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Web Site Showcases
American Detective Fiction

Posting all Detective Fiction
Prior to Conan Doyle

Fully Searchable

The mission of the Westminster Detective Library to catalog and make available online all the short fiction dealing with detectives and detection published in the United States before Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia” (1891).

This site grew out of research for the anthology Early American Detective Stories (McFarland 2008) that I edited with my mentor and colleague LeRoy Lad Panek (1943-2021), winner of two Edgar awards for his contributions to the scholarly field of detective criticism. We uncovered a treasure-trove of forgotten and previously unavailable detective stories, many more than could be included in a single anthology. And so this on-going project was born.

The site includes a working bibliography; full-text copy of entries are added as they are prepared. A few stories that were published in Britain but which appear to have been previously published in America have also been included and are indicated by an asterisk in the bibliography. I welcome comments and solicit both additional bibliographical entries and texts.

Mary M. Bendel-Simso, editor

Select Story

The Stolen Potatoes

A Detective Sketch

by Sylvanus Cobb, Jr.

It was at the time when that queen of the potato family—the Early Rose—first made its appearance; and the scene of the story was in Lycoming Co., Pa., within the limits of Hughesville. Adam Waldron was a well-to-do farmer, stock-breeder, and general trader in country produce, who not only kept a sharp eye upon the best breeds of horses and cattle, but who was also sure to secure seed necessary to the raising of the most approved crops upon his farm. Following his custom, he learned of the excellent qualities of the Early Rose potato before one of them had been seen in his neighborhood, and such confidence had he in the variety that he ordered, from the nearest available dépôt, twenty bushels to be sent to his address by rail. This was early in the spring, several weeks before planting time.

The potatoes arrived on time, and were on exhibition at the railroad station one whole day before Mr. Waldron took them home; and as they were in bags, and as the owner was very accommodating, as well as proud of his acquisition, everybody who so desired had the privilege of… Read More

Miscellany

The Detective of the Present -- Finn and Jourdan

Time was when a detective was a man who detected things. A detective is still that in some European countries; and he still detects things—in novels. There's Buckett in “Bleak House” who detects Lady Dedlook, and there's that detective in Collin’s story of the “Moon Stone,” quite a detector. New York used to have Old Hayes, who could detect a thing or two; Paris has had Vidocq, and Bow street has had Forster.* But the race has died out entirely in America, and is dying out in England.

Commissioner Jourdan, of Brooklyn, has been making an effort to raise up a detective or two and has actually produced Corr and Bill. Corr and Bill were raised to the Vidocquian task of tracing a mystic murder. Finnan is a hatter; and Finnan has been in States Prison. That ought to be enough for any detective such as Corr to concluded that Finnan did the deed. Edgar A. Poe could not reason out a conclusion clearer than that. So Corr went to where Finnan was making hats.

Is Finnan here? Yes—want to see him?