Twelve English Detective Stories (Oxford Twelves) [Paperback]

Michael Cox (Compiler)

Book Description

Series: Oxford Twelves | Publication Date: March 11, 1999

These twelve stories provide an entertaining exploration of this extensive and fascinating corner of English popular fiction, celebrating the detective's intellectual and intuitive powers when confronted with murder, theft, and other mysteries. The main focus of this collection is from the 1890s to the 1920s, the period when the classic English detective story was at its confident and original best, but it also offers examples from earlier and later periods. Presenting a balance of classic and more unusual stories, and featuring works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Michael Innes, this anthology will appeal to both the newcomer and aficionado of the genre.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Cox is a senior commissioning editor with Oxford University Press. He has edited The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories (1986), Victorian Ghost Stories (1991) (both with R. A. Gilbert), Victorian Detective Stories (1992), The Oxford Book of Historical Stories (with Jack Adrian, 1994), The Oxford Book of Spy Stories (1996), The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Ghost Stories (1996), and Twelve Tales of the Supernatural and Twelve Victorian Ghost Stories (1997), both in the Oxford Twelves series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192880969
• ISBN-13: 978-0192880963
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,555,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Cox is the biographer of the ghost-story writer and scholar M. R. James. His first novel, The Meaning of Night, was shortlisted for the 2007 Costa First Novel Award. He lives in rural Northamptonshire, England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder and Mayhem and Grisly Thrills, December 21, 2001

By 

bibliomane01 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twelve English Detective Stories (Oxford Twelves) (Paperback)

Oxford University Press has enjoyed great success with their anthologies over the years, and the Oxford Twelves series is a shorter introduction to their collections of sensational fiction. The editors draw extensively from the golden age of the 19th century and find plenty of gems from the 20th to back them up. Michael Cox's volume of detective stories is a typically enjoyable example, with six stories from the period 1892-1923 and six later examples, including the relatively modern offering from Julian Symons dating from 1986 ("The Flaw", in which a man seeking to commit the perfect crime finds that he is not the only one with that objective in mind!). In my opinion, the newer stories in the collection are stronger (with the exception of "The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk," a fine example of Sherlock Holmes at work). The tales by Dorothy L. Sayers, H.C. Bailey, E.C. Bentley and Michael Innes are quite spectacular.

5 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars nail biting experience, March 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Twelve English Detective Stories (Oxford Twelves) (Paperback)

Reading this book was really a chilling experience. I really liked the book and I want each and every person interested in Detective stories to read this book.