Arthur and Phyllis Rieser Mystery Collection

The Browne Popular Culture Library is honored to have received a substantial gift of more than 10,000 volumes from the personal mystery collection of Arthur and Phyllis Rieser. This collection includes first editions, early printings and trade editions of mystery and suspense novels, including true crime and fictional crime from about 1880 to the present. The collection also contains many of their personal favorites, including such authors as Ellery Queen, Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, John Dickinson Carr, Rex Stout, Robert Crais, and Ed McBain.

"It's no mystery-Phyllis and Arthur Rieser are true 'friends of the library'", BGSU Monitor, November 20, 2006.

After residing in Manhattan for most of their lives, the Riesers recently retired and moved to Florida. Arthur attended MIT and Columbia Business School and has spent his entire career in the securities industry. Phyllis started as an art major, but later switched her field to psychology. She received her doctorate at Fordham University and had a private practice in New York until her retirement.

This collection, reflecting the Riesers' lifelong interest in the mystery genre, is a significant addition to the Library's extensive collection of mystery and suspense fiction.  Browse a list of titles or see below for a slideshow of items from the collection.