Evening star., 1944-10-21
This and That
Bu Charles E. TrdceneU

Inc recent discovery and sale for
$34, 900 OF the original manuscript of
Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the
Rue Morgue" came as combined news
and romance to detective story readers.
There are few literary facts so we'll
attested as that Poe, in writing that
famous story, started the whole chain
which today gives the "whodunit" en-
thusiasts their daily meat.
1t Is not known whether Poe got any
money for his story or not. Today the
successful detective story writer earns
hundreds Of thousands of dollars an
nually.
New stories are Tapped up at 81 a
copy, and In a year or two the same
book is put out at Is cents to sell TO
millions.
Writing these thrillers is now big
business, and a most respectable busi-
ness. thanks to woodrow Wilson, who,
as President of the United States, found
such stories great aid In his daily life.
The fine thing about the detective
tale is that the reader does not have
to assume any pose in reading it.
He does not have to pretend, either to
himself or others. that he reads 1t for
any other purpose than entertainment.
One OF the sad features of writing and
reading is that too often people pretend,
instead of being honest.
Intellectual honesty is not a common
thing, OF course, and 1t might be ex-
pected that in this department Of
thought, as in many others, few could
resist the temptation to put on airs.
Too many persons claim to read for
spiritual values, or for educational bene-
fits when all the time they read because
they like to read.
The detective story enables all men
and women, too-to be honest with
themselves, in this respect.
Reading such story, whether of the
straight or hard boiled school, is pure
entertainment, provided the reader mas
the ability to create the pictures the
writer draws up for him.
And it is easy in such reading, be-
cause this literary fare is built squarely
on fundamentals, such as envy, hate,
love and the like, common to all.
We know when we pick up a detective
tale, whether by Conan Doyle or Ngaio
Marsh, that We have something in hand
which is essentially human.
One interesting thing about the de-
tective story is that women can write it
quite as well as, or even better than,
men.
Carolyn Wells, in her day, was one of
the great writers of this type of fiction.
The late Natalie Lincoln was a highly
successful spinner of these yarns, many
OF them laid here, her home.
Today. Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh
and Helen Reilly, and many others,
write as cleverly plotted and worked
out stories as any OF the men.
Our own preference is for the Eng
lish detective story. They are almost
all told in straightaway style, Begin
nlng with a murder, and following on
with the hunt for the murderer.
When this is done properly it gives a
story second to none, and certainly more
artistic and genuinely entertaining than
most OF the flip American-style "hard-
boiled" detective tales. We get pretty
tired OF the bright sleuths who find it
necessary to take drink every otner
page and either knock down somebody
or get knocked out themselves on each
intervening page
1t is good thing that America has cot
over being slightly ashamed of its de-
tective stories We can learn a great
deal from them about human nature
and be immensely entertained at the
same time. They are American to the
core didn't we invent them?) and so
honestly entertaining that all can SYM
pathize with the man who said, II read
only detective stories"
y X