Check Out All Things Mysterious in the Library

Visit Burling Library today and take a look at our mystery collection of books, recordings and films on the book display across from the Burling Circulation Desk.

Mystery novels didn't emerge until the mid-19th century when Edgar Allen Poe created his first detective character, Auguste C. Dupin, in his 1841 story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Poe himself was influenced by writers such as Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins.

British Mystery novels had become very popular by the 1920s, becoming the "Golden Age" of mystery fiction. As the years progressed, we began to see more mystery authors such as Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Carolyn Keen, etc.

The world of mystery eventually emerged into movies and TV shows, bringing about characters such as Perry Mason, Columbo, Hercule Poirot, and more.

Grinnell College Libraries would like to thank library assistant and curator of the book display, Kristin Brantley, a fourth year English major and a technology studies concentrator. She has always been interested in mystery novels such as Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes and hopes to one day write a mystery novel of her own.