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By: Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) | |
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Technique of the Mystery Story
For one, I have never been one of those who apologize for my frank and never-ending delight in mystery stories. Their mazes have led me unwearied through miles of printed pages, and if only the problem has been worth while, and its pursuit has led along surprising ways, past shuddery thickets and over fearsome bridges, my soul has returned to sober affairs refreshed and content. In a word, here is a remarkable volume which shows us how the wheels go round, not by dogmatic statement, but by an amazing breadth and variety of citation and quotation, showing not only what great mystery writers have thought of their art, but illustrating by apposite examples how they secured their effects... | |
Chain of Evidence
The Mystery: ”Mr. Stone," I began, "if three persons spent the night in an apartment so securely locked on the inside that there was no possible means of ingress, and if in the morning it was found that one of those three persons had been murdered at midnight, would you say that the guilt must rest upon either one or both of the other two persons?” The solution - who knows? Listen and enjoy. - Summary by Richard Kilmer | |
Mystery of the Sycamore
Instead of prison time, former governor, Samuel Appleby, sentences his former rival, Daniel Wheeler to imprisonment on his homestead with a very strange addendum. He then endeavors to convince Mr. Wheeler to endorse his son’s candidacy for governor with a promise of commuting his sentence. In the meantime, Samuel Appleby is murdered in Wheeler’s home. The discovery of the identity of the murderer has many twists and turns filled with love, devotion, gumshoe dialog, and weird circumstances that will delight the listener in a most unusual way. | |
Clue
Once Carolyn Wells began, or re-invented her writing career, 'The Clue' was her initial book which strayed from children's writings into mysteries and detective stories. It is also when we are introduced to her most famous of detectives, Fleming Stone. On the eve of her wedding day, Madeleine Van Norman, a beautiful young lady who is soon to come into her family fortune is found dead, apparently stabbed with an ominous blood-stained letter opener found nearby. There is nobody within the household... | |
Anybody But Anne
Narrated in the first person by Raymond Sturgis, Anne's old high-school beau, the story opens with a lavish house party hosted by the Van Wycks. David Van Wyck has suddenly decided to become a philanthropist and proposes to give away his entire fortune to the building of a new library in the community, thus leaving his family penniless. The morning following his late meeting with the library committee, David is found dead in his locked study. The Van Wyck pearls are missing as is the deed giving away the fortune... | |
Man Who Fell Through the Earth
A lawyer is leaving his office on the top floor of an office building. He sees the shadows of two men fighting through the clouded glass of an office door followed by a shot from the office across the hall. He goes to investigate. He finds no sign of either victim or assailant despite the fact that no one could have passed him in the hallway without being seen. A murder has been committed, that of the banker. Who is the murderer? A business associate, the banker’s beautiful ward, or a mysterious... | |
Mystery Girl
Was it murder or suicide? All entrances to the study where the body was found were locked from the inside. The future college president and groom-to-be had no known cause for suicide, yet no clues in either direction appeared to make any sense. Was Anita, the Mystery Girl, who had just arrived in the New England college town, somehow been implicated? Had she any reason to ensure of the demise of the well-liked man? Perhaps some love letters between the two that nobody was to know about? And what of the mark of a ring on the deceased man's forehead? The college town was abuzz, and it seemed everyone had their own ideas of what actually happened. - Summary by Roger Melin | |
Eight Girls and a Dog
A book about eight girls who are members of the Blue Ribbon Cooking Club. Timmy Loo is their dog, who's always looking for a little scrap of food. He's cute and energetic. The girls decide it's time for a vacation and they all pack up and go to a summer house near Uncle and Aunt. They have many adventures there as they cook and take care of themselves. Delightful book! | |
Deep Lake Mystery
Imagine, if you will, a murder committed in a sealed room. A room which has been sealed from the inside, that is, with no possible means of exit, excepting a dangerous plunge through a window into a deep, foreboding lake with swirling eddies and rocks abound. Add to that image a wreath of flowers around the head and across the chest of the victim, a crucifix, an orange, a feather scarf tucked in here and there, two crackers, a handkerchief, and a feather duster. And a nail. Oh, and one more item to add to the curious array of arranged paraphenalia - a watch in a water pitcher by the bedside... | |
Curved Blades
In this suspensful whodunit a mean-spirited and wealthy dowager is found murdered in her boudoir supposedly killed once by poison and also by a blow to the head. Most bizarre is the fact that she is found sitting in front of her mirror lavishly dressed wearing a fortune in pearls and gems. Her niece, her social secretary, her cousin managing her finances, a mysterious count and a maid acting rather suspiciously are the suspects. The police are getting nowhere so famous criminologist Fleming Stone is called in. However is it possible he is so taken with the primary suspect that she could prevent him from solving the mystery??? - Summary by Celine Major | |
Faulkner's Folly
Eric Stannard, wealthy artist and portrait painter of international reputation is found dead in his studio, an etching needle protruding from his chest. The lights had gone out momentarily just before he was found by a footman and a long-time friend. Standing beside the victim is Joyce his wife and his model Natalie both seeming to be struck with terror and shock!! At first glance the suspects seem obvious...but what about the artist's son who is in love with Natalie, the neighbor in love with the wife, a burglar? Will a psychic help find the murderer? Or will it fall upon the great detective Alan Ford to solve this one? - Summary by Celine Major |
