A True Friend of Mystery

Editor, radio host, and blogger Elizabeth Foxwell (with such a raft of responsibilities, does she ever have time to sleep?) reminds us that today would have been the 95th birthday of prominent American books critic, novelist, and anthologist Anthony Boucher (aka William Anthony Parker White). Yes, that would be the same Boucher who gave his name to Bouchercon, the annual crime-fiction convention. He’s also to be remembered fondly for having championed crime writers, including Ross Macdonald, in the mainstream press at a time--the mid-20th century--when this genre was still thought of as merely escapist, and distinctly non-literary.

Boucher died in 1968.