WHAT'S NEW IN JANUARY 2009?
MANHATTAN NOIR 2, edited by Lawrence Block
I lived in Manhattan during the 1970's and wrote a New York guidebook in the mid-70's. Yes, I love New York, New York, a helluva town. MANHATTAN NOIR (Akashic Books, 2006), edited by Lawrence Block, is an anthology of original short stories set in Manhattan, even though the stories are not necessarily noir. Since the anthology was praised highly and sold fairly well, the publisher gave the green light for its sequel. MANHATTAN NOIR 2: THE CLASSICS (Akashic Books, 2008) is also edited by Block but it contains reprint short stories as follows:
PART 1: THE OLD SCHOOL
"Mrs. Manstey's View," by Edith Wharton, originally published in the July 1891 issue of Scribner's Magazine
"A Poker Game," by Stephen Crane, originally published in LAST WORDS (Digby, Long & Co., 1902)
"The Furnished Room," by O. Henry, originally published in the THE FOUR MILLION (Doubleday, 1906)
"Spanish Blood," by Langston Hughes, originally published in the December 29, 1934 issue of Metropolis
"Sailor off the Bremen," by Irwin Shaw, originally published in the February 25, 1939 issue of The New Yorker
"My Aunt from Twelfth Street," by Jerome Weidman, originally published in the August 12, 1939 issue of The New Yorker
"Johnny One-Eye," by Damon Runyon, originally published in the June 28, 1941 issue of Collier's
"The Last Spin," by Evan Hunter, originally published in the September 1956 issue of Manhunt
"New York Blues," by Cornell Woolrich, originally published in the December 1970 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
PART 2: THE POETS
"The Raven," by Edgar Allan Poe, originally published in the January 29, 1845 issue of New York Evening Mirror
Selected poems by Horace Gregory from CHELSEA ROOMING HOUSE (COVICI-FRIEDE, 1930)
Selected poems by Geoffrey Bartholomew from THE McSORLEY POEMS (Charlton Street Press, 2001)
PART 3: DARKNESS VISIBLE
"The Luger Is a 9mm Automatic Handgun with a Parabellum Action," by Jerrold Mundis, originally published in the March 1969 issue of New Worlds
"The Interceptor," by Barry N. Maltzberg, originally published in the August 1972 issue of Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine
"Crowded Lives," by Clark Howard, originally published in the October 1989 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
"Young Isaac," by Jerome Charyn, originally published in the Summer 1990 issue of The Armchair Detective
"Love in the Lean Years," by Donald E. Westlake, originally published in the February 1992 issue of Playboy
"A Manhattan Romance," by Joyce Carol Oates, originally published in the Winter 1997 issue of American Short Fiction
"In for a Penny," by Lawrence Block, originally published in the December 1999 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
"Two Over Easy," by Susan Isaacs, probably an original story
Block's selection of stories and poems is excellent. I especially like "The Last Spin," by Hunter (better known as Ed McBain). I hope Akashic Books continues publishing city-name noir anthology series with good old reprint stories as well as with good new original stories.
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D.C. NOIR 2, edited by George Pelecanos
I visited Washington D.C. once in 1980 to attend Bouchercon, and interviewed Patricia McGerr, a D.C. mystery writer, who lived there. D.C. NOIR (Akashic Books, 2006), an anthology edited by George Pelecanos with original stories, now has its sequel. D.C. NOIR 2: THE CLASSICS (Akashic Books, 2008) is an anthology also edited by Pelecanos and contains these following good old stories:
PART 1: THE OLD SCHOOL
"A Council of State," by Paul Laurence Dunbar, originally published in THE STRENGTH OF GIDEON AND OTHER STORIES (Dodd Mead, 1900)
"Avey," by Jean Toomer, originally published in CANE (Boni & Liveright, 1923)
"Trouble with the Angels," by Langston Hughes, originally published in the July 1935 issue of New Theatre
"The Man Who Killed a Shadow," by Richard Wright, first published in French as "L'Homme Qui Tua une Ombre," in the October 4, 1946 issue of Les Lettres Francaise and then published in English in the Spring 1949 issue of Zero
PART 2: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE
"The Last Days of Duncan Street," by Julian Mayfield, originally published in the July 4, 1960 in Lunes de Revolucion
"Washington," by Julian Mazor, originally published in the January 19, 1963 issue of The New Yorker
Excerpt from CAST A YELLOW SHADOW (William Morrow, 1967) by Ross Thomas
"Reflecting," by Rhozier "Roach" Brown, written in 1969
"Nora," by Ward Just, originally published in the May 1973 issue of The Atlantic
"Our Bright Tomorrows," by Larry Neal, written circa 1973
PART 3: IN THE SHADOWS OF FEDERAL CITY
"Kiss the Sky," by James Grady, originally published in UNUSUAL SUSPECTS (Vintage, 1996; edited by James Grady)
"The Dead Their Eyes Implore Us," by George Pelecanos, originally published in MEASURES OF POISON (Dennis McMillan, 2002; edited by Dennis McMillan)
"A Rich Man," by Edward P. Jones, originally published in the August 4, 2003 issue of The New Yorker
"Wonderful," by Elizabeth Hand, originally published in FLIGHTS: EXTREME VISIONS OF FANTASY (ROC, 2004)
"Christmas in Dodge City," by Benjamin M. Schutz, originally published in UNUSUAL SUSPECTS (Vintage, 1996; edited by James Grady)
Excerpt from AFTER (Doubleday, 2006) by Marita Golden
Several of the contributing writers are African-Americans, and many African-Americans live in the D.C. area. Akashic Books will publish SAN FRANCISCO NOIR 2 soon with good old stories.
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