It is hard for me to judge an anthology of detective stories, since I am not a real devotee of the genre. Great Tales of Detection contains nineteen stories by different authors, among them Edgar Allan Poe, G. K. Chesterton, Agatha Christie, Robert Louie Stevenson, Wilkie Collins and Dorothy L. Sayers herself. An important thing to note is that it was first published in 1936; so those wanting an up to date survey of the field of detective fiction will want something more recent. The introduction by Dorothy Sayers (in annoyingly small print for some reason) gives a brief but interesting survey of the history of the genre. The only thing missing is the dates of first publication of the stories. Great Tales of Detection is good fun reading.

November 1993

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Related reviews:

- Dorothy L. Sayers - Gaudy Night
- more detective fiction