I grew up as a Navy brat. Until I was 16, my family moved at least every two or three years. One reason I like mysteries is that no matter where we moved, the library would always have some Nero Wolfe, Ellery Queen, and Agatha Christie. Because of that, I could count on finding familiar friends no matter where we ended up. But I never once tried any of Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason books.
This past week, I corrected that omission. I started with book 1, The Case of the Velvet Claws and am now reading book 6, The Case of the Counterfeit Eye. I am particular about series; I want to start with book one rather then start in the middle.
These books are not terribly long (and I read very quickly.) But I am having a blast with them. The book Perry is much more fun than the series Perry. I enjoyed Raymond Burr’s Perry Mason as much as the next person, but the Perry Mason in the books is more active, takes chances and comes up with wild ideas that protect a client only in fiction.
A fair warning if you want to try these books—the first books were written in 1933, 1934, and 1935. Several of them began as serial publications over months before the story was compiled into a book. The books are true to the era they were written. They are not, by any stretch of the imagination, politically correct. Characters (not Perry, of course) use certain ethnic names that are not acceptable now and the status of women is beyond unrecognizable. In the 1930s, and in the hard-boiled style of Gardner’s writing, women are “Janes” if the speaker doesn’t know who the woman is, and quite often called “girls.” So, in one scene, Perry calls Della Street, his fanatically loyal secretary, “good girl” when she does something particularly clever. The idea of men hitting on women in the workplace or elsewhere (again, never Perry) is not wrong but expected.
That being said, and if you remember when they were written, the books are terrific romps and a lot of fun. I am curious to see how their tone changes as the series advances. The last Erle Stanley Gardner Perry Mason books were published posthumously in the 1970s. A lot changed in the almost 40 years that Gardner kept the series going.
What series have you meant to try but haven’t reached yet? Why not try them and see what happens?
Our summer cabin library was filled with with all the books you referred to and with Reader's Digest books, which I never read, my theory being if I wanted to read the story, I want to read the whole story, not someone's cut-down version. I did read all the mysteries, including one of my favorites the "Gideon's of Scotland Yard" series by JJ Marric (penname for John Creasy)
ReplyDeleteI've never regretted that decision. The reason I enjoy the original book better than the movie version is because of all the things the movie must (of necessity) leave out to fit its allotted time.
~ Jim
Soldier on, Nancy! Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. I haven't read Perry Mason either, although I do remember the TV show. You've piqued my interest.
ReplyDeleteI devoured every paperback on my grandparents' summer cottage shelves, but never Perry Mason. Nancy, how much has courtroom procedure changed since Perry Mason's heyday?
ReplyDeleteThere are some classic mystery series that I haven't read, but so often they tend to be hard boil PI series that are told in a very male POV. I don't enjoy them, but I feel guilty for not forcing myself to read them. But then again, reading must be enjoyable so I don't even if they might be educational.
ReplyDeleteI used to really like the straightforward detective-type series and would pick up Robert B Parker's books at the library. That was before cozy mysteries took hold of me!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to discover a series that you love! Especially an older, established series that you can binge-read. And, since the series is complete, you never have the dismaying prospect of waiting for the next book to come out.
ReplyDeleteThere's something wrong with the concept that it takes an author so much longer to write the next book than it takes us to read it.
What fun! I'm going to give them a go. Like Korina, I used to read more hard boiled stuff (looking at you Ross Macdonald and Robert Parker) before going over to the cozy side. I'm eager to give Perry a try!
ReplyDeleteNancy, It's always a delight to discover a new series, even one that started almost a century ago. I'm so glad you pointed out that these books reflect attitudes of the time they were written in. They serve as a reminder of the social changes that have taken place since then.
ReplyDelete