A few days ago I asked for input as follows:
What reference books or materials do you, the Wolfe list members, have and/or have read and can recommend as being worth the purchase, concerning Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe?
So far I have gotten the following wonderful information:
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From Jonathan Levine
At Wolfe’s Door by Ken Van Dover
The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe by Ken Darby
Stout Fellow by O.E. McBride
Nero Wolfe of West 35th St. by William S.Baring-Gould
Rex Stout by David Anderson
John McAleer’s biography of Mr. Stout
Jerome Berin
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From Linda Ciani we have:
The Nero Wolfe Companion books by the Rev. Frederick G. Gotwald are very interesting. The problem — they are very difficult to find!
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To which Jonathan replies:
That they are. But they are not reference books about NW, they are books that explain references to things in the books. They also have many mistakes.
Jonathan
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And last but certainly not least from Phil Fischer comes this exhaustive list:
Here is an update of Bettina Silber’s “Collecting Nero Wolfe ‘Companion’ Books Oct 20, 2002.
“An Informal Interview With Rex Stout” Michael Bourne, James A. Rock & Co., 1998 (audio cassette).
“An Interview With Rex Stout” In “P. S. Magazine” August, 1966.
“Archie Goodwin’s New York City Walkabout”, by Rev Frederick G. Gotwald, Salisbury, NC, 1999.
“At Wolfe’s Door: The Nero Wolfe Novels of Rex Stout” by J. Kenneth Van Dover James A. Rock & Company, Rockville Maryland, 1991/2003
“Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe, The: As Told By Archie Goodwin” by Ken Darby. Little, Brown and Company, 1983
“Corsage, a Bouquet of Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe. Michael Bourne editor, James A Rock & Co. publisher, 1977.
“Detectionary” by Mill Roseman, Otto Penzler, Chris Steinbrunner, Marvin Lachman The Overlook Press, Woodstock, New York, 1977.
“Fer-De-Lance A Nero Wolfe Mystery” by Rex Stout, Farrar & Rinehart, Inc, New York, 1934 Facsimile Edition 1996. Basis for the text and dust jacket is a copy owned by Otto Penzler
“Great Detectives: Seven Original Investigations” by Julian Symons Harry N. Abrams, 1981
“Murder Ink: The Mystery Reader’s Companion”, Perpetrated by Dilys Winn. Workman Publishing Co. Inc. New York, 1977
“Mystery Readers Walking Guide: New York” by Alzina Stone DalePassport Books, NTC Publishing Group, Lincolnwood, Illinois. 1993.
“Nero Wolfe Companion” by Rev. Frederick G. Gotwald ( 10 volumes )
“Nero Wolfe Handbook” by Rev. Frederick G. Gotwald
“Nero Wolfe of West Thirty-fifth Street: The Life and Times of America’s Largest Private Detective” by William S. Baring-Gould. Viking Press, 1969.
“Nero Wolfe Saga”, by Guy Townsend, in “The Mystery Fancier” magazines May 1977 / June 1980
“Private Lives Of Private Eyes: Spies, Crime Fighters, and Other Good Guys” by Otto Penzler. Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1977.
“Queen’s Counsel”, Conversations with Ruth Stout on her brother Rex Stout, 1987 by John McAleer.
“Rex Stout” by David R. Anderson , F. Ungar, New York, 1984
“Rex Stout, An Annotated Primary and Secondary Bibliography” by Townsend, McAleer, Sapp & Schemer, Garland Publishing.
“Rex Stout – a Biography” by John McAleer. Little, Brown and Company, 1977.
“Rex Stout, Name-dropper”, by Rev Frederick G. Gotwald, Salisbury, NC, self-published.
“Royal Decree: Conversations with Rex Stout”, by John McAleer, Pontes Press, Aston, MD 1983
“Stout: A Majesty’s Life”, John McAleer, Millennial Edition J.A. Rock, Rockville, Maryland
“Stout Fellow: A Guide Through Nero Wolfe’s World”, by O.E. McBride iUniverse, Inc., 2003
“Alias Nero Wolfe” in “The Easy Chair” column by Bernard DeVoto, Harper’s Magazine, July 1954
“Some Notes Relating To A Preliminary Investigation Into The Paternity Of Nero Wolfe” John D. Clark, The Baker Street Journal, Vol. VI, No.l, New Series, Jan 1956
“The Nero Wolfe Files” Selection from the Wolfe-Pack Gazette edited by Marvin Kaye. Wildside Press 2005.
Bettina Silber
Phil Fischer
J. Parker
Aug 2005
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So it looks like I have a lot of hunting as well as reading to do.
Thank folks, this is some really great information!
Additions, Corrections, Comments requested.