This volume contains the 53 stories of Father Brown, the beloved character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 51 detective short stories (and two framing vignettes). Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor (1870–1952), a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922.
Father Brown is a short, stumpy Roman Catholic Church priest, "formerly of Cobhole in Essex, and now working in London", with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella, and an uncanny insight into human evil. Unlike the more famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown's methods tend to be intuitive rather than deductive.
This volume contains ALL OF FATHER BROWN STORIES, included the three stories left out of most collections:
"The Donnington Affair"
"The Vampire of the Village"
"The Mask of Midas" .
The following is the list of Father Brown stories included in this volume:
1. The Innocence of Father Brown, 1911
"The Blue Cross", The Story-Teller, September 1910; first published as "Valentin Follows a Curious Trail", The Saturday Evening Post, 23 July 1910
"The Secret Garden", The Story-Teller, October 1910.
"The Queer Feet", The Story-Teller, November 1910.
"The Flying Stars", The Saturday Evening Post, 20 May 1911.
"The Invisible Man", The Saturday Evening Post, 28 January 1911.
"The Honour of Israel Gow" (as "The Strange Justice", The Saturday Evening Post, 25 March 1911.
"The Wrong Shape", The Saturday Evening Post, 10 December 1910.
"The Sins of Prince Saradine", The Saturday Evening Post, 22 April 1911.
"The Hammer of God" (as "The Bolt from the Blue", The Saturday Evening Post, 5 November 1910.
"The Eye of Apollo", The Saturday Evening Post, 25 February 1911.
"The Sign of the Broken Sword", The Saturday Evening Post, 7 January 1911.
"The Three Tools of Death", The Saturday Evening Post, 24 June 1911.
2. The Wisdom of Father Brown (1914)
"The Absence of Mr Glass"
"The Paradise of Thieves"
"The Duel of Dr Hirsch"
"The Man in the Passage"
"The Mistake of the Machine"
"The Head of Caesar"
"The Purple Wig"
"The Perishing of the Pendragons"
"The God of the Gongs"
"The Salad of Colonel Cray"
"The Strange Crime of John Boulnois"
"The Fairy Tale of Father Brown"
3. The Incredulity of Father Brown (1926)
"The Resurrection of Father Brown"
"The Arrow of Heaven"
"The Oracle of the Dog"
"The Miracle of Moon Crescent"
"The Curse of the Golden Cross"
"The Dagger with Wings"
"The Doom of the Darnaways"
"The Ghost of Gideon Wise"
4.The Secret of Father Brown (1927)
(framing story) "The Secret of Father Brown"
"The Mirror of the Magistrate"
"The Man with Two Beards"
"The Song of the Flying Fish"
"The Actor and the Alibi"
"The Vanishing of Vaudrey"
"The Worst Crime in the World"
"The Red Moon of Meru"
"The Chief Mourner of Marne"
(framing story) "The Secret of Flambeau"
5. The Scandal of Father Brown (1935)
"The Scandal of Father Brown"
"The Quick One"
"The Blast of the Book"
"The Green Man"
"The Pursuit of Mr Blue"
"The Crime of the Communist"
"The Point of a Pin"
"The Insoluble Problem"
"The Donnington Affair" (1914, outside of compilations)
"The Vampire of the Village" (Strand Magazine, August 1936); included in later editions of The Scandal of Father Brown, we have included it in the same way in this volume)
"The Mask of Midas" (1936)
Father Brown is a short, stumpy Roman Catholic Church priest, "formerly of Cobhole in Essex, and now working in London", with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella, and an uncanny insight into human evil. Unlike the more famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown's methods tend to be intuitive rather than deductive.
This volume contains ALL OF FATHER BROWN STORIES, included the three stories left out of most collections:
"The Donnington Affair"
"The Vampire of the Village"
"The Mask of Midas" .
The following is the list of Father Brown stories included in this volume:
1. The Innocence of Father Brown, 1911
"The Blue Cross", The Story-Teller, September 1910; first published as "Valentin Follows a Curious Trail", The Saturday Evening Post, 23 July 1910
"The Secret Garden", The Story-Teller, October 1910.
"The Queer Feet", The Story-Teller, November 1910.
"The Flying Stars", The Saturday Evening Post, 20 May 1911.
"The Invisible Man", The Saturday Evening Post, 28 January 1911.
"The Honour of Israel Gow" (as "The Strange Justice", The Saturday Evening Post, 25 March 1911.
"The Wrong Shape", The Saturday Evening Post, 10 December 1910.
"The Sins of Prince Saradine", The Saturday Evening Post, 22 April 1911.
"The Hammer of God" (as "The Bolt from the Blue", The Saturday Evening Post, 5 November 1910.
"The Eye of Apollo", The Saturday Evening Post, 25 February 1911.
"The Sign of the Broken Sword", The Saturday Evening Post, 7 January 1911.
"The Three Tools of Death", The Saturday Evening Post, 24 June 1911.
2. The Wisdom of Father Brown (1914)
"The Absence of Mr Glass"
"The Paradise of Thieves"
"The Duel of Dr Hirsch"
"The Man in the Passage"
"The Mistake of the Machine"
"The Head of Caesar"
"The Purple Wig"
"The Perishing of the Pendragons"
"The God of the Gongs"
"The Salad of Colonel Cray"
"The Strange Crime of John Boulnois"
"The Fairy Tale of Father Brown"
3. The Incredulity of Father Brown (1926)
"The Resurrection of Father Brown"
"The Arrow of Heaven"
"The Oracle of the Dog"
"The Miracle of Moon Crescent"
"The Curse of the Golden Cross"
"The Dagger with Wings"
"The Doom of the Darnaways"
"The Ghost of Gideon Wise"
4.The Secret of Father Brown (1927)
(framing story) "The Secret of Father Brown"
"The Mirror of the Magistrate"
"The Man with Two Beards"
"The Song of the Flying Fish"
"The Actor and the Alibi"
"The Vanishing of Vaudrey"
"The Worst Crime in the World"
"The Red Moon of Meru"
"The Chief Mourner of Marne"
(framing story) "The Secret of Flambeau"
5. The Scandal of Father Brown (1935)
"The Scandal of Father Brown"
"The Quick One"
"The Blast of the Book"
"The Green Man"
"The Pursuit of Mr Blue"
"The Crime of the Communist"
"The Point of a Pin"
"The Insoluble Problem"
"The Donnington Affair" (1914, outside of compilations)
"The Vampire of the Village" (Strand Magazine, August 1936); included in later editions of The Scandal of Father Brown, we have included it in the same way in this volume)
"The Mask of Midas" (1936)
