Julian Symons
Born May 30, 1912 · Died November 19, 1994
Julian Symons's work has probably been as varied as that of any living writer. He made a reputation before the Second World War as editor of Twentieth Century Verse, a 'little' magazine which published most of the young poets outside the immediate Auden circle. After that he put his foot on what he calls the treadmill of murder by publishing a comic crime story, which he now regards as so bad that he won't allow it to be reprinted. Several crime stories later, he can look back on two, The Colour of Murder and The Progress of Crime, that have received awards as the best books of their year. He still keeps a toe in what he regards as the generally shallow waters of recent poetry, but also has a quite separate reputation as a biographer (of figures as diverse as Thomas Carlyle and Horatio Bottomley) and a social and military historian (he has written a full-length study of the 1926 General Strike and the only book about the expedition to relieve Gordon at Khartoum). Despite the diversity of his interests, he has never wavered in his enthusiasm and appetite for crime stories. Hence Bloody Murder, a study of the genre. His latest publications are The Players and the Game, The Plot Against Roger Rider and A Three Pipe Problem.
Books by Julian Symons in order
Books by Julian Symons in the order they were published, from Bland Beginning (1949) to Playing Happy Families (1994).
- 1Bland Beginning
Bland Beginning1949 - 2The Immaterial Murder Case
The Immaterial Murder Case1954 - 3Bloody Murder
Bloody Murder1956 - 4Bogue's Fortune
Bogue's Fortune1957 - 5The Colour of Murder
The Colour of Murder1957 - 6The Progress of a Crime
The Progress of a Crime1960 - 7The Detective Story in Britain
The Detective Story in Britain1962 - 8The Plain Man
The Plain Man1962 - 9The Belting Inheritance
The Belting Inheritance1965 - 10A Pictorial History of Crime
A Pictorial History of Crime1966 - 11The Man Who Killed Himself
The Man Who Killed Himself1967 - 12The Man Whose Dreams Came True
The Man Whose Dreams Came True1968 - 13The Man Who Lost His Wife
The Man Who Lost His Wife1970 - 14The Players and The Game
The Players and The Game1972 - 15The Plot Against Roger Rider
The Plot Against Roger Rider1973 - 16A Three-pipe Problem
A Three-pipe Problem1975 - 17The Blackheath Poisonings
The Blackheath Poisonings1978 - 18Verdict of Thirteen
Verdict of Thirteen1978 - 19Great Detectives
Great Detectives1981 - 20The Detling Secret
The Detling Secret1982 - 21Penguin Classic Crime
Penguin Classic Crime1984 - 22Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett1985 - 23The Kentish Manor Murders
The Kentish Manor Murders1988 - 24Playing Happy Families
Playing Happy Families1994