Additions to the Chronological Bibliography of Early Occult Detectives

My Chronological Bibliography of Early Occult Detectives has been devoid of both worldly and otherworldly activity for a few years. Sure, folks have stopped by this ill kept and haunted library to wander through its books and magazines, hopefully clicking on the links and reading some of the online stories. But I haven’t been adding to it — or even bothering to dust the shelves.

That is — until the last couple of weeks! First, I got a series of emails from a generous fellow named Brian Frost. He provided me with an impressive list of possible additions to the Bibliography. I recognized a few of the titles — but only a very few — as works that really don’t really fit occult detective fiction (at least, not as I define it). The majority, however, show great promise, and I’m looking forward to slooooowly tracking them down and then sloooooowly seeing if they qualify. Naturally, as I do so, I’ll add them to the Bibliography. But did I mention sloooooowly?

Curiously, at about the same time, I received another email from another of my scholarly colleagues in this area. Ed Burkley informed me that he had uploaded all eleven of Arabella Kenealy’s Lord Syfret tales to the Internet Archive. I suspect that this is the first time these tales are available online, and you can now find links to them on the Bibliography. Scroll down to 1896. Even better, Ed writes original dark fiction. Find out more at his author site.

Yes, I’m back in the business of hunting down and tagging early occult detectives. It’s fitting, too, given that Ghostly Clients & and Demonic Culprits: The Roots of Occult Detective Fiction is nearing completion. That book should be available in mid-October. Meanwhile, the Chronological Bibliography of Early Occult Detectives awaits you. Now, where have I left my feather duster . . .