Golden Age Bibliomysteries

Author: Otto Penzler

Classic crime

Published on 9 July 2026 by Transworld Publishers Ltd (Penguin (Transworld)) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 448 pages
128 x 197 x 32 | 310g

In this collection of Golden Age mysteries, crime strikes in the world of books...

'If much of the action is set in a bookshop or a library, it is a bibliomystery, just as it is if a major character is a bookseller or a librarian' – Otto PenzlerOf crime fiction's many sub-genres, none is as intriguing as the ‘bibliomystery’: stories that involve crimes set in the world of books.

This volume collects the finest of such stories. From the murder of a bookseller and the disappearance of a local author, to a killer stalking the shelves of the New York Public Library, these vintage mysteries show the enjoyable and unexpected ways in which crime writers have used the literary world as their theme.

Selected by Edgar-Award-winning anthologist Otto Penzler, this collection includes stories from household names such as Ellery Queen and Cornell Woolrich, as well as authors who are less well known today. These unforgettable mysteries are sure to entertain book lovers and crime fiction fans alike.

'A real treat for bibliophiles' – Kirkus