By: Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947) | |
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Woman Suffrage and Politics
Written after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment and published in 1923, "This book's essential contribution must be sought in its revelation of the bearing of American politics upon the question of woman suffrage." The book traces the history of the women's suffrage movement in the United States from 1848 through 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vole was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and ratified August 18, 1920. - Summary by J. M. Smallheer |
By: Carroll Mac Sheridan | |
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Stag Cook Book
This book is dedicated to "that great host of bachelors and benedicts alike who have at one time or another tried to 'cook something': and who, in the attempt, have weakened under a fire of feminie raillery and sarcasm, only to spoil what, under more favorable circumstances, would have proved a chef-d'aeuvre." More than 100 famous men contributed recipes to this collection of recipes "by men, for men." - Summary by kathrinee |
By: Carroll Watson Rankin (1864-1945) | |
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Dandelion Cottage
Carroll Watson Rankin's best known novel is Dandelion Cottage, published in 1904 by Henry Holt and Company. She first wrote the story serially for her own children. Considered a regional classic in the midwest, it tells of four young girls who negotiate the use of a derelict cottage as a playhouse by pulling dandelions for the owner, prosperous Mr. Black. The real life model for Mr. Black is generally acknowledged to be Marquette businessman and philanthropist, Peter White. The original Dandelion Cottage is located at 440 East Arch and is privately owned. | |
The Cinder Pond
Years ago, a manufacturer built a great dock, jutting out from and then turning parallel to the shore of a northern Michigan town. The factory was abandoned, and following the habits of small towns, the space between the dock and the shore became "The Cinder Pond." Jean started life in the colony of squatters that came to live in the shanties on the dock, but fortune, heroism, and a mystery combine to change her fortunes and those of her friends near the Cinder Pond. (Advertising material from the publisher, 1915) More than one girl who reads this story will envy Jeanne her queer little home out on the end of the old dock in Lake Superior... | |
The Girls of Gardenville
It is pleasant to have another book about a group of merry, natural girls, who have the attractions of innocence and youthful faults. "The Sweet Sixteen" Club made fudge, and went on picnics, and behaved just as jolly, nice maidens should. (The Outlook, vol. 82, Mar. 24, 1906) | |
Adopting of Rosa Marie
In this charming girl's book we meet again the four chums of Dandelion Cottage. Their friendship knit closer than ever by their summer at playing house, the girls enlarge their activity by mothering a pretty little Indian baby. "Those who have read Dandelion Cottage will need no urge to follow further. . . . A lovable group of four children, happily not perfect, but full of girlish plans and pranks and a delightful sense of humor." - Summary from the book |
By: Carter Woodson (1875-1950) | |
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Century of Negro Migration
Dr. Woodson describes the internal migration of African Americans within the United States, including the Northern Migration and the draw of California. Cultural and sociological observations are made as well as a study of principal economic factors in this migration. Summary by KevinS. |
By: Casimir Stryienski (1853-1912) | |
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Eighteenth Century (National History of France)
This panoramic history of the last days of Bourbon France opens with the death of Louis XIV in 1715 and the minority of the ill-educated, Louis XV. The financial genius, John Law, precipitates a market bubble, with speculators frantic to buy and sell shares. The King, indolent and sensual, is content to leave the government to his cardinals and his mistresses. Meanwhile, France loses India and North America in the Seven Years' War. In 1774, Louis XVI succeeds his grandfather. Well-intentioned, but ineffectual, he falls under the sway of Marie-Antoinette and her favorites, so that when at last competent ministers are found to confront France's problems, it is too late. |
By: Casper S. Yost (1863-1941) | |
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Patience Worth
Patience Worth is an examination of the communications between a seventeenth century woman and a certain Mrs. Curran of St. Louis, in 1913. Contact with the spirit world or parlor trick? If the latter, it was well done: the quick-witted repartee appeared unrehearsed, the language was authentic, the references to English nature and life accurate, although Mrs. Curran had never visited England. Mrs. Curran, herself, was a smart, quick-witted socialite of good repute, unlikely to have been a fraudster... |
By: Castello Newton Holford (1844-1905) | |
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Aristopia: A Romance-History of the New World
Aristopia (published 1895) is truly an alternative history. It is an imagination of how the continent of North America might have developed if one man with the vision, altruism and determination to build a state for the benefit of all its people had been in the happy position of having wealth enough to make his dream a reality. It is an interesting book which deserves its place in literary history largely for being the first novel-length example of its genre. It is written, not as a novel, but as unvarnished history... |
By: Catharine Parr Traill (1802-1899) | |
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The Backwoods of Canada
