The Speciality of the House

Description

Stanley Ellin's first short story, THE SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE, about a New York restaurant with a special gourmet menu, was published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in 1948 and caused an immediate sensation, winning him a special Ellery Queen Award. 'The House Party' and 'The Blessington Method' subsequently both won Edgar Awards. Stanley Ellin, who was made a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America in 1980, is acknowledged as one of the great masters of the 20th-century short story, and this volume brings together the best of his work in the genre.

Stanley Ellin (1916-1986) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and educated at Brooklyn College. He worked as a teacher, a steelworked and a dairy farmer, and served in the US Army in World War 2, before becoming a full-time writer in 1946. His first published short story, THE SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE caused an immediate sensation and won him a special Ellery Queen Award. He won two Edgars for short stories, as well as one for The Eighth Circle, Le Grand Prix du Meilleur Roman Policier Etranger for Mirror, Mirror on the Wall and was made a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America in 1980.

Ellin consistently wrote the best mystery stories of his time' -- Lawrence Block The great talent he has brought back to the crime story is imagination ... his work is a landmark in the history of the crime short story -- Julian Symons Ellin is clear, dark and chilling. What's more, he is one of the few writers who has something to say to hard-boiled fans as well as classicists -- Dilys Winn A skill and passion that made him one of the top American writers of this century, regardless of genre * ENCYLOPEDIA MYSTERIOSA * A macabre little tale about an unusual restaurant in Manhattan and its lonely patrons, it displayed both a debt to Edgar Allan Poe and an acute understanding of human nature that is the key to the success of his work * GUARDIAN * America's master craftsman of the mystery short story * NEW YORK TIMES *