Mystery Scene

crippen_landru

(Last updated May 2011)

Founded in 1994, the critically lauded Crippen & Landru specializes in single author short story collections, both by current masters and by great authors of the past. Publisher Doug Greene does the editorial work at Crippen & Landru. He is the author of the Edgar–nominated biography, John Dickson Carr: The Man Who Explained Miracles, and the editor of several anthologies of short stories himself. Greene was kind enough to explain the series of chapbooks that Crippen & Landru has issued over the years and share a complete list of these fan and collector favorites.

All "subscribers" to C&L who place standing orders on all of the publisher's releases receive an annual Holiday Chapbook and an annual Malice Domestic Chapbook as gifts. Additionally, attendees at each year's Malice Domestic Convention also receive both pamphlets. Crippen & Landru never sell these chapbooks, although they are prized by collectors with several becoming increasingly pricey.

Group 1: Crippen & Landru's Holiday Chapbooks

Greene: The holiday chapbooks—all first publications—are given to subscribers and dealers as thanks for their support. These are original stories that we commission. After publishing the first pamphlet, we added the only requirement for the stories—that they be related to holiday(s) at the end of the year. So far, we have had Christmas, Hannukah, Diwali, Saturnalia, and Hogmanay. Several of the tales have been reprinted in "Best of the Year" collections.

1999 "Room to Let," by Margery Allingham (1st publication of a 1940's radio script). 247 copies.
2000 "The Kiss of Death, A Peter Diamond Mystery," by Peter Lovesey. 321 copies.
2001 "Season of Sharing, A Sharon McCone and 'Nameless Detective' Mystery," by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini. 323 copies.
2002 "Mom Lights a Candle, James Yaffe. 353 copies.
2003 "Majumdar Uncle, An Inspector Ghote Story," by H.R.F. Keating. 353 copies.
2004 "No Crib for His Bed, A DKA Files Story," by Joe Gores. 353 copies.
2005 "Blue Christmas, An Inspector Banks Story," by Peter Robinson. 353 copies.
2006 "The Christmas Egg, A Simon Ark Story," by Edward D. Hoch. 353 copies.
2007 " Io Saturnalia!" by Margaret Maron. 353 copies.
2008 "Hogmanay Homicide," by Edward Marston. 353 copies.
2009 "Mr. Bo," by Liza Cody. 253 copies.
2010 "The Yuletide Hogglers," by Kathy Lynn Emerson. 253 copies.

Group 2: Crippen & Landru's Malice Domestic Chapbooks

Greene: The Malice Domestic chapbooks are all first book publications except where noted, with mostly 1000 copies printed of each. These are given as gifts to all attendees of the Malice Domestic Mystery Convention.

These began as uncollected material by the conventions' Ghosts of Honor (celebrated writers of the past), though occasionally they have been Lifetime Achievement Award winners or Guests of Honor. All but two are previously uncollected in the author's books, and one (by Peter Lovesey) is an original written for the occasion.

1998 "The Adventure of the Scarecrow and the Snowman," by Ellery Queen. (First edition of an EQ radio script.)
1999 "The Detective in Fiction" and "Harem-Scarem," by John Dickson Carr. 1999. (Previously uncollected essay and uncollected story.)
2000 "The Surgeon of Gaster Fell," by Arthur Conan Doyle. (First book publication of the original text, though there may have been a ca. 1900 piracy.)
2001 "By His Own Hand," by Rex Stout.
2002 "Chee’s Witch, by Tony Hillerman.
2003 "Liz Peters, PI," by Elizabeth Peters.
2004 "Early Birds," by Erle Stanley Gardner.
2005 "Let Nothing You Dismay!" by Ellis Peters.
2006 "I'll See You in My Dreams," by Craig Rice.
2007 "Night at the Inn," by Georgette Heyer. (Only story in the Malice series previously collected in the author's works.)
2008 "The Homicidal Hat," by Peter Lovesey. (A specially written story.)
2009 "Dr. Couch Saves a Bird," by Nancy Pickard. (Specially revised by the author.)
2010 "The Killdeer Chronicles," by Edward D. Hoch.
2011 "The Lying Game," by Sue Grafton.

Group 3: Crippen & Landru's Companion Chapbooks

Greene: These are chapbooks printed to accompany signed, limited editions of Crippen & Landru books. These are uncollected stories. A complete list of these is available at the Crippen & Landru website.

Group 4: Miscellaneous Chapbooks

2001 "Bouchercon Bound," by Edward D. Hoch. (Distributed at Bouchercon 32, where Ed was the Lifetime Achievement Winner. This is an original story.)

Visit "Collecting Ephemera" by Kate Stine for more about collecting chapbooks.

crippen-a-landru-a-complete-list-of-chapbooks
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