Abby Connolly
Are you a big fan of mystery novels?
They can be a blast to read, making you want more as you read each page.
Dilys Winn, a writer, editor, and bookseller, was also a big fan of mystery fiction novels. So, she became one of the first people to open a store dedicated to selling mystery and detective fiction.
Dilys was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1939 and moved to the United States in 1940. She spent her childhood and public school days in New Jersey before studying at the Baldwin School in Philadelphia and Pembroke College in Rhode Island.
Throughout the late 1960s, Dilys worked as an advertising copywriter. However, she got to a point where she felt unsatisfied with her life and needed a change.
She was a huge fan of mystery books and was inspired by Sylvia Beach, the founder of the famous original Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris, France.
Dilys decided she would open her own bookstore in New York City and dedicate the entire shop to selling mystery-themed books. Within a matter of weeks, Dilys opened her store on West 87th Street in Manhattan in 1972 and named it Murder Ink.
Before long, Murder Ink had a faithful clientele of mystery lovers and was noteworthy for its range of mystery material. Murder Ink brought together mystery lovers from all walks of life. A few years later, Dilys ended up selling the store and began working on her own writing.
In 1975, she created “Murder Ink,” an anthology of essays and opinion pieces aimed at mystery fans.
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