Coles, Robert.
The
Moral
Life
of
Children
. Boston: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1986.
A child psychiatrist’s attempt to uncover the psychology of the everyday lives of children, following Anna Freud’s lead in devising a “methodology” of observing ordinary children. Most helpful in its discussion of character formation.
Denning, Michael.
Mechanic
Accents
:
Dime
Novels
and
Working-Class
Culture
in
America
. London: Verso, 1987.
An examination of one of the first mass media and its place in the culture of American working people, arguing that the concerns and “accents” of workers are paramount in the stories.
Johannsen, Albert.
The
House
of
Beadle
and
Adams
and
Its
Dime
and
Nickel
Novels
. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1950.
An entertaining account of the phenomenon of dime novels: their history and production; their creators, artistic and commercial; their hayday and their demise.
Lambert, Gavin.
The
Dangerous
Edge
. New York: Grossman Publishers, 1976.
An examination of the creative approach, along with biographical material, of several writers of mystery.
Landrum, Larry N., Pat Brown, Ray B. Browne, eds.
Dimension
s
of Detective
Fiction
. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1976.
A collection of essays which examines and explains the genre and its extensions (alienation; experimental fiction) and style.
May, Charles E. “Why Did Detective Fiction Make Its Debut in the Short Story Format?,” in
The
Armchair
Detective
, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Winter ‘87), pp. 77-81.
An interesting discussion of the role of the reader in and of detective fiction. Reinforces the place of careful reading.
Nessel, Denise. “Do Your Students Think When They Read?,” in
Learning
89
, April, pp. 55-58.
An explication of the “directed reading activity” and how it can be improved so that students become more actively involved in reading and thinking.
Pearson, Edmund A.
Dime
Novels
;
or
,
Following
an
Old
Trail
in
Popular
Literature
. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1929.
A breezy examination of dime novels: their times, their readership, their morality. There are several extended excerpts from dime novels which can be better sampled at Beinecke.
Phillips, Louis. “The Oddly Colored Thread: Logic in Detective Fiction,” in
The
Armchair
Detective
, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 310-13.
An exploration of logic and reasoning (some of it faulty) in short detective fiction.
Simon, Sidney B., Leland W. Howe, Howard Kirschenbaum,
Values
Clarification
:
A
Handbook
of
Practical
Strategies
for
Teachers
and
Students
, New York: Hart Publishing Company, 1972.
A manual which presents a philosophy and offers a large number of ways to practice what you preach. Suggested activities are easily adaptable to a variety of subject areas and age and grade levels. Invaluable.