Odhams Press Ltd -- Fifty Famous Detectives of Fiction (1948)

An hefty (696 pages) snapshot of the detective short story as it was in the late 1940s, featuring just about every notable British detective of that period. There are a couple of French candidates, too, one Belgian, and three Americans -- Bill Parmelee (who has a strong odour of Asey Mayo about him), Travis Tarrant and the redoubtable Uncle Abner. Many of the stories are anthologised elsewhere, but there are enough rarities to make the book worth having. A separate list after the table of contents identifies the detectives: as well as the usual suspects they include the following.

Professor Bastion

FT Carrington

Susan Dare

Archer Dawe

Old Ebbie

Dr Eustace Hailey

Inspector Head 

Mr Laxworthy

Mr Pepper

Mr Pinkerton

QQ

Dr Louis Raphael

Inspector O. Rater

Inspector Silver

Inspector Slade

If most of these have remained obscure it is usually -- to judge by these stories -- for a good reason. Several of the stories border on the ludicrous, but the palm has to go to the last one, 'The Episode of Torment IV' by C Daly King. Seldom has so silly a conclusion been preceded by so prolonged a build-up. Most of the others shape up reasonably well, and the collection is embellished by sixteen engraved illustrations by a range of different artists, collected at the front of the book -- though be warned, at least two of them are spoilers. 

Jon.