and Goodreads. Does it add value for someone researching the literature of mystery stories? A qualified "Yes." That's not a shout-out-loud response though. What does add value? The authors have distinguished backgrounds in the field. The 1989 edition contains over 5,000 numbered entries reviewing novels and short stories, biographies of authors, true crime and a special section on Sherlock Holmes. Just the numerous references to best-of-the-best lists are worth the price of a used copy. On the other side, it's not old but does seem dated! Today's online ability to search titles, authors, leading characters, almost anything beyond the word "the", makes a 75-page printed index superfluous. The full works of most authors are not included in "A Catalogue …" because of length limitations with the printed word. Not the same online. Yet it does hint at how Goodreads could be improved with better reference work, categorization, and reader choice. Even today, there's still much to learn here. As I put together my "Basic Mystery and Thriller Compilation," this book was helpful. (July 2018)

3. 

   4 out of 5

   Valerie – Jun 15, 2011

   Jacques Barzun includes an informative introduction to this catalogue of crime books spanning over two centuries, up until 1988. I am enjoying finding interesting books from vintage authors completely new to me.

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Diane – Feb 21, 2015

   An important thing to note is that this is a catalog of books with very short reviews (some only one sentence). The authors are rather opinionated, so be warned! They either love an author or have them. There does not seem to be any middle ground. Also, they have a taste for obscure authors I've never even heard of. For example, Glyn Carr (pseudonym of Frank Showell Styles), gets 12 entries, all positive, under his name. However, Eric Ambler, (author of The Mask of Dimitrios, Journey Into Fear, An important thing to note is that this is a catalog of books with very short reviews (some only one sentence). The authors are rather opinionated, so be warned! They either love an author or have them. There does not seem to be any middle ground. Also, they have a taste for obscure authors I've never even heard of. For example, Glyn Carr (pseudonym of Frank Showell Styles), gets 12 entries, all positive, under his name. However, Eric Ambler, (author of The Mask of Dimitrios, Journey Into Fear, etc.), gets two dismissive reviews and a short list of books. This happens quite a bit throughout the book, though they like Rex Stout and Agatha Christie. This is a good book to thumb through if you're looking for Golden Age authors, or trying to get some information on the author of some books you just bought online. This book was revised in 1989, but I have not seen that edition. It is over 100 pages longer than the first edition, which I own.

5. 

   4 out of 5

   Cheryl Medley –

6. 

   5 out of 5

   Sue –

7. 

   4 out of 5

   Kathy –

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Robert S –

9. 

   4 out of 5

   Janice –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Erik –

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Brad Yeutter –

12. 

    4 out of 5

    Jeffery W. Hunt –

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Vicki –

14. 

    4 out of 5

    Stevegws –

15. 

    5 out of 5

    Luke –

16. 

    5 out of 5

    Lychee –

17. 

    4 out of 5

    Trent Ingram –

18. 

    4 out of 5

    Robert –

19. 

    4 out of 5

    Myles –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Cassio Queiros –

21. 

    4 out of 5

    Christophe Van –

22. 

    4 out of 5

    Greg Cripe –

23. 

    4 out of 5

    Michael Herlihy –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    Ken Hull –

25. 

    4 out of 5

    Robert –

26. 

    5 out of 5

    David Anderson –

27. 

    4 out of 5

    No-john-rays –

28. 

    4 out of 5

    Gregory –

29. 

    5 out of 5

    Stan –

30. 

    4 out of 5

    Gail –

31. 

    4 out of 5

    Julie –

32. 

    4 out of 5

    Karen –

33. 

    4 out of 5

    Alvin Sloan –

34. 

    4 out of 5

    Tia –

35. 

    5 out of 5

    Benjamin –

36. 

    4 out of 5

    Marfy –

37. 

    5 out of 5

    Diana Duncan –

38. 

    4 out of 5

    Wikimedia Italia –

39. 

    4 out of 5

    Matthew –

40. 

    5 out of 5

    Robert –

41. 

    4 out of 5

    Sean –

42. 

    5 out of 5

    Cristina –

43. 

    4 out of 5

    Damon Damore –

44. 

    4 out of 5

    Todd –

45. 

    5 out of 5

    Leo –