''The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition'' is a collection of
detective fiction
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...
stories by author
August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...
. It was released in
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
by
Mycroft & Moran Mycroft & Moran was an imprint of Arkham House publishers and was created in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1945. The imprint was created to publish weird detective stories and the Solar Pons stories by August Derleth. Arkham retired the imprint in 1982 ...
(under license to George Vanderburgh of Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, Canada) and was published in two volumes. The set collects all of the
Solar Pons
Solar Pons is a fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portr ...
stories of
August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...
. The stories are pastiches of the
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
tales of
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
. The collection restores the text to its original state, removing the edits made by
Basil Copper
Basil Frederick Albert Copper (5 February 1924 – 3 April 2013) was an English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor. Mike Ashley, "Basil Copper", in David Pringle, ed., ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers.''(Londo ...
for the 1982 collection ''
The Solar Pons Omnibus''. The stories are also ordered by their date of publication rather than by their internal chronology as was done for the earlier omnibus edition. This edition also drops the
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime fiction, crime, psychological horror fiction, horror and Fantasy Fiction, fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and ...
Foreword from the 1982 edition and adds two new introductory essays by
Peter Ruber.
The publisher announced a paperback reissue of this set in eight volumes, but as 2025, these volumes have not appeared.
Contents
''The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition'' contains the following tales:
Volume One
# "Introducing Solar Pons of Praed Street" by
Peter Ruber
# "Of Basil Copper, James Turner, and the Solar Pons Fiasco of 1982" by
Peter Ruber
# ''
"In Re: Sherlock Holmes" -- The Adventures of Solar Pons''
945
Year 945 (Roman numerals, CMXLV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* January 27 – The co-emperors Stephen Lekapenos, Stephen and Constantine Lekapenos, Constantine a ...
#* "In Re: Solar Pons" by
Vincent Starrett
Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett (; October 26, 1886 – January 5, 1974), known as Vincent Starrett, was a Canadian-born American writer, newspaperman, and bibliophile.
Biography
Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett was born above his grandfathe ...
#* "A Word From Dr. Lyndon Parker"
#* "The Adventure of the Frightened Baronet"
#* "The Adventure of the Late Mr. Faversham"
#* "The Adventure of the Black Narcissus"
#* "The Adventure of the Norcross Riddle"
#* "The Adventure of the Retired Novelist"
#* "The Adventure of the Three Red Dwarfs"
#* "The Adventure of the Sotheby Salesman"
#* "The Adventure of the Purloined Periapt"
#* "The Adventure of the Limping Man"
#* "The Adventure of the Seven Passengers"
#* "The Adventure of the Lost Holiday"
#* "The Adventure of the Man With a Broken Face"
# ''
The Memoirs of Solar Pons''
951
Year 951 (Roman numerals, CMLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* King Berengar II of Italy seizes Liguria, with help from the feudal lord Oberto I. He reorganizes the territorie ...
#* "Foreword" by Luther Norris
#* "Introduction" by
Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1928 by the American detective fiction writers Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905–1971). It is also the name of their main fictional detective, a mystery writer in New York City ...
#* "The Adventure of the Circular Room"
#* "The Adventure of the Perfect Husband"
#* "The Adventure of the Broken Chessman"
#* "The Adventure of the Dog in the Manger"
#* "The Adventure of the Proper Comma"
#* "The Adventure of Ricoletti of the Club Foot"
#* "The Adventure of the Six Silver Spiders"
#* "The Adventure of the Lost Locomotive"
#* "The Adventure of the Tottenham Werewolf"
#* "The Adventure of the Five Royal Coachmen"
#* "The Adventure of the Paralytic Mendicant"
# ''
The Return of Solar Pons
''The Return of Solar Pons'' is a collection of detective fiction short stories by American writer August Derleth. It was released in 1958 by Mycroft & Moran in an edition of 2,079 copies. It was the fourth collection of Derleth's Solar Pons sto ...
''
958
Year 958 (Roman numerals, CMLVIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* October / November – Battle of Raban: The Byzantine Empire, Byzantines under John I Tzimiskes, Jo ...
#* "Introduction" by Edgar W. Smith
#* "The Adventure of the Lost Dutchman"
#* "The Adventure of the Devil's Footprints"
#* "The Adventure of the Dorrington Inheritance"
#* "The Adventure of the 'Triple Kent'"
#* "The Adventure of the Rydberg Numbers"
#* "The Adventure of the Grice-Paterson Curse"
#* "The Adventure of the Stone of Scone"
#* "The Adventure of the Remarkable Worm"
#* "The Adventure of the Penny Magenta"
#* "The Adventure of the Trained Cormorant"
#* "The Adventure of the Camberwell Beauty"
#* "The Adventure of the Little Hangman"
#* "The Adventure of the Swedenborg Signatures"
# ''
The Reminiscences of Solar Pons
''The Reminiscences of Solar Pons'' is a collection of detective fiction short stories by author August Derleth. It was released in 1961 in literature, 1961 by Mycroft & Moran in an edition of 2,052 copies. It was the fifth collection of Derleth ...
''
961
Year 961 ( CMLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* March 6 – Siege of Chandax: Byzantine forces under Nikephoros II Phokas capture and pillage Chandax after an 8