A to Y: Collecting Sue Grafton

Other Sue Grafton Editions

Guest article by Chuck Vukotich

Unique Copies

Putnam Publishing presented Sue Grafton with a complete set of her books bound in leather, and stamped with her initials on the cover. These were from A to Y, along with the trade edition of Kinsey and Me. All have a bookplate pasted in “From the Library of / SUE GRAFTON”. These are unique copies. The four listed below are the only ones that have come to market. These were sold to Allen Hyam who purchased a substantial portion of her holdings. Verification exists from Steven Humphrey, Sue Grafton’s husband, that they are genuine and he has the remainder of the books.

• V is for Vengeance, New York: Putnam, 2011, First edition, first printing.  Orange Leather.
• W is for Wasted, New York: Putnam, 2013, First edition, first printing. Burnt Orange leather.
• X, New York: Putnam, 2015, First edition, first printing. Red leather.
• Kinsey and Me, New York:  Putnam, 2013. First edition, first printing. Grey leather.

Multi-Volume Collections

Wings Books (New York) published compilations of Sue Grafton’s works.  These are fairly common, but finding the first edition, first printing is challenging, as these are considered reading copies, not collectable, by many dealers.  The series appears to have ended at 5.

1. Three Complete Novels, New York: Wings Books, 1999, Contains A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse. 
2. Three Complete Novels, New York: Wings Books, 2002, Contains D is for Deadbeat, E is for Evidence, F is for Fugitive. 
3. Three Complete Novels, New York: Wings Books, 2002.  Contains G is for Gumshoe, H is for Homicide, I is for Innocent. 
4. Three Complete Novels, New York: Wings Books, 2007. Contains J is for Judgment, K is for Killer, L is for Lawless.  
5. Three Complete Novels, New York: Wings Books, 2008. Contains M is for Malice, N is for Noose, O is for Outlaw.  

Books Edited/Introduced by Sue

• Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America. 1992. Edited by Sue Grafton. First edition, Writer’s Digest Books.
• Telling Lies for Fun & Profit.1994. Lawrence Block, William Morrow and Company (Quill edition), New York. The original hardbound edition of this was published in 1981 by Arbor House. This edition added a new, original introduction by Sue Grafton.
• The Best American Mystery Stories. 1998. Edited by Sue Grafton; Otto Penzler (Series Ed).
• Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America. 2002. Edited by Sue Grafton, with Jan Burke & Barry Zeman. Second (revised) edition, Writer’s Digest Books, 2002.
• A New Omnibus Of Crime. 2005. Tony Hillerman, Rosemary Herbert, eds. Sue Grafton and Jeffery Deaver, contributing editors, Oxford University Press. Contains A Poison that leaves no trace by Grafton, originally published in Sisters in Crime 2.

Large Print Editions

In 1991, G. K. Hall & Company created a large print edition of the ‘Alphabet’ series of Kinsey Millhone mysteries. These are all softcover. These were from A to G, which had all been published at this time. Additional volumes were published as new works were available, all the way to “Y.”  Starting with H, these were published by the Thorndike Large Print Press, which succeeded G. K. Hall. These can all be considered one series. 

Screenplays

After publishing her first two books, which were not great successes, Sue Grafton wrote for film and television, especially TV movies.  She had success professionally and personally as she met, worked with and married Stephen Humphrey (1978).  She wrote a few TV episodes (notably for Rhoda and Seven Brides for Seven brothers), and had a number of technical roles, which includes the creation of shows for production.  She did a lot of work with her husband.

Since the focus of this effort is Sue Grafton’s writing, screenplays which she wrote/co-wrote are listed here.  Scripts are typically on 8 ½ x 11 paper, and can be found in various drafts down to the final shooting version.  They often have colored paper inserted where pages have been replaced.

