John Thorndyke's Cases

Detective John Thorndyke never disappoints when solving crime in this collection of Freeman's works.

By : R. Austin Freeman

Richard Austin Freeman (11 April 1862 London – 28 September 1943 Gravesend) — known as R. Austin Freeman — was a British writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr. Thorndyke. His first stories were written in collaboration with Dr. John James Pitcairn (1860–1936), medical officer at Holloway Prison and published under the nom de plume "Clifford Ashdown".


01 - The Man with the Nailed Shoes, Part 1


02 - The Man with the Nailed Shoes, Part 2


03 - The Stranger's Latchkey


04 - The Anthropologist At Large


05 - The Blue Sequin


06 - The Moabite Cipher


07 - The Mandarin's Pearl


08 - The Aluminium Dagger


09 - A Message from the Deep Sea


The stories in this collection, inasmuch as they constitute a somewhat new departure in this class of literature, require a few words of introduction. The primary function of all fiction is to furnish entertainment to the reader, and this fact has not been lost sight of. But the interest of so-called "detective" fiction is, I believe, greatly enhanced by a careful adherence to the probable, and a strict avoidance of physical impossibilities; and, in accordance with this belief, I have been scrupulous in confining myself to authentic facts and practicable methods. The stories have, for the most part, a medico-legal motive, and the methods of solution described in them are similar to those employed in actual practice by medical jurists. The stories illustrate, in fact, the application to the detection of crime of the ordinary methods of scientific research. I may add that the experiments described have in all cases been performed by me, and that the micro-photographs are, of course, from the actual specimens.

I take this opportunity of thanking those of my friends who have in various ways assisted me, and especially the friend to whom I have dedicated this book; by whom I have been relieved of the very considerable labour of making the micro-photographs, and greatly assisted in procuring and preparing specimens. I must also thank Messrs. Pearson for kindly allowing me the use of Mr. H. M. Brock's admirable and sympathetic drawings, and the artist himself for the care with which he has maintained strict fidelity to the text.

Comments

Random Post

  • Enoch Arden
    03.10.2020 - 0 Comments
    In the poem "Enoch Arden," Tennyson's epic narrative of the enduring power of love in the face of…
  • Sex : Avoided Subjects Discussed in Plain English
    28.07.2019 - 0 Comments
    Henry Stanton was appalled at the shocking lack of information given to young people about sex and…
  • Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences
    29.09.2021 - 0 Comments
    Fenimore Cooper's Literary Violations is an 1895 essay by Mark Twain, written as a satire and critique of the…
  • Of Holy Virginity
    20.04.2021 - 0 Comments
    St. Augustine wrote in his Retractions 2:23: "After I had written 'on the Good of Marriage,' it was expected…
  • Stories of Great Composers for Children
    31.01.2020 - 0 Comments
    This is a collection of ten short, entertaining, informative picture-book biographies of famous composers.…
  • Cô bé chăn cừu và Chú thợ nạo ống khói - truyện cổ tích andersen
    21.10.2023 - 0 Comments
    Các bạn đã bao giờ trông thấy một cái tủ cổ, đen nhánh và chạm trổ đủ các kiểu lá cây chưa?…
  • Naufragios
    23.10.2019 - 0 Comments
    "...de cuantas armadas a aquellas tierras han ido ninguna se viese en tan grandes peligros ni tuviese tan…
  • Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases
    19.11.2018 - 0 Comments
    A Practical Handbook of Pertinent Expressions, Striking Similes, Literary, Commercial, Conversational, and…
  • The Enchanted Castle
    21.12.2019 - 0 Comments
    The enchanted castle of the title is a country estate in the West Country seen through the eyes of three…
  • Chuyện Nghìn lẻ một đêm - Nghìn Lẻ Một Đêm - Phần 2
    28.10.2023 - 0 Comments
    Nghìn lẻ một đêm là bộ sưu tập các truyện dân gian Trung Đông và Nam Á được biên soạn bằng tiếng Ả Rập trong…
  • Songs Ysame
    27.07.2021 - 0 Comments
    This is a volume of poetry written by the sisters Albion Fellows Bacon and Annie Fellows Johnston. Both of…
  • Sự tích Sông Nhà Bè (Truyện Thủ Huồn) - Truyện Cổ tích Việt Nam
    23.10.2023 - 0 Comments
    Sông Nhà Bè là một đoạn sông ngắn thuộc hệ thống sông Đồng NaiSông bắt đầu từ đoạn hợp lưu giữa sông Sài Gòn…
  • Milton's Minor Poems
    05.09.2020 - 0 Comments
    “On Shakespear 1630” typifies much of Milton’s poetry. By some miracle never yet explained, at age 24 he…
  • The Blue Fairy Book
    13.10.2019 - 0 Comments
    Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book (1889) was a beautifully produced and illustrated edition of fairy tales that…
  • Kayray's Storytime
    03.04.2020 - 0 Comments
    A collection of my favorite short children's stories and rhymes. 01 - Little Black Sambo -…
  • The Path of Prosperity
    17.12.2019 - 0 Comments
    Summary from The Path of Prosperity: I looked around upon the world, and saw that it was shadowed by sorrow…