Maigret reference books?

I've just read 9 of the early Maigrets, and already I'm getting confused on who was in which novel, and what each was about. I'd like to get a Maigret reference book with synopses of the novels & stories, index of characters, map of Paris - that sort of thing. There are a number of such books for Sherlock Holmes, but I'm not finding one for Maigret.

I do see that 5 LTers have The Complete Maigret: From Simenon's Original Novels to Granada's much acclaimed TV series, by Peter Haining. Is that such a book, or is it more an appreciation or history of the TV series?

Does anyone have recommendations for a Maigret reference book?

Well, here's an on-line resource:

Maigret .

Eventually thiat site links you through to:

The Maigret Encyclopedia

which seems to have some of the information you seek.

Thanks, AsYouKnow_Bob! I'd still like a book with this information, but this is an excellent site.

Hi,
Both Simenon : A Biography by Pierre Assouline and The man Who Wasn't maigret : A Portrait of Georges Simenon by patrick marnham have much of the information that you want,although they are not 'Companions' as such.They do both list many books about the writings however.If you want me to look further please feel free to contact me via my profile page and I will sort some out.

Thank you, devenish, for the information and for your offer to look further. I just went to my local library site and put in a request for both books, so I should get them in a few days.

This is apparently going to be my year of reading Maigret. Have just finished a 10th book (Maigret Mystified) and I'm on to Hotel Majestic. And I just bought 30 Maigrets on eBay. I'm finding it a pleasant escape to be immersed in Maigret's world. It's also greatly enjoyable to have a new book-buying quest - there are a lot of Maigrets out there.

Glad to be of help.
You look as if you are going to have a real Maigret feast.

I personally also love the online Maigret encyclopedia (and I have spent (too many!) happy moments browsing through it.... http://www.trussel.com/f_maig.htm . But, I've never come across a reference book.

I hope you're enjoying your Maigret season ;)
I've just finished reading Maigret Has Scruples, now I am on to a non Maigret Simenon, the Trial of Bebe Donge.
I find it a real shame that Simenon seems, in England anyway, a bit forgotten. Hardly any bookshops I go in have staff who've even heard of Maigret unless they are over about 40! It's a big shame there isn't a companion book like some other famous crime writers. Whilst it's true he has a lot of biographers of varying quality maybe its mire the publishers who would need convincing it would sell.
Best wishes

Welcome to LibraryThing, SimenonFan!

After reading 33 Maigrets starting in January and continuing through April, I decided to take a break. I managed to acquire more than 50 or 60, though, mostly older paperbacks, so I can resume my Maigret-ing at any time.

I don't think Simenon's non-Maigret novels are quite my cup of tea (or calvados), so I don't feel especially drawn to them. They look more like the psychological mysteries of Ruth Rendell -- of which I have read exactly one, and that one was too many, I thought.

I started reading Maigret because I'd been enjoying Fred Vargas's Adamsberg books. I think there had been a cover blurb on one comparing Adamsberg to Maigret, so when I ran out of Adamsbergs, I went on to the Maigrets. And got completely hooked. Even though I'm working my way through some other mystery series at the moment, I'm looking forward to getting back to Maigret, maybe in the fall, and I feel downright rich to have so many I haven't read yet waiting for me on my shelves.