• 1973 Lolly-Madonna XXX (screenplay) is a 1973 film directed by Richard C. Sarafian (MGM). The film was co-written by Rodney Carr-Smith and Sue Grafton, based on the 1969 novel The Lolly-Madonna War.
• 1979 Sex and the Single Parent (TV Movie). Original 114 page shooting script with pale green rewrite pages.,  Time-Life Films (Studio City, Time-Life Films: 1979). Brad-bound in printed production company wrappers. Directed by actor turned director Jackie Cooper, and included Mike Farrell, Susan St. James, Timothy Gibbs, Julie Sommars, Frank Bonner, et al, in the cast. Sue Grafton took Jane Adams’s non-fiction book, used the title and created a fictional comedy drama of two couples. Grafton’s text has never been published. 
• 1979 Walking Through the Fire (TV Movie) is a 1979 CBS network television drama movie which aired on May 15, 1979.
• 1980 Mark, I Love You (TV Movie) (teleplay). Written by Sue Grafton based on the 1967 book by Hal W. Painter. Directed by Gunnar Hellstrom, starring Kevin Dobson, James Whitmore, Cassie Yates. Los Angeles: The Aubrey Company, 1980. Originally aired December 10, 1980 on CBS. 
• 1980 Nurse (TV Movie) April 9, 1980, was a pilot for a TV series which was shown as a TV movie on CBS.Teleplay by Sue Grafton based on a Peggy Anderson novel.
• 1983 A Caribbean Mystery (TV Movie) (teleplay by). Based on Agatha Christies novel A Caribbean Mystery. Script written by Sue Grafton and Steve Humphrey, Warner Brother Television Burbank CA, 1982. First broadcast October 22, 1983 on CBS, starring Helen Hayes as Miss Jane Marple, Barnard Hughes as Mr Rafiel, Jameson Parker as Tim Kendall, Season Hubley as Molly Kendall, Swoosie Kurtz as Ruth Walter, Cassie Yates as Lucky Dyson, Stephen Macht as Greg Dyson, Zakes Mokae as Captain Daventry, Beth Howland as Evelyn Hillingdon, Maurice Evans as Major Geoffrey Palgrave, Lynne Moody as Victoria Johnson, George Innes as Edward Hillingdon, Brock Peters as Dr Graham.
• 1983 A Killer in the Family (TV Movie) (teleplay) is a 1983 American made-for-television crime film directed by Richard T. Heffron. The film is based on the Tison v. Arizona case, which took place in Arizona in 1978. The film first aired on ABC on October 30, 1983. Written by Grafton, Robert Aller and Steven Humphrey.
• 1983 Sparkling Cyanide (TV Movie) (teleplay). Based on Agatha Christie’s novel Sparkling Cyanide, written by Robert Malcolm Young and Sue Grafton and Steve Humphrey, Warner Brothers Television Burbank CA. This was first televised November 12, 1983, directed by Robert Michael Lewis, set in modern day California and starring Anthony Andrews as the central character, Tony Browne, with Deborah Raffin as Iris Murdoch, Pamela Bellwood as Ruth Lessing, Josef Sommer as George Barton, David Huffman and June Chadwick as Stephen and Sandra Farraday, Nancy Marchand as Lucilla Drake, and Christine Belford as Rosemary Barton.
• 1985 Love on the Run (TV Movie).Written by Sue Grafton and Steve Humphrey, NBC Television. First broadcast October 21, 1985 on NBC.  A criminal lawyer (Stephanie Zimbalist) goes on the run with her new lover (Alec Baldwin), a convict she had as a client and whom she helped escape from prison.  
• 1986 The Canterville Ghost (TV Movie) is a 1986 American-British made-for-television syndicated comedy fantasy horror film based on the 1887 short story “The Canterville Ghost” by Oscar Wilde, directed by Paul Bogart. It was shot at Eastnor Castle in England and stars John Gielgud, Ted Wass, Andrea Marcovicci and Alyssa Milano. Written by George Zalessio and Sue Grafton.
• 1987 Tonight’s the Night (TV Movie) is a 1987 film produced by IndieProd, Phoenix Entertainment Group (PEG). Written by Sue Grafton and Steven Humphrey.

Kinsey & Me: Original Sources 

The Kinsey Millhone short stories appearing in Kinsey & Me were all published elsewhere first.  The following identifies the original sources and their first appearance in print. The limited editions contained nine stories, and the trade edition included two additional stories (The Lying Game and An Eye for an I).  Some of these stories were also published in other anthologies. In looking for these volumes, some may exist in ARC format.

