Rex Stout bibliography
This is a bibliography of works by or about the American writer Rex Stout, an American writer noted for his detective fiction. He began his literary career in the 1910s, writing more than 40 stories that appeared primarily in pulp magazines between 1912 and 1918. He wrote no fiction for more than a decade, until the late 1920s, when he had saved enough money through his business activities to write when and what he pleased. In 1929, he wrote his first published book, How Like a God, an unusual psychological story written in the second person. He wrote a pioneering political thriller, The President Vanishes, before he turned to writing detective fiction. His 1934 novel Fer-de-Lance introduced his best-known characters, detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and 39 novellas and short stories between 1934 and 1975. In 1959, Stout received the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon XXXI, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
In addition to writing fiction, Stout was a prominent public intellectual for decades. He was active in the early years of the American Civil Liberties Union and a founder of the Vanguard Press. Stout served as head of the Writers' War Board during World War II, became a radio celebrity through his numerous broadcasts, and was later active in promoting world federalism. He was the longtime president of the Authors Guild and served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Nero Wolfe corpus
Nero Wolfe books
Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books are listed in order of publication. For specific publication history, including original magazine appearances, see entries for individual titles. Years link to year-in-literature articles.| Year | Title | Publisher | Publication date | Notes |
| 1934 | Fer-de-Lance | Farrar & Rinehart | October 24, 1934 | Abridged as "Point of Death" in The American Magazine |
| 1935 | ' | Farrar & Rinehart | August 14, 1935 | Serialized as "The Frightened Men" in six issues of The Saturday Evening Post |
| 1936 | ' | Farrar & Rinehart | April 9, 1936 | Serialized in six issues of The Saturday Evening Post |
| 1937 | ' | Farrar & Rinehart | April 15, 1937 | Serialized in five issues of The American Magazine |
| 1938 | Too Many Cooks | Farrar & Rinehart | August 17, 1938 | Serialized in six issues of The American Magazine |
| 1939 | Some Buried Caesar | Farrar & Rinehart | February 2, 1939 | Abridged as "The Red Bull" in The American Magazine |
| 1940 | Over My Dead Body | Farrar & Rinehart | January 3, 1940 | Abridged in The American Magazine |
| 1940 | Where There's a Will | Farrar & Rinehart | June 10, 1940 | Abridged as "Sisters in Trouble" in The American Magazine |
| 1942 | Black Orchids | Farrar & Rinehart | May 21, 1942 | Contains the novellas "Black Orchids" and "Cordially Invited to Meet Death" |
| 1944 | Not Quite Dead Enough | Farrar & Rinehart | September 7, 1944 | Contains the novellas "Not Quite Dead Enough" and "Booby Trap" |
| 1946 | ' | Viking Press | October 21, 1946 | |
| 1947 | Too Many Women | Viking Press | October 20, 1947 | |
| 1948 | And Be a Villain | Viking Press | September 27, 1948 | British title More Deaths Than One; first novel in the Zeck Trilogy |
| 1949 | Trouble in Triplicate | Viking Press | February 11, 1949 | Contains the short stories "Before I Die", "Help Wanted, Male" and "Instead of Evidence" |
| 1949 | ' | Viking Press | September 6, 1949 | Second novel in the Zeck Trilogy |
| 1950 | Three Doors to Death | Viking Press | April 21, 1950 | Contains the short stories "Man Alive", "Omit Flowers" and "Door to Death" |
| 1950 | In the Best Families | Viking Press | September 29, 1950 | British title Even in the Best Families; third novel in the Zeck Trilogy |
| 1951 | Curtains for Three | Viking Press | February 23, 1951 | Contains the short stories "The Gun with Wings", "Bullet for One" and "Disguise for Murder" |
| 1951 | Murder by the Book | Viking Press | October 12, 1951 | |
| 1952 | Triple Jeopardy | Viking Press | March 21, 1952 | Contains the short stories "Home to Roost", "The Cop-Killer" and "The Squirt and the Monkey" |
| 1952 | Prisoner's Base | Viking Press | October 24, 1952 | British title Out Goes She |
| 1953 | ' | Viking Press | October 26, 1953 | |
| 1954 | Three Men Out | Viking Press | March 26, 1954 | Contains the short stories "Invitation to Murder", "The Zero Clue" and "This Won't Kill You" |
| 1954 | ' | Viking Press | October 14, 1954 | |
| 1955 | Before Midnight | Viking Press | October 27, 1955 | |
