In the late 1920s, Rex Stout retired from the school banking system he had created with his brother, Robert, to write full time. His early works were not mystery stories; most were psychological novels that were acclaimed to mixed reviews. After the Great Depression wiped out a substantial portion of his savings, he turned to mystery fiction and eventually devoted his commercial writing time to Nero Wolfe stories. Use the links below to review his non-Wolfe writings, including a couple by Archie and a cook book:
- Non-Mystery Novels—–1929 – 1938 (4 Psychological Novels, 1 Thriller, 2 Romantic Novels)
- Non-Wolfe Mystery Fiction – 1937 – 1941 (6 Mystery Novels, 2 mystery short stories, 1 Adventure Novel, 12 Mystery Magazine compilations)
- Other Rex Stout Publications – 1929 – 1975
- Book Reviews by Rex Stout
- Slide show of the cover art of the books
Non-Mystery Novels—–1929 – 1938
(4 Psychological Novels, 1 Thriller, 2 Romantic Novels)
(don't miss the scans of the cover art of these publications)
Publisher(s) & Date | Title | Genre | Comment | |
1929, The Vanguard Press | How Like A God | novel/psychological![]() |
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1930, The Vanguard Press | Seed on the Wind | novel/psychological | |
1931, The Vanguard Press | Golden Remedy | novel/psychological | |
1933, Farrar & Rinehart | Forest Fire | novel/psychological | |
1934, Farrar & Rinehart | The President Vanishes | novel/thriller ![]() |
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1935, Farrar & Rinehart | O Careless Love! | novel/romance | |
1938, Farrar & Rinehart | Mr. Cinderella | novel/romance |
Non-Wolfe Mystery Fiction – 1937 – 1941
6 Mystery Novels, 2 mystery short stories, 1 Adventure Novel
(don't miss the scans of the cover art of these publications)
MYSTERY MAGAZINE COMPILATIONS
1945-1947 & 1954
(don't miss the scans, below,of the cover art of these publications)
Nine volumes were published between 1945 and 1947, changing names three times: "Rex Stout Mystery Magazine," "Rex Stout Mystery Quarterly, Rex Stout Mystery Monthly. Rex Stout wrote an introduction for each volume, available for reading (see link below). In 1954 three additional mystery magazines were published as "Nero Wolfe Mystery Magazine."
Pub. Date/ Publisher | Title | Genre | |
1945-47, Avon Detective-Mysteries, Inc. | Rex Stout Mystery Magazines (9 issues with varying names ("Magazine," "Quarterly" & "Monthly") | Periodical | |
1945, Avon Detective-Mysteries, Inc. | Rex Stout Mystery Quarterly (No. 1 & 2 of 9) Louis Greenfield - Editor: Rex Stout Mystery Quarterly |
Periodical | |
1946, Avon Detective-Mysteries, Inc. | Rex Stout Mystery Magazine (Mo. 3, 4, 5 of 9) Louis Greenfield - Editor: Rex Stout Mystery Magazine |
Periodical | |
1946-1947, Avon Detective-Mysteries, Inc. | Rex Stout's Mystery Monthly (No. 6, 7, 8, 9 of 9) Herbert Williams - Editor: Rex Stout's Mystery Monthly |
Periodical | |
1954, Hillman Publications (Cover Scans available) |
Nero Wolfe Mystery Magazine (Vol. 1, Nos. 1, 2, 3) Stout, Rex, Supervising Editor |
Periodical | |
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1959, Macmillan | Four Five & Six By Tey: A Shilling for Candles, The Daughter of Time, The Singing Sands |
![]() Rex Stout's essay on Detective Fiction, included in (with an excerpt on the back cover) of Josephine Tey's posthumously published mystery anthology. Mr. Stout was an admirer of Tey, especially her final book, The Daughter of Time, included in this anthology, which exonerated Richard III of his crimes. |
OTHER REX STOUT WRITINGS – 1929 – 1975
(don't miss the scans of the cover art of these publications)
Recent Pub. Date | Title & Contents | Format/Genre |
1936, The New Masses, December 15, 1936 | "A Good Character for a Novel" | ![]() "A Good Character for a Novel" concerns a man who will debate on any side of a discussion, "proving that the ability to argue both sides of a question can have alarming consequences." Rex Stout's FBI file may contain references to this story since The New Masses was a Marxist publication. |
1942, Alfred A. Knopf | The Illustrious Dunderheads | Anthology,
Stout, Rex (editor) An anthology of brief passages from pre-Pearl Harbor isolationist and anti-war speeches and writings of U.S. congressmen, as well as itemized voting records of those who tended to vote against the Roosevelt administration on military and defense matters. (Many of the supposedly imbecilic quotations, complaining about supplying military aid to Josef Stalin, do not seem so dunderheaded today, e.g. Karl Mundt: "The prospect of a Hitler victory over Russia is dreary enough. But how much brighter for us is the possibility of a Stalin victory?") |
September 15, 1963, Life Magazine | "Why Nero Wolfe Likes Orchids" | ![]() Concluding a feature story titled "The Orchid" that was photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Archie Goodwin "investigates and explains the deep satisfactions of his boss' orchid-fixation." (The article was reprinted in Corsage" A Bouquet of Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe, edited by Michael Bourne.) |
January, 1966, Ramparts Magazine | "The Case of the Spies Who Weren't" | ![]() "Archie Goodwin reports that the previous evening Nero Wolfe and "Rex Stout, my literary agent," filled 27 pages in his notebook with their discussion of Invitation to an Inquest by Walter and Miriam Schneir, a recently published book that they are reviewing for Ramparts magazine. Since their review must be fewer than 3,000 words, Wolfe frowns and orders Archie to "Contract it. Cramp it." I frowned back. "You cramp it. Or Stout. Let him earn his ten per cent. Dictate it." Archie loses the argument and condenses their views on the book, which concerns the case against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. " |
1973, Viking Press | The Nero Wolfe Cook Book | Edited by Rex Stout and the editors of the Viking Pres Recipes and pertinent quotes from the corpus illustrated by vintage New York City photographs by John Muller, Andreas Feininger and others |
Book Reviews by Rex Stout
(Click a title to read the review.)
Stout probably wrote many more reviews on commission or as a favor for his author-friends.
Send us any additional Stout-authored reviews that you come across.
- 1939-08-27 The Orchid Hunter, A Jungle Adventure by Norman MacDonald
- 1953-05-24 Blue Trout and Black Truffles, The Peregrinations of an Epicure by Joseph Weschberg
- 1955-08-21 International Chef by John Dingle
- 1957-03-24 Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner by Henry Goddard
- 1959-09-19 The Art of Eating by M. F. K. Fisher
- 1960-05-09 The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes by Vincent Starrett
- 1964-02-02 The Minister and the Choir Singer: The Hall-Mills Murder by William M. Kunstler
- 1964 White Lotus by John Hersey (PARTIAL -- MISSING last page)