1. Maple Hill originally published in California Review #3, Capricorn Press Santa Barbara, Number 3 (1970) edited by William Richardson, Orange paper wraps, edition of 500. 6 1/2 x 5 1/4, 40 pp. California Review was a magazine which featured literary material only from CA. This book solicits manuscripts, indicating that it would pay $2 per printed page. This suggests that Sue Grafton was paid $10 for her 5 page short story.
2. Between the Sheets originally published in REDBOOK, October, 1986, as “Murder Between the Sheets.”  
3. Long Gone originally published in REDBOOK, April, 1986, as “She Didn’t Come Home.” 
4. The Parker Shotgun originally published in Mean Streets: The Second Private Eye Writers Of America Anthology, edited by Robert J. Randisi, The Mysterious Press (New York), 1986. Limited first edition of 250. A later trade edition was also issued.
5. Non Sung Smoke originally published in An Eye For Justice: The Third Private Eye Writers of America Anthology, edited by Robert J. Randisi, The Mysterious Press (New York), 1988. Limited first edition of 250. A later trade edition was also issued.
6. Falling Off the Roof, originally published in Sisters in Crime, edited by Marilyn Wallace, Berkley Pub Group (New York), 1989. This original edition is paperback.
7. A Poison That Leaves No Trace originally published in Sisters in Crime 2, edited by Marilyn Wallace, Berkley Pub Group (New York), 1990. This original edition is paperback.  
8. Full Circle originally published in A Woman’s Eye: 21 New Stories Featuring the Finest Female Sleuths By the Best Women Crime Writers Ever, edited by Sara Paretsky, Delacorte Press (New York), 1991.
9. A Little Missionary Work originally published in Deadly Allies, edited by Robert Randisi & Marilynn Wallace, Doubleday, New York, 1992 (Perfect Crime).
10. An Eye for an I originally published in The Crown Crime Companion edited by Otto Penzler, New York, Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1995.
11. The Lying Game first published in the Land’s End 40th Anniversary Catalog (September, 2003).  

Essays, Anthologies and Graftiana

1. The Parker Shotgun appears in Lady On The Case, Marcia Muller, Bill Pronzini and Martin Greenberg, editors. Grammercy, New York 1988. The story first appeared in Mean Streets.  
2. The Parker Shotgun appears in City Sleuths and Tough Guys. David Willis, ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989. The story first appeared in Mean Streets.  
3. Non Sung Smoke appears in Under the Gun, 1990, edited by Edward Gorman, Robert Randisi and Martin Greenberg, New American Library New York. This volume was compiled by Mystery Scene Magazine, founded in 1985, was published four times per year in a full-color glossy magazine format, usually between 68 and 76 pages long. It suspended print publication with the 2022 Winter Issue #174, and continues on-line today. This is the first of a series of 5 anthologies ending 1994), which contain “the best suspense and mystery”.  
4. She Didn’t Come Home appears in P. I. Files edited by Martin H Greenberg and Loren D. Estleman, Ivy Books/ Ballantine, New York, 1990. First Edition (stated) mass market paperback, no hardback edition. This is the story’s first appearance in book form. 
5. A Poison That Leaves No Trace appears in The Year’s Best Mystery and Suspense Stories 1991, 1991, edited by Edward D. Hoch, Walker, NY, 1991. Stories by: Sue Grafton, Lynne Barrett, Lawrence Block, Stanley Cohen, Ed Gorman, oyce Harrington, Edward D .Hoch, Clark Howard, Bill Pronzini, Ruth Rendell, Julian Symons, Donald Westlake, and Carolyn Wheat. 
6. A Poison That Leaves No Trace appears in The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, New York, Carroll & Graff, 1992. Story originally published in Sisters in Crime 2.  
7. A Little Missionary Work appears in 2nd Culprit: An Annual of Crime Stories, Liza Cody and Michael Z. Lewin, editors., New York: St Martin’s, 1994. Story first appeared in Deadly Allies, 1993.
8. Full Circle appears in Female Sleuths, Sara Paretsky, ed. Mind’s Eye, Novato CA 1993. Audiotape.
9. The Parker Shotgun appears in The New Mystery: The International Association of Crime Writers’ Essential Crime Writing of the Late 20th Century, 1994. Edited by Jerome Charyn, Dutton (Penguin), New York. 
10. The Parker Shotgun appears in The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories, Hillerman, Tony and Rosemary Herbert, Eds. New York Oxford University Press, 1996.  A collection of 33 short detective stories that show the evolution of crime fiction in the US. The story first appeared in Mean Streets.  
11. Long Gone appears in First Cases: First Appearances of Classic Private Eyes, 1996, edited by Robert Randisi, Dutton (Penguin), New York. Contributions by Sue Grafton, Linda Barnes, Lawrence Block, Sara Paretsky, and more.  
12. Long Gone appears in The Orion Book of Murder: 100 of the World’s Greatest Crime Stories, 1996, edited by Peter Haining, Orion Publishing Co, London. Paperback only, no hardback issued.  
13. “G” is for Grafton, The World of Kinsey Millhone, Natalie Hevener Kaufman & Carol McHinnis Kay, New York: Henry Holt, 1997.
14. Full Circle appears in Crime Story Collection, 1998, stories retold by John & Celia Turvey, edited by Andy Hopkins & Joselyn Potter, Longman Fiction, London.  This is part of a series where fiction is simplified for lower reading levels (a level 4 reader). A later edition was published by Penguin in the US.  
15. Full Circle appears in Crime Story Collection, Sara Paretsky, ed. Penguin reader, New York, 2000.
16. The Parker Shotgun appears in The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century, 2000 edited by Tony Hillerman, Houghton Mifflin, New York.  
17. A Poison That Leaves No Trace, short story and mystery jigsaw puzzle. University Games Corporation, San Francisco, 2002. Short story in pamphlet form (4 1/4’” x 8 ½”) with illustrated cover. First edition as separate story.  First edition of puzzle. Story originally published in Sisters in Crime 2. 
18. A Poison That Leaves No Trace appears in A New Omnibus Of Crime, Tony Hillerman, Rosemary Herbert, eds. Sue Grafton and Jeffery Deaver, contributing editors, Oxford University Press, 2005. Story originally published in Sisters in Crime 2.  
19. How I became an Edgar Allan Poe Convert, an original essay, appears in In the Shadow of the Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe, Michael Connelly ed New York, William Morrow 2009. Classic Poe tales and original essays by 20 authors presented by the Mystery Writers of America.  
20. The Lying Game. Norfolk VA, Crippen & Landru, 2011. First Separate Edition. Softcover. 650 copies printed. 5pp. plus 1pp ads. White printed wraps. Published to honor Sue Grafton, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Malice Domestic XXIII, April 29-May 1, 2011. This was given to attendees. This Kinsey Millhone short story first appeared in the September 2003 special 40th anniversary Lands’ End catalogue. It is also included in Kinsey and Me.
21. Teaching a Child to Knit. Original essay in the anthology Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting, Ann Hood (editor), New York, W. W. Norton & Company 2013. 
22. Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea, Verena Rose & Rita Owen (eds), New York, Wildlife Press, 2013.  Print on demand edition only. Paperback. This is the history of Malice Domestic, an annual event honoring the traditional mystery.  Sue Grafton was the 2011 winner of a lifetime achievement award, and an interview with her appears in this volume. 
23. If You Want Something Done Right first appears in Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction’s Top Authors, Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini (eds), Hanover Square Press, Toronto, 2020. This is an original, unpublished story found among Sue Grafton’s paper by her husband (Stephen Humphrey) after her death. 
24. If You Want Something Done Right appears in The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021, 2021, edited by Lee Child, The Mysterious Press, New York. This is a new find among Sue Grafton’s papers by her husband after her death and originally published in Deadly Anniversaries.

Sisters in Crime Series

Sue Grafton was a member of Sisters in Crime, a crime writing association of women crime writers, focused on equity and inclusion in publishing. Founded in 1986 to represent and advocate for women crime writers, they celebrate and honor their history. They published a set of five anthologies from 1989 to 1992, and two ‘Best of’ volumes. The anthologies included original short stories from women crime authors. The included ‘Best of’ series reproduced works from the first five volumes.  

The series was first published in paperback. A book club edition was published in hardback, the first and only edition in hardback. The books below contain stories by Sue Grafton, including the first appearance in #1 and #2, below.

1. Sisters in Crime, Marilyn Wallace, editor. New York:  Berkley Pub Group, 1989. This volume contains the first appearance of Falling Off the Roof.  
2. Sisters in Crime 2, Marilyn Wallace, editor. New York:  Berkley Pub Group, 1990. This volume contains the first appearance of A Poison That Leaves No Trace.
3. Sisters in Crime 4, Marilyn Wallace, editor.  New York:  Benkley Pub Group, 1990. This volume contains Long Gone by Sue Grafton which originally appeared in REDBOOK.  
4. The Best of Sisters in Crime, Marilyn Wallace, ed. Berkley Prime Crime, 1997. Contains A Poison that Leaves No Trace by Sue Grafton.