Here is a groundbreaking collection of 26 impossible crime stories from over 20 countries, demonstrating the global reach of this most friendishly ingenious tale. Several stories appear here for the first time, many have never been anthologized, and a few classics are included. Also included are 12 short anecodotes of real-life impossibilities: how can a man locked in his room without alcohol get drunk every night? How can heavy stone coffins in a sealed crypt be moved? How can hundreds of rare French books be stolen from an ancient library? These are just a few of the actual impossibilities that are explained in The Realm of the Impossible.