The writer is as earnest in recommending ladies who belong to the higher class of settlers to cultivate all the mental resources of a superior education, as she is to induce them to discard all irrational and artificial wants and mere useless pursuits. She would willingly direct their attention to the natural history and botany of this new country, in which they will find a never-failing source of amusement and instruction, at once enlightening and elevating the mind, and serving to fill up the void left by the absence of those lighter feminine accomplishments, the practice of which are necessarily superseded by imperative domestic duties... |
By: Catherine Anne Hubback (1818-1877) | |
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Younger Sister
Emma Watson, the youngest child of six from a poor family, was sent away as a child to be raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle. When her uncle dies and her aunt remarries, Emma returns home to help care for her ailing father and reconnect with her estranged siblings. She quickly must learn how to behave among the less affluent and navigate her way through the affections of many young men vying for her attention. The Younger Sister is the first published completion of Jane Austen's unfinished novel The Watsons. |
By: Catherine Booth (1829-1890) | |
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Aggressive Christianity: Practical Sermons
Catherine Booth was very much partner with her husband, William Booth, in founding the little London mission that would flourish into the global ministry of the Salvation Army. She was not only an organizer but a powerful preacher in her own right. This is a short collection of her passionate, but practical sermons, still full of transforming truth. - Summary by Larry Wilson | |
Life and Death
Catherine Booth worked hand-in-hand with her husband William Booth to establish a fledgling mission in London, that eventually grew into a global ministry, The Salvation Army. Here she delves into the Biblical and theological foundation of their work and mission. In many ways she was the heart and soul of the Salvation Army and challenges the readers and listeners to a deeper commitment to Christ and his calling. - Summary by Larry Wilson |
By: Catherine Carswell (1879-1946) | |
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Open The Door
This award-winning book tells the coming of age story of Joanna Bannerman. Considered largely autobiographical, it shows Joanna with all her complexities and contradictions, some of which are faced by women almost 100 years later. Perfect for those who love sharp and witty novels. - Summary by Stav Nisser. |
By: Catherine Cate Coblentz (1897-1951) | |
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Blue Cat of Castle Town
"The mother cat had been quite upset when she first saw the blue kitten. She had looked fearfully then toward the river. For, like all cats, she had heard that a blue kitten could learn the river's song. Any kitten has a hard enough time to find a home for himself. For every kitten must find a hearth to fit his song. But a kitten who listens to the river and learns the river's song has the hardest time of all. Not only must the kitten who sings the river's song find a hearth to fit that song, but he must teach the keeper of that hearth to sing the same song. The river's song is very old. And mortals who have ears to hear and hearts to sing are fewer than few." |
By: Catherine Chisholm Cushing (1874-1952) | |
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Pollyanna, the Glad Girl: A Four-Act Comedy
Miss Polly Harrington is not at all pleased to be taking charge of her orphaned niece - but duty is duty, and that's how Pollyanna Whittier ended up in New England. Cheerful and ever-optimistic, Pollyanna sets out to infect the whole town with her "Glad" game, getting into some trouble along the way! How will strict Miss Polly react to the orphaned cat, dog, and, worst of all, BOY Pollyanna offers as a gift? What will happen when Pollyanna sets out to break into the fairy-tale castle next door and... |
By: Catherine Crowe (1803-1876) | |
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Ghosts And Family Legends; A Volume For Christmas
Fifteen ghost stories to hear around the Yule log. "It happened that I spent the last winter in a large country mansion, in the north of England, where we had a succession of visitors, and all manner of amusements—... In short, we began to tell ghost stories; and although some of the party professed an utter disbelief in apparitions, they proved to be as fertile as the believers in their contributions—relating something that had happened to themselves or their friends, as having undoubtedly occurred, or to all appearance, occurred—only, with the reservation, that it must certainly have been a dream... | |
Night-Side of Nature; Or, Ghosts and Ghost-Seers
The stories in Volume 1 centre on dreams, psychic presentiments, traces, wraiths, doppelgängers, apparitions, and imaginings of the after-life. Crowe's vivid tales, written with great energy and imagination, are classic examples of nineteenth-century spiritualist writing and strongly influenced other authors as well as providing inspiration for later adherents of ghost-seeing and psychic culture. - Summary by Cambridge University Press |
By: Catherine Gasquoine Hartley (1866-1928) | |
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Women, Children, Love and Marriage
This book contains a number of essays about various subjects pertaining to women, children love and marriage - Summary by ashleighjane |
By: Catherine Grace Frances Gore (1798-1861) | |
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Mrs. Armytage, or Female Domination
Mrs Armytage is a widowed landowner, spirited, independent and very much used to having her own way and exercising total dominance over her family. She is acutely aware of social distinctions, proud of her power and prestige, and stands on her dignity to the point of becoming cold, judgemental and aloof. Her character flaws bring her into conflict with her children when her son Arthur announces his choice of a wife who is very much below their rank, and much will happen before Mrs Armytage learns to repent her behaviour... |