The Dead Letter and The Figure Eight

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Duke University Press, 2003 M08 5 - 388 pages
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Before Raymond Chandler, before Dorothy Sayers or Agatha Christie, there was Metta Fuller Victor, the first American author—man or woman—of a full-length detective novel. This novel, The Dead Letter, is presented here along with another of Victor’s mysteries, The Figure Eight. Both written in the 1860s and published under the name Seeley Regester, these novels show how—by combining conventions of the mystery form first developed by Edgar Allan Poe with those of the domestic novel—Victor pioneered the domestic detective story and paved the way for generations of writers to follow.

In The Dead Letter, Henry Moreland is killed by a single stab to the back. Against a background of post–Civil War politics, Richard Redfield, a young attorney, helps Burton, a legendary New York City detective, unravel the crime. In The Figure Eight, Joe Meredith undertakes a series of adventures and assumes a number of disguises to solve the mystery of the murder of his uncle and regain the lost fortune of his angelic cousin.

 

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Contents

Introduction
1
An American Romance
11
or The Mystery of Meredith Place
209
Copyright

Other editions - View all

The Dead Letter and The Figure Eight
Metta Fuller Victor
Limited preview - 2003
The Dead Letter and The Figure Eight
Metta Fuller Victor
Snippet view - 2003

Common terms and phrases

allow answered appeared Argyll Arthur asked beautiful believe better brought Burton called child closed coming course cousin dark dead detective Doctor Don Miguel door dress Eleanor expected eyes face father feel felt followed gave girl give gold gone hand happy hear heard heart hope hour Inez interest James keep knew lady leave light Lillian living look married matter mean Meredith Meredith Place mind Miss Miller morning murder nature never night once passed perhaps person poor present remained rest seemed seen shadow side silent smile soon steps stood suppose sure taken tell thing thought told took turned village voice waited walked watch window wish woman York young

About the author (2003)

Metta Fuller Victor (1831-1885) was a publisher, editor, author, and moral reformer. She is perhaps best known for her abolitionist dime novel Maum Guinea and Her Plantation "Children" (1861). Matching different pseudonyms to different genres, she published popular works for children and adults--including mysteries, Westerns, romances, temperance novels, and rags-to-riches tales. She wrote numerous pieces against slavery, alcohol, and Mormon polygamy.
Catherine Ross Nickerson is Associate Professor of English at Emory University. She is the author of The Web of Iniquity: Early Detective Fiction by American Women, also published by Duke University Press.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Dead Letter and The Figure Eight
TitleThe Dead Letter and The Figure Eight
Book collections on Project MUSE
AuthorMetta Fuller Victor
ContributorCatherine Ross Nickerson
Editionillustrated
PublisherDuke University Press, 2003
ISBN0822331659, 9780822331650
Length388 pages
  
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