Vincent Starrett

Born in Toronto in 1886 and later based in Chicago, Vincent Starrett built a long career as a newspaper writer, editor, and man of letters. He wrote poems, essays, detective stories, and books on literary subjects, but he is especially remembered for the lively range of his journalism and for the breadth of his reading.

He became a beloved figure among Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts and helped shape the world of modern Holmesian appreciation. Starrett wrote about Arthur Conan Doyle, collected rare books and literary oddities, and brought the pleasure of detective fiction to a wide audience through criticism, anthologies, and essays.

That mix of scholarship and friendliness is a big part of his appeal. Even when he was writing about collectors, criminals, or classic mysteries, his style stayed clear, enthusiastic, and companionable, which helps explain why readers still seek him out long after his death in 1974.