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The vast majority of mystery readers read dozens of crime novels without having a clue that mystery fandom and mystery conventions exist. Those of us who discovered this community without borders might recognize the name Anthony Boucher, the pseudonym of William Parker White. Boucher did it all, did it well, and his amazing life and career are worth knowing about. Fan, writer, and convention-goer Jeff Marks, who has a strong interest in "the golden age" of crime fiction (as shown by his last non-fiction work about author Craig Rice) has put together an immensely detailed and thoughtful study of the man known as Tony Boucher. Boucher was a polymath of enormous abilities. Hampered by asthma, he nonetheless contributed in countless ways to the mystery/crime genre and even the true-crime genre. He wrote mysteries (as "H. H. Holmes" a pseudonym taken from a real-life murderer). He edited anthologies and magazines. He wrote reviews of everything from opera to fiction. He wrote dozens of radio scripts. He helped found Mystery Writers of America, was involved with the Baker Street Irregulars, co-edited the Magazine of Science Fiction and translated work by such renowned authors as Jorge Luis Borges. It's no wonder that, when the time came for some science fiction fans to create a world mystery convention, they chose to call it Bouchercon, after this man who did it all. I never knew Tony Boucher, but we're separated at most by one degree. As a member of the Northern California chapter of MWA, which Tony once chaired, I met Phyllis White, Boucher's widow. For as long as she could, Phyllis attended Bouchercon as an honored guest, holding the permanent membership #1. She was a fan of mystery in her own right, with an amazing memory (when she and I met after at least 15 years, she remembered the circumstances. Phyllis was in her late 70s by then.) As a fan of science fiction, and an anthologist, Boucher and I shared dozens of friends in the San Francisco area where we both lived. He knew everyone, and contributed to every aspect of genre fiction. I don't know what mystery would be without his influence. He seemed to love every aspect of mystery, from Sherlock Holmes and pastiches to Ellery Queen (and he wrote scripts for the Ellery Queen radio dramas.) His choices for "best books" over 16 years, which are printed in one of this books' many appendices, bear witness to a broad taste, from gothic to spy novel, traditional English mystery to humorous, caper novel to private eye tale. Author Jeffrey Marks is a long time friend of mine and I was delighted when he informed me of this project. (Don't worry, I never pander even for my friends. I'd say the same things about this book no matter the author.) You can't be a mystery fan without feeling the influence of Tony Boucher, even if you don't know it's there. This is my world and I knew a little about Boucher, but had no idea of the extent of his productivity and clear love of the genre. It seems there is nothing he didn't like to do, or want at least to try. He enriched the field with dozens of reviews, play scripts, stories and anthologies. People should know who he is, and why the major convention in mystery is named for him, rather than say for an author or a character. Boucher was the quintessential fan and pro, and while some writers sneer at the concept of "fan" nowadays, some welcome it and cherish the close knit community that brings us together. Understandably in the thousands of pages that Marks had to sort through, the letters, and books, files and microfilm, the transcripts and newspapers and magazines, there were errors and omissions. Probably only someone as close to this story as I am would be so picky, but there were moments when I wished for more clarification (I don't know who Denis PS Conan Doyle is or what his relationship is to Arthur CD) and on occasion, the index was not useful (at one point I wished to double check Leslie Charteris' pseudonym of "Bruce Taylor" (not to be confused with long time San Francisco bookseller Bruce Taylor) and the name's not listed in the index despite being used several times in a few pages). From time to time I yearned for more "sic"s and for a slightly tighter hand in editing. (this is, after all a $35 paperback. You look "askance" not "askew" at something. There's also the pretty obvious error in the assertion that Bouchercon has been held only in the US and UK. Since 1992, in fact, it has twice been held in Toronto, Canada. This information is easy to come by. And it's Sturgeon's Law that reads that 90% (not 95%) of anything is crap (or crud, or worse). It's a fairly well-known line and had nothing whatsoever to do with Reginald Bretnor, as the text here indicates. I raise these niggles because it bothers me that easy-to-find references weren't found. There are bound to be errors and questionable interpretations of facts in such a book; opinions will vary, but the locations of conventions, famous quotes that are easily found on reputable websites should be properly cited, especially in a book which is bound to become a reference for historians of genre fiction. The appendices in this book are so full of information that they could serve as the starting point for several more books. Boucher's "best" lists published in the New York Times are a great example of his lack of pretense. Well before most readers paid attention to the women who wrote mystery, Boucher noted their contributions in every list. He also provided introductions and prefaces for dozens of books written by men and women in the genre. He was a playwright and a scholar of the Holmes canon but was never stuffy and never so academic that his writing was not accessible. Although his asthma affected his energy level and ability to travel, I think the issue of health may be over-stressed in this book. While it is evident that Boucher suffered from fatigue and fought for breath most of his life, I found it was mentioned a little too often. It ought not to be ignored - it is one of many reasons this man amazes and deserves all the honors, from the convention to the awards (did you know hat the awards given at Bouchercon are the Anthonys?) But it seemed to me to be overstressed Anthony Boucher accomplished more than most people are aware of today. He wrote reviews not just for the New York Times but the San Francisco Chronicle and the Chicago Sun-Times, not to mention Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. He was a talented writer for radio, creating plays featuring Sherlock Holmes that rang true in voice and style as well as writing his own dramas. He edited not just anthologies of true crime stories and fiction, but founded and co-edited one of the premier magazines of the science fiction genre, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The book contains a letter written by Boucher in which he talks about reviewing, at last count, 49 books by George Simenon. This "biobibliography" which focuses, as it should, more on the man's work than the man (though he's not slighted and you do get to know William White along the way) is a very welcome addition to the history of mystery and to one of its most interesting and valuable members, Anthony Boucher.
Reviewed by Andi Shechter, November 2008
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