Annal:2003 Macavity Award for Best Nonfiction

They Died in Vain: Overlooked, Underappreciated and Forgotten Mystery Novels

Jim Huang

• 2003 Anthony-Critical winner
• 2003 Macavity-Nonfiction winner
• 2002 Agatha–Nonfiction winner
• Score: 30.53

 

The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction

Mike Ashley

• 2003 Edgar-Critical/Biography winner
• 2003 Anthony-Critical nominee
• 2003 Macavity-Nonfiction nominee
• 2002 Agatha–Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 28.53

Never before has there been a comprehensive, inexpensive reference guide and overview to the genre of crime fiction like The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Crime Fiction. Veteran editor Mike Ashley’s historical introduction gives an overview of the crime genre, showing the background and development of crime fiction from the earliest days with Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler through to the modern exponents of the craft such as Elmore Leonard and Ian Rankin. His A to Z covers five hundred entries on the major writers in the crime fiction field, from Edward S. Aarons to Mark Zubro, from the cult favorites to the best known, including Marjorie Allingham, Patricia Cornwell, Colin Dexter, Jim Thompson, and Minette Walters. The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Crime Fiction packs more information into its author entries than more expensive hardcover reference works. Each entry gives a brief biographical background with highlights for the cross-referenced key works, provides a full bibliography, and notes significant films/series adapted from their works. There are also added bonuses of a crime…

The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the Classic Era of Film Noir

Eddie Muller

• 2003 Edgar-Critical/Biography nominee
• 2003 Macavity-Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 12.53

The Art of Noir brilliantly showcases the most glorious noir posters from Hollywood and around the world. The films represented in the 338 arresting posters, lobby cards, and other promotional material range from such hard-boiled detective classics as The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, to movies steeped in a brew of post-war cynicism, like The Killers, Night and the City, and Gun Crazy, to rare archive films such as The Devil Thumbs a Ride, Christmas Holiday, and They Made Me a Killer.

Noir posters underwent some fascinating changes in foreign markets, as the art was adapted by local, classically trained artists—in most cases completely re-conceived—in brilliant rendering that not only capture the spirit of the films, but also highlight the graphic trends evolving worldwide over this rapidly developing period. For this book, noir expert Eddie Muller has assembled a striking lineup of posters, including many rare offerings, with the knockout graphics of Hollywood rounded out by the expansive Italian due- and quatro-folios woven with dark strands…

Intent to Sell: Marketing the Genre Novel

Jeffrey Marks

• 2003 Anthony-Critical nominee
• 2003 Macavity-Nonfiction nominee
• Score: 12.53

The first book to specifically address the marketing of genre fiction, Intent to Sell, is written by Jeffrey Marks, the award-winning author of mystery novels and short story collections. Marks takes a novice writer from the early stages of publicity at the time that the contracts are signed and leads the author through the maze of booksignings, interviews, awards and how to promote an entire series. Peppered with quotes from Todays top mystery writers, Marks uses his background in marketing to develop a PR campaign that is no mystery.