Encyclopedia Brown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown is a fictional boy detective, the main character in a long series of children's books written by Donald J. Sobol since 1963.
Brown lives in the fictional Idaville, Florida, where his father is chief of police. In the books, Brown will either solve cases presented to him by his father, often cases his father has been unable to solve, or by having someone walk into his detective agency ("Brown Detective Agency, 13 Rover Avenue, Leroy Brown President, NO case too small, 25 cents per day, plus expenses") that he runs out of his garage. Other characters in the series include:
- Sally Kimball, his friend and "muscle"
- Bugs Meany, his arch enemy and leader of a gang of bullies called "The Tigers", and
- Wilford Wiggins, a high-school dropout who is always trying to pull a scam.
Books featuring this character are subdivided into a number of (possibly interlinked) short stories, each of which presents a mystery. The mystery is always intended to be solved by the reader, thanks to the placement of a logical or factual inconsistency somewhere within the text. Encyclopedia Brown invariably solves the case by exposing this inconsistency, but this part of the story is placed at the end of the book; the bulk of the story ends just at the moment when readers are invited to solve the case themselves, or flip to the section in the back with the answers. Many books follow a formula where Encyclopedia solves a case for his father, outsmarts Bugs in another chapter, and then foils Bugs's plans for revenge in the third chapter. Despite her tomboyish nature, Sally is rather well-educated in and observant of etiquette and frequently is the solver of cases where that is the tip-off.
The enduring popularity of the Encyclopedia Brown books stems, at least partially, from the author's refusal to talk down to his young audience. Many adult readers also find the mysteries challenging. In 1975, the Mystery Writers of America honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a Special Edgar Award.
Encyclopedia Brown inspired many other solve-it-yourself mystery stories for younger readers, such as "Einstein" Anderson, and "Hawkeye" Jones.
There have been several satirical versions of Encyclopedia Brown including one by the satirical newspaper The Onion.
Some of the stories were adapted into a TV series on HBO in 1989.
[edit] Book listing
The Encyclopedia Brown books, in order of publication and as numbered by original release cover art, are:
1. Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963, ISBN 0-525-67200-1, 1982 reissue ISBN 0-553-15724-8)
2. Encyclopedia Brown Strikes Again (the Case of the Secret Pitch) (1965, ISBN 0-590-01650-4, second title reissue ISBN 0-525-67202-8)
3. Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues (1966, ISBN 0-525-67204-4)
4. Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man (1967, ISBN 0-525-67206-0)
5. Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All (1968, ISBN 0-525-67212-5)
6. Encyclopedia Brown Keeps The Peace (1969, ISBN 0-525-67208-7)
7. Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day (1970, ISBN 0-525-67210-9)
8. Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down (1971)
9. Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way (1972)
10. Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (1973)
11. Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand (1974, reissued as Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Exploding Plumbing and Other Mysteries, ISBN 0-590-44093-4)
12. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles (1975)
13. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor (1977)
14. Encyclopedia Brown Carries On (1980)
15. Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace (1981)
15 1/2. Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake (1982) (Co-written with Glenn Andrews)
16. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints (1985)
17. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt (1988)
18. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers (1990)
19. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies (1995)
20. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose (1996)
21. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog (1998)
22. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander (2000)
---. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (2005)
Related Books:
- Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Strange But True Crimes
- Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Animals
- Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Cars
- Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Crimes
- Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Outdoors
- Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Spies
- Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Sports
- Encyclopedia Brown's Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts
- Encyclopedia Brown's Second Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts
- Encyclopedia Brown's Third Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts
[edit] Quotes
- "I wouldn't believe him if he swore he was lying."
- "What's like poison is Wilford's big talk. But it can't hurt you if you don't swallow it."
- "You thieving, lying crook! You should be elected president so you can grant yourself a pardon." - Sally Kimball (From "The Case of Bug's Zebra")
- "If you planted Bugs' brain in a goldfish, it would drown." - Sally Kimball (From "The Case of the Duck Durby)
- "She thinks she has an hourglass figure, and she's right. It takes an hour to figure it out!" - Sally Kimball (From "The Case of the Sand Castle")
