It's Not A Mystery to Me...

Mystery Fiction collectors (and personal property appraisers) everywhere, take note -- Otto Penzler's landmark collection will be sold at auction March 6. 

Why is this important?

Because Penzler has one of the largest collections of detective fiction in the world. He also founded the Mysterious Bookshop in 1879 -- the oldest American bookshop dedicated to (what else) mystery liberature.

This is his library.

There's good stuff inside Penzler's collection, including The Big Sleep, signed by Raymond Chandler himself, and a rare edition of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. Ooooh.

Penzler said his interest was first caught by The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.  (One of my favorites, too.) He began collecting first editions when few others were noticing detective fiction -- he said that he could pick up several within his $5/week budget. Lucky him -- because a number of those titles are now valued in the tens of thousands of dollars.  The Maltese Falcon, for example, is currently appraised at more than $30,000.

The March 6 auction, hosted by Heritage Auctions, will only offer part of Penzler's collection. The second half, focusing on British fiction, will be auctioned off Sept. 5. If you're a booklover, you'll want to add the date to your calendar.

Go here for more. P.S. You can start bidding now.

Currently valued at $4400...