| 1956 | Three Witnesses | Viking Press | March 10, 1956 | Contains the short stories "The Next Witness", "When a Man Murders" and "Die Like a Dog" |
| 1956 | Might as Well Be Dead | Viking Press | October 26, 1956 | |
| 1957 | Three for the Chair | Viking Press | May 3, 1957 | Contains the short stories "A Window for Death", "Immune to Murder" and "Too Many Detectives" |
| 1957 | If Death Ever Slept | Viking Press | October 25, 1957 | |
| 1958 | And Four to Go | Viking Press | February 14, 1958 | British title Crime and Again Contains the short stories "Christmas Party", "Easter Parade," "Fourth of July Picnic," and "Murder Is No Joke" |
| 1958 | Champagne for One | Viking Press | November 24, 1958 | |
| 1959 | Plot It Yourself | Viking Press | October 30, 1959 | British title Murder in Style |
| 1960 | Three at Wolfe's Door | Viking Press | April 29, 1960 | Contains the short stories "Poison à la Carte", "Method Three for Murder" and "The Rodeo Murder" |
| 1960 | Too Many Clients | Viking Press | October 28, 1960 | |
| 1961 | ' | Viking Press | October 13, 1961 | |
| 1962 | Homicide Trinity | Viking Press | April 26, 1962 | Contains the short stories "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo", "Death of a Demon" and "Counterfeit for Murder" |
| 1962 | Gambit | Viking Press | October 12, 1962 | |
| 1963 | ' | Viking Press | July 18, 1963 | |
| 1964 | Trio for Blunt Instruments | Viking Press | April 24, 1964 | Contains the short stories "Kill Now—Pay Later", "Murder Is Corny" and "Blood Will Tell" |
| 1964 | ' | Viking Press | October 22, 1964 | |
| 1965 | ' | Viking Press | October 8, 1965 | |
| 1966 | Death of a Doxy | Viking Press | August 19, 1966 | |
| 1968 | ' | Viking Press | May 28, 1968 | |
| 1969 | Death of a Dude | Viking Press | August 20, 1969 | |
| 1973 | Please Pass the Guilt | Viking Press | September 1973 | |
| 1975 | Viking Press | May 1975 | ||
| 1985 | Death Times Three | Bantam Books | December 1985 | Posthumous; contains the novella "Bitter End" and the short stories "Frame-Up for Murder" and "Assault on a Brownstone" |
Other Nero Wolfe works
Works related to Nero Wolfe
Other works
Novels
Short stories
Edited volumes
Poetry
Books about Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe
- Anderson, David R., Rex Stout. Study of the Nero Wolfe series.
- Baring-Gould, William S., Nero Wolfe of West Thirty-fifth Street. Fanciful biography. Reviewed in Time, March 21, 1969
- Bourne, Michael, Corsage: A Bouquet of Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe. Posthumous collection produced in a numbered limited edition of 276 hardcovers and 1,500 softcovers. Shortly before his death Rex Stout authorized the editor to include the first Nero Wolfe novella, "Bitter End", which had not been republished in his own novella collections. Corsage also includes an interview Bourne conducted with Stout, and concludes with the only book publication of "Why Nero Wolfe Likes Orchids," an article by Rex Stout that first appeared in Life.
- Darby, Ken, The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe. Biography of the brownstone "as told by Archie Goodwin." Includes detailed floor plans.
- Gotwald, Rev. Frederick G., The Nero Wolfe Handbook. Self-published anthology of essays edited by a longtime member of The Wolfe Pack.
- Kaye, Marvin, The Archie Goodwin Files. Selected articles from The Wolfe Pack publication The Gazette, edited by a charter member.
- Kaye, Marvin, The Nero Wolfe Files. Selected articles from The Wolfe Pack publication The Gazette, edited by a charter member.
- McAleer, John, Rex Stout: A Biography. Foreword by P.G. Wodehouse. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work in 1978. Reissued as Rex Stout: A Majesty's Life.
- McAleer, John, Royal Decree: Conversations with Rex Stout. Published in a numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies.
- McBride, O.E., Stout Fellow: A Guide Through Nero Wolfe's World. Pseudonymous self-published homage.
- Mitgang, Herbert, Dangerous Dossiers: Exposing the Secret War Against America's Greatest Authors. Chapter 10 is titled "Seeing Red: Rex Stout."
- Symons, Julian, Great Detectives: Seven Original Investigations. Illustrated by Tom Adams. "We quiz Archie Goodwin in his den and gain a clue to the ultimate fate of Nero Wolfe" in a chapter titled "In Which Archie Goodwin Remembers."
- Townsend, Guy M., Rex Stout: An Annotated Primary and Secondary Bibliography. Associate editors John McAleer, Judson Sapp and Arriean Schemer. Definitive publication history.
- Van Dover, J. Kenneth, At Wolfe's Door: The Nero Wolfe Novels of Rex Stout. Bibliography, reviews and essays.