CONTACT   

 BEGINNINGS:

Edgar Allan Poe, American writer, poet, critic and essayist, may be best known for his tales of terror, but he is also widely acknowledged as the man who invented the modern detective story, since his early detective tales about C. Auguste Dupin created the path so many other mystery writers have followed. The first of these was "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Dupin later appeared in "The Mystery of Marie Roget" and "The Purloined Letter."  His brilliant detective whose sidekick narrated the stories surely influenced writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle.  Visit his museum website here:  Poe Museum.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a Scottish writer and medical doctor whose 1887 story, "A Study in Scarlet," introduced to the world the character of Sherlock Holmes, who is likely the most universally known detective in the history of mystery fiction worldwide.  Doyle wrote 56 short stories and 4 novels featuring the 'World's Greatest Detective.'  He also wrote the Professor Challenger series of novels, including "The Lost World," and a number of historical novels and other works.  The Sherlock Holmes Museum has a website here:  Holmes Museum.

Emile Gaboriau, French writer, novelist and journalist, also contributed to the modern mystery novel with the publication in 1866 of his book, "L'Affaire Lerouge," which featured an amateur detective and a police officer, Monsieur Lecoq, who was the lead character in 3 of Gaboriau's later novels.  Most of this author's works may be found for downloading at Project Gutenberg, Gaboriau.

Wilkie Collins, a protege of Charles Dickens, wrote what many regard as the first great mystery novel, "The Woman in White," in 1859, as well as his 1868 detective novel, "The Moonstone."  Read more about Collins at this website: Wilkie Collins Pages.

(no photo of Felix)    Charles Felix, perhaps the pseudonym of Charles Warren Adams, wrote "The Notting Hill Mystery" a novel published in 8 parts in 1862. Many people have considered this book to be the first true detective novel.

Louisa Mae Alcott, wrote melodramas and gothic novels, but her 1863 book, "Pauline's Passion and Punishment," under the pen-name of A. M. Barnard is considered a mystery novel. Later in her career she wrote "Little Women," for which she is perhaps best known. Learn more about her here.

FEATURED

BOOK PICKS

(Click on covers to learn more)