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Detective and Mystery Fiction

What is the Guymon Collection?

The E.T. (Ned) Guymon Detective Fiction Collection (PCL MS-32) contains literary manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and more than 1,600 books, many of which are first editions. The Guymon Collection contains materials relating to the Baker Street Irregulars and the Mystery Writers of America, as well as to authors Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, August Derleth, Vincent Starrett, Ellery Queen, Raymond Chandler, Craig Rice, and many other friends and correspondents of Ned Guymon.

The voluminous correspondence between Guymon and numerous authors, dealers, and collectors, from 1930 to 1983, forms the basis of the Guymon Collection. In addition, there are a number of literary manuscripts; hundreds of dealers' invoices; and large files of materials pertaining to the Baker Street Irregulars; the Mystery Writers of America (including a long run of MWA's The Third Degree); and the Mystery Library. Also included in the Collection of numerous catalogs, lists, reviews, programs, scrapbooks and photographs.

Use the finding aid PCL MS-32 for assistance in using the Guymon Collection.

How to Use the BPCL & What to Bring With You

  • BPCL's hours are more limited than the main floor, but we're open late on Monday and Tuesday.
  • We're an archive/repository, so most of our materials cannot be checked out.
  • Most of our collection is not open for browsing. You need to request materials at our reference desk with your university ID or a photo ID. 
  • The reference collection is open for browsing! It's one of the best places to get started with popular culture research.
  • We have a copier and a scanner available for copying/scanning materials that cannot be checked out.  There is a fee for copying, but scanning is free.