Author Highlights

There are several authors who deserve a mention, some more prolific than others, to give an idea of the breadth of subjects covered in the collection. The Library has published three other books by the aforementioned J Jefferson Farjeon (1883-1955) Thirteen Guests, The Z Murders and Seven Dead. A descendant (although London born) of Thomas Jefferson, Farjeon came from a literary family, including Eleanor Farjeon, a children’s author who readers may remember from their childhood.

Perhaps the most well known author to readers of the genre is Edith Caroline Rivett (1894-1958), better known as ECR Lorac or Carol Carnac. Another member of the Detection Club, and as her pseudonyms suggest, Carol Rivett was fond of literary allusions and word play, with two of her titles being These Names Make Clues and Death of an Author. Most of the ECR Lorac novels feature her detective Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald, a dour London Scot. She set several books in her home county of Lancashire, including Crook O’Lune, and Fell Murder, although many are London based, set in foggy evenings during the wartime blackout. Checkmate to Murder is a good example, where a group of people are gathered in an artist’s studio to sit out the blitz. Unexpected noises are common so the sound of a shot does not raise an alarm. Foggy wartime London appears quite frequently in Golden Age mysteries! The British Library, at last count, has released 12 titles under the ECL Lorac name and two under Carol Carnac.

Also well known in her time was the Welsh author Ethel Lina White (1876-1944). Her novel The Wheel Spins became better known as the film The Lady Vanishes, produced by Alfred Hitchcock. A “closed circle” mystery, the story takes place on a moving train with a seemingly impossible crime. The British Library also publishes Fear Stalks the Village by White.

John Bude (1901-1957) was the pen name of Ernest Elmore, an English theatre director and producer. The Library has published eight of his mystery titles, several of which are based around English counties or landmarks. Who could resist titles such as The Lake District Murder, The Cornish Coast Murder or The Sussex Downs Murder? Some of his other titles include Death in White Pyjamas and A Telegram from Le Touquet.

Christianna Brand (1907-1988) (real name Mary Lewis), had a varied career including as a model, dancer and governess. The latter occupation may have inspired her children’s series about Nurse Matilda, adapted for the screen as Nanny McPhee. Her most well known crime novel is Green for Danger set in a hospital during WWII. Inspector Cockrill is the detective who always finds himself at the scene of a crime, and that ubiquitous foggy weather often makes an appearance too. London Particular (such a delicious name for a pea soup fog!) makes good use of this feature, where the fog obscures the alibis of the seven suspects. Other Brand titles published by the British Library include Tour de Force, Suddenly at his Residence and Death of a Jezebel.

John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) was an American writer who lived for some years in England, also publishing under the pseudonyms Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn. He wrote within the Golden Age tradition with mainly English settings. Although his various series included at least four detectives, those published by the British Library include Dr Gideon Fell and Inspector Henri Bencolin. The Bencolin novels are among his earliest (around 1931-32) and include It walks by Night (a locked room mystery set in Paris), Castle Skull (another locked room in a Schloss on the Rhine), Corpse in the Waxworks and The Lost Gallows. Carr was considered a master of the “locked room” mystery. His most famous detective Dr Gideon Fell features in He who Whispers, Till Death us do Part, The Seat of the Scornful and The Black Spectacles. Many of Carr’s books formed the basis for film, television and radio plays.

Two other writers worth mentioning are Julian Symons (1912-1994) and Bernard Farmer (1902-1964). Julian Symons was a President of the Detection Club and also wrote biography and literary criticism. Crime Classics publications include The Belting Inheritance and The Progress of a Crime. Bernard Farmer’s novel Death of a Bookseller was aptly chosen by the British Library as its 100th Crime Classic publication. It is a fascinating insight into the world of rare book collecting and bibliophilia generally. Farmer himself was a book collector and had an intimate knowledge of book lore.

Although not all titles are available, the British Library shop does have many in stock, and a quick view option where clicking on the image of a particular book gives a brief synopsis. In addition to selling the titles individually, the books are also available as a monthly-ish subscription directly from the Library.  With such attractive editions, it is easy to judge a book by its cover, so it is worth having a quick look at the content first.

Happy detecting!