Presenting Author - Rex Stout

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Name of the author: Rex Stout
Main genre: mystery, adventure, thriller, fiction
Main audience: young adult on
Main books: Rex Stout mysteries; Dol Bonner, Tecumseh Fox and Alphabet Hicks mysteries
Short summary of the author: A genius in his own right, Rex Stout applied the clocklike precision with which he invented a school banking system, which earned millions of dollars for the Stout family, to the writing of his books. The first draft was always the final draft. He'd write four to six pages in a day, mostly using 9-hour shifts. "If I had to rewrite a book to get it right," Rex said, "I would have done so. But I never had to." He was born of a very ingenious family; his sister, Ruth, is famous (infamous) for what she has written and for her (sometimes hilarious and wonderful) viewpoints.
His first 'Nero Wolfe' book (the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin are the best known of his characters) was written when he was in his 40s.
Points to be aware of: In some ways, the writing of Rex Stout is dated -- there are telephones and cabs and many things of the 1930s in America which are part of everyday life. Narrative, words commonly used in the books, might need to be looked up, so you know what was meant.

Goodreads has this to say of Mr. Stout

Rex Todhunter Stout (December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair).

The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Title of the book: Fer-de-Lance
Author: Rex Stout
Series: yes - Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin stories
Genres: mystery, fiction, mystery/crime, mystery/detective
Short summary of the story:
This is the first book of the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin stories. Much of their appeal is because of the character development of Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, Fritz Brenner, Theodore Horstmann, Saul Panzer, Fred Durkin, Orrie Cather, Lily Rowan, Inspector Cramer and many others -- and many of them you first meet in this book.
The word-play between the inhabitants of the old brownstone quickly establishes the relationships as they are and are quirky and clever. Wolfe never leaves his house and sends the wise-cracking (and resourceful) Archie (and other employees) out to gather information.
Fer-de-Lance starts out on a high note of Archie being bored and wanting Wolfe to get busy and send him on a job. Never say that Archie is sarcastic! (He is ...) Never say Wolfe is a genius! (He is.) Nero Wolfe finds himself looking for the murderer of a man who everyone loves. Oddly enough, that is what he finds, everyone does love this man who collapsed, poisoned, on a golf course, while playing a round of golf with 3 other people.
Points to consider: Remember that this book was written in the 1930s. It is a reflection of the times -- including how much things cost then, what the speed limits were, what people wore and the general 'language' (idioms) of the time. If you are looking for a dark murder mystery, don't read this. It's more breezy than dark and rather fun to read of New York City as it was in the 1930s.

The Goodreads write-up ... I'm not showing because it just doesn't give justice to the story!

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Title of the book: The Nero Wolfe Cookbook
Authors: Rex Stout and the Editors of Viking Press
Series: no, not in and of itself, but there is a distinct tie-in to the Nero Wolfe books
Genres: Cookbook, Mystery, Food & Drink
Short summary of the story: This is a most wonderful cookbook. If you've read the Rex Stout Nero Wolfe books, you will have noticed that there are invariably several mentions of food; of preparing food, of obtaining ingredients for food, and of eating food. We go from breakfast to luncheon, from warm weather dinners to cold weather dinners, from desserts to the perfect dinner for the perfect detective. And then of course, there are the relapse meals. Snacks is followed by Guests, Male and Female and there there is the Associates for Dinner (no, not eating them, what to feed them). Fritz Brenner has an entire chapter for himself. The last chapters are Dishes Cooked by Others , Rusterman's Restaurant, Nero Wolfe Cooks and The Kanawha Spa Dinner. Each and every recipe is deliciously set out, in fine detail, hopefully to enable anyone reading this to be able to create that dish. Also, every recipe has notes of where it is to be found in the Nero Wolfe books, with highlights of that story interwoven into the recipes themselves. In the edition of the book I have, there are photographs from New York City which are taken in the times of the stories themselves - 1930s through 1950s mostly.
Good points / bad points: No bad points ... well ... by page nine I was drooling, and I was still in Breakfast. By page 34 (Salmon Mousse), my stomach was growling. I'd suggest not to read on an empty stomach!

Goodreads has this:

A one-of-its-kind, high-cuisine cookbook that reproduces authentic recipes for many of the fine dishes mentioned in Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries. Spiced with quotes from memorable Nero Wolfe whodunits and photos that recall New York in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s.