{"title":"Books by Laird R. Blackwell","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781476676524","title":"Frederic Dannay, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and the Art of the Detective Short Story","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrederic Dannay (1905-1982) was--with his partner Manfred Lee--the creator of the Ellery Queen detective novels and short stories. Dannay was also a literary historian and critic, and the editor of the renowned \u003ci\u003eEllery Queen Mystery Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQueen--both a pen name and the fictional protagonist of the stories--was also a vital force behind the continuing popularity of crime fiction in the early to mid-20th century, after the deaths of Arthur Conan Doyle, G.K. Chesterton, Melville Davisson Post, and other Old Masters of the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book presents the first critical study of Ellery Queen's role in the preservation of the detective short story. Many of the writers, characters and stories \u003ci\u003eEQMM\u003c\/i\u003e championed are covered, including such celebrated authors as Allingham, Ambler, Ellin, Innes, Vickers, and even William Butler Yeats.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301009305973,"sku":"9781476676524","price":57.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781476676524_58d7525d-20d5-486f-bf15-dcdfad03a378.jpg?v=1786020431"},{"product_id":"9781476670690","title":"H.C. Bailey's Reggie Fortune and the Golden Age of Detective Fiction","description":"\u003cp\u003eH.C. Bailey's detective Reggie Fortune was one of the most popular protagonists of the Golden Age of detective fiction. Fortune appeared in nine novels yet it was in a series of 84 short stories that were published from 1920 to 1940 where he truly shone, combining elements of several popular archetypes--the eccentric logician, the forensic investigator, the hard-boiled interrogator, the psychological profiler, the defender of justice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis critical study examines the Fortune stories in the context of other popular detective fiction of the era. Bailey's classics are distinguished by well-clued puzzles, brilliant sleuthing, vivid description and social critique, with Fortune evoking images of Don Quixote and the Arthurian Knights in his pursuit of truth and justice in an uncaring world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301351764341,"sku":"9781476670690","price":49.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781476670690_71e463d2-2890-4f1d-bd4b-52f70f8654bd.jpg?v=1786020402"},{"product_id":"the-arizona-wildflower-companion","title":"The Arizona Wildflower Companion","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe definitive, fully illustrated field guide to the wildflowers of Arizona and where to find them.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The mountain and desert terrains of Arizona are frequently abloom with beautiful, distinctive wildflowers in reds, golds, pinks, and blues—some of which can be found nowhere else! Written by a renowned expert on Western wildflowers, this color-coded compendium is a fun, engaging, and authoritative guide to the state’s wildflowers. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Laird Blackwell’s \u003ci\u003eThe Arizona Wildflower Companion\u003c\/i\u003e combines a comprehensive field guide with playful limericks to help you remember the nearly 300 flowering species that can be found in the Grand Canyon State. Scientific and common descriptions, straightforward discussion of their characteristics, and stunning photos make this an essential take-along for any Arizona hike. More than just a field guide, \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eArizona Wildflower Companion\u003c\/i\u003e is also a location guide, with descriptions of hikes and trails where you can find flowers in their most advantageous locations, as well as notes on altitude and the best times of the day, month, and year to see spectacular wildflowers.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57502100619637,"sku":"9780826370587","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780826370587.jpg?v=1786780916"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-laird-r-blackwell.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}