Today sees publication of my latest anthology, Guilty Creatures: A Menagerie of Mysteries. This book is another in the British Library Crime Classics series - apparently number 91! I may have lost count, but I think it's the seventeenth anthology I've edited in the series (and the next, Murder by the Book, is coming along later this year).
When I first proposed that one or two short story collections should be included in the series, I really never anticipated that I'd be asked to put together so many over the course of the last six years. And they've sold really well. There could be no better demonstration of the appeal of that under-estimated literary form, the short story.
I haven't yet received my own copy of the book, but I'm pleased with the range of stories it includes, and I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank my pals Nigel Moss, Jamie Sturgeon, and John Cooper, for making excellent suggestions about stories that might be worthy of inclusion.
And the authors? A wide range, from Conan Doyle and Fryn Tennyson Jesse to Christianna Brand (a particularly clever whodunit in the classic vein) and Penelope Wallace. Whether you're an animal lover or not, I hope you'll find some appealing stories in this collection.
Congratulations on the new anthology, Martin! Your collections for British Library Crime Classics are always varied and delightful. This is a great theme. I haven't seen the contents, so don't know if it is included, but there is a Daphne du Maurier short story connecting a riverside family, animals, and murder that resonated greatly when I read it in my teens. I don't recall the name -- it was certainly not "The Birds" but a distinct other tale -- and the anthology's cover fits nicely with it! All best wishes, and thanks from the GAD community for all of your efforts -- JH
ReplyDeleteMartin - thanks for bringing together another collection of short GAD works. After reading your blog yesterday, I found this one in my local bookshop. I look forward to reading Christianna Brand's, The Hornet's Nest, as well as other works you have selected.
ReplyDeleteJason, thanks. I don't know that du Maurier story, I'm afraid, but it sounds truly fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Scott. Yes, that story shows Brand at her best.
ReplyDelete