Recs if you like The Documents in the Case...

A list of written works entering the Public Domain in the United States on January 1st, 2026! Go find a copy and get thee reading!

Called "the definitive library of mystery fiction". Howard Haycraft originally published the list in 1941 in Murder for Pleasure. It was updated and broadened by Ellery Queen. This is the final revision, including books from 1748 to 1952.

These books are historically significant because of their influence on the development of crime fiction, however books from these times often contain bigoted and otherwise offensive content.

I haven't read them all, or even a high percentage. I'm trying to keep track of how many on this list I read.

I could only find a Spanish language version of A Case to Answer by Edgar Lustgarten.

Behold: yet another of my 2 a.m. deep dives - this time into epistolary literature! The list starts with some of the earliest examples of the form and follows it into the present day, from stories told through letters and diaries to those built from emails, texts, transcripts, and other documents. Whether you’re a longtime fan or completely new to this genre, what interests you most about it?

(A quick note: I put this list together using Wikipedia, blog posts, and Reddit threads. I did my best to keep everything in chronological order, but a few mistakes may have slipped through - it was 2 a.m., after all. If you have any suggestions on what else I should add, I’d love to hear it!)