Eleven Possible Cases

Edgar Fawcett

1847–1904

A prolific 19th-century American writer, he was known for novels, poetry, and plays that often drew on New York life. Educated at Columbia, he built a busy literary career and remained closely tied to the city where he was born.

Franklin Fyles

1847–1911

A longtime New York drama critic who also wrote for the stage, he moved easily between reviewing theater and creating it. He is best remembered for plays including The Girl I Left Behind Me and for his book The Theatre and Its People.

Anna Katharine Green

1846–1935

A pioneer of American detective fiction, she helped shape the mystery novel with intricate plots, courtroom logic, and sharp attention to clues. Her stories introduced readers to early sleuths long before the genre fully took off.

Henry Harland

1861–1905

A gifted novelist and editor at the heart of the 1890s literary scene, he helped shape the stylish, provocative world of The Yellow Book. His fiction moved from sensational early work to more polished, cosmopolitan novels influenced by the aesthetic tastes of fin-de-siècle London.

Ingersoll Lockwood

1841–1918

Best remembered today for the curious Baron Trump adventures and the novel 1900; or, The Last President, this American writer also led a busy life in law and diplomacy. His books mix late-19th-century imagination, satire, and political unease in ways that still catch modern readers off guard.

Joaquin Miller

1837–1913

A larger-than-life poet of the American West, he turned frontier travel, mountain landscapes, and dramatic personal legend into vivid verse and prose. Best remembered as the "Poet of the Sierras," he brought the mythology of the West to readers in the United States and abroad.

Kirk Munroe

1850–1930

Adventure, wilderness, and real-world know-how run through these classic stories by a writer who loved the outdoors as much as he loved a good tale. Best known for lively books for young readers, he also brought a conservationist's eye to the places and people he wrote about.

Best known for practical books on public speaking, this 19th-century teacher wrote in a clear, encouraging way that aimed to make rhetoric useful in everyday life. His work bridges classroom instruction and self-help, with a strong focus on speaking well in public.

Maurice Thompson

1844–1901

A Civil War veteran turned naturalist and storyteller, he wrote vividly about the American South and the Indiana woods he loved. His work ranges from novels and poems to influential writing on archery, reflecting a life spent close to both books and the outdoors.

A. C. (Andrew Carpenter) Wheeler

1835–1903

A sharp-tongued 19th-century newspaper writer and drama critic, he became widely known under the pen name "Nym Crinkle." His career ranged from frontier reporting and Civil War correspondence to books on history, nature, and home life.