The Best American Mystery Stories of the 19th Century

The Best American Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth CenturyAn unparalleled treasury of crime, mystery, and murder from the genre's founding century With stories by Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum, Edith Wharton, Stephen Crane, and Jack London, The Best American Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth Century is an essential anthology of American letters. It's a unique blend of beloved writers who contributed to the genre and forgotten names that pioneered the form, such as Anna Katharine Green, the godmother of mystery fiction, and the African-American writer Charles W. Chesnutt. Of course, Penzler includes "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," recognized as the first detective story, and with thirty-three stories spanning the years 1824–1899, nowhere else can readers find such a surprising, comprehensive take on the evolution of the American mystery story.ContentsWASHINGTON IRVING The Story of the Young RobberWILLIAM LEGGETT The RifleNATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Mr. Higginbotham’s CatastropheEDGAR ALLAN POE The Murders in the Rue MorgueEDGAR ALLAN POE The Purloined LetterABRAHAM LINCOLN Remarkable Case of Arrest for MurderDANIEL WEBSTER The Fatal SecretTHOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH The DanseuseLOUISA MAY ALCOTT A Double Tragedy: An Actor’s StoryALLAN PINKERTON The Two Sisters; Or, The AvengerFRANK STOCKTON The Lady, or the Tiger? and The Discourager of HesitancyMARK TWAIN A Thumb-Print and What Came of ItAMBROSE BIERCE My Favorite MurderCHARLES W. CHESNUTT The Sheriff’s ChildrenRICHARD HARDING DAVIS GallegherWILLIAM NORR ’Round the Opium LampPERCIVAL POLLARD Lingo DanRODRIGUES OTTOLENGUI The Nameless Man and The Montezuma EmeraldANNA KATHARINE GREEN The Doctor, His Wife, and the ClockWILLIAM M. HINKLEY A Very Strange CaseMARY E. WILKINS The Long ArmCLEVELAND MOFFETT The Mysterious Card and The Mysterious Card UnveiledMARK TWAIN Tom Sawyer, DetectiveMELVILLE DAVISSON POST The Corpus DelictiL. FRANK BAUM The Suicide of KiarosROBERT W. CHAMBERS The Purple EmperorEDWARD BELLAMY At Pinney’s RanchSTEPHEN CRANE The Blue HotelEDITH WHARTON A Cup of Cold WaterNICHOLAS CARTER The Detective’s Pretty NeighborELLEN GLASGOW A Point in MoralsJACK LONDON A Thousand Deaths