tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post7457378963525091034..comments2024-03-18T11:01:42.459-05:00Comments on Pretty Sinister Books: IMPRESSIVE IMPRINTS: The Mystery League, 1930-1933J F Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-11581982376637147842024-03-02T17:55:00.678-06:002024-03-02T17:55:00.678-06:00Love this column! I collect all of the golden age ...Love this column! I collect all of the golden age of mystery books, but I prefer Crime Club in general. I learned a lot from your article. Thank you for sharing it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-55761787946033454642020-04-20T16:21:51.647-05:002020-04-20T16:21:51.647-05:00Because I like the books by Guy Boothby, I'm a...Because I like the books by Guy Boothby, I'm a scholar of Victorian sensation fiction, and he's the perfect avatar for a blog called Pretty Sinister Books. A huge gold star for recognizing the illustration. Most people haven't a clue what the illustration signifies.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-22191369925013310172020-04-20T16:02:22.464-05:002020-04-20T16:02:22.464-05:00I have a small but attractive collection of Myster...I have a small but attractive collection of Mystery League books, but I am writing to ask you what made you choose the portrait of Dr. Nikola as your icon?steven leventhalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-5097288976858584352017-07-30T10:58:25.264-05:002017-07-30T10:58:25.264-05:00The solution to Baffle #2 (The Crime at Laurel Lod...The solution to Baffle #2 (The Crime at Laurel Lodge, which appears in Murder in the French Room) never appeared so we are at a loss for the solution. Nor did the solution to Baffle #3 (The Alexander Mystery) which appeared in Bungalow on the Roof.Rick Millshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06436559679871224754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-52549503190949378252017-04-27T19:04:40.340-05:002017-04-27T19:04:40.340-05:00I know "The Bungalow on the Roof" had th...I know "The Bungalow on the Roof" had the solution to the first Baffle Mystery ("The McCumber Murder"), but which book had the solution to the second Baffle Mystery? Was it Two and Two Make Twenty Two?EOCostellohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08068413130915640819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-26637749754083345452017-03-06T12:41:57.245-06:002017-03-06T12:41:57.245-06:00Thanks, Rick, for stopping by and for your anecdot...Thanks, Rick, for stopping by and for your anecdote.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-2677184210063033592017-03-06T09:17:50.513-06:002017-03-06T09:17:50.513-06:00Thank you for this post. I have managed to collect...Thank you for this post. I have managed to collect all 30 titles, some in rough shape but readable, and have now read most of them. On a recent trip to NYC, just for fun, I went to their published address of 11 West 42nd St to take a look. It is directly across 42nd St from the NY Public Library. The building still exists, a magnificent ornate art deco office building, lobby open to the public. A beautiful space. The original mail boxes are still in the lobby, where all those contest entries wound up! Worth a peek if you are in NYC sometime. Rick M, Maine.<br />Rick Millshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06436559679871224754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-24733592736634813382016-06-02T15:57:31.581-05:002016-06-02T15:57:31.581-05:00Love this post, John. Love seeing the fabulous art...Love this post, John. Love seeing the fabulous artwork/design. You always manage to find something intriguing, something which shows your love of books from the past. How I wish I'd begun collecting when I was young - think of all the great stuff I'd have by now. :) But, who knew?Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-4283824814818547222016-06-02T04:50:05.584-05:002016-06-02T04:50:05.584-05:00A fine piece on "The Mystery League" imp...A fine piece on "The Mystery League" imprints — thanks, John. I liked the cover designs and illustrations, particularly the Edgar Wallace cover.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-58031246189301309042016-06-01T17:42:47.164-05:002016-06-01T17:42:47.164-05:00What a fine posting and tribute. You lead me to th...What a fine posting and tribute. You lead me to think again(as I often do): I was probably born half a century too late, especially as I so much prefer the style of mysteries from the era you've spotlighted. Thanks for the seductive posting. All the best from the U.S. Gulf coast and Past Perfect Murders,<br />Tim<br /> http://pastperfectmurders.blogspot.com/<br />RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-34689650180936587432016-06-01T11:58:37.548-05:002016-06-01T11:58:37.548-05:00My " vintage mystery" portion is almost ...My " vintage mystery" portion is almost non-existent, unfortunately, unless you count old SF and mystery paperbacks.Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-65929041990077692932016-05-31T02:28:29.454-05:002016-05-31T02:28:29.454-05:00That is a very distinctive looking line of books J...That is a very distinctive looking line of books John - thanks for this, utterly fascinated as I have so few first editions (usually just happy to read the text) but am really loving this :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-19873243103279676492016-05-30T12:11:02.633-05:002016-05-30T12:11:02.633-05:00I'm surprised you've not seen any of these...I'm surprised you've not seen any of these. Is the vintage mystery portion of your collection mostly paperbacks? That might explain it. These books used to pop up all over the place in used bookstores between the 1970s and 1990s. You can still get them without the DJ at library book sales and other fundraising book sales for under $5 a piece.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-89531501117374114352016-05-30T12:08:04.186-05:002016-05-30T12:08:04.186-05:00Believe me, Pietro you're better off not knowi...Believe me, Pietro you're better off not knowing anything about Corbett or Horler, two writers best forgotten. Many of the Mystery League writers were bottom of the barrel as far as mystery writing and plotting goes. I read Horler's <i>The Curse of Doone</i> and it's ridiculous even for 1931. The dialogue, especially, is laughably horrible. Also, I've also read three Corbett books (one was a sci-fi novel about a man from Mars trying to conquer Earth) and each one was pretty damn bad. I doubt anything Horler or Corbett wrote would be worth translating into Italian. Some of their writing, IMO, is untranslatable. You'd have to rewrite the books to have them make any sense in another language.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-86875209879891795012016-05-30T11:18:11.906-05:002016-05-30T11:18:11.906-05:00Another fascinating post on a mystery imprint. I&#...Another fascinating post on a mystery imprint. I'm happy to see these posts, John. I really like the artwork and typeface used on these. Sounds like their gimmick - low price - put them out of business.Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-80796390211783872412016-05-29T16:52:49.671-05:002016-05-29T16:52:49.671-05:00Some among these book I own (into italian editions...Some among these book I own (into italian editions): Gillmore, Bristow & Manning, Beeding; but Horler, Corbett i don't know. Who are they? This demonstrates one thing: the Mystery Literature is very extended. Someone italian should read these surnames to understand the error, i.e. the important writers in Italy have been published. It's not true. Probably some among those you quote will not be important, but surely someone will be it. Pietro De Palmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06051060020493340331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-49531384081364034272016-05-29T15:10:25.034-05:002016-05-29T15:10:25.034-05:00Wow, that is some fantastic design work.Wow, that is some fantastic design work.Kelly Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01752857506190488860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-17443220746141265372016-05-29T14:24:27.867-05:002016-05-29T14:24:27.867-05:00This is the only imprint for which I own all of th...This is the only imprint for which I own all of the books, but less than half of those have DJs. Between 1999 and around 2005 these books were extremely cheap with or without DJ. Now some of them with DJ are so scarce, like TWO AND TWO MAKE TWENTY-TWO, that they sell for between $200 and $500. J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-15492300032485170522016-05-29T12:40:39.058-05:002016-05-29T12:40:39.058-05:00These books lovely, sadly I don't have the mon...These books lovely, sadly I don't have the money or room to collect.<br /><br />Interesting to see Edgar Wallace used for the 1st as he famously started his career with a prize with the Four just men.<br /><br />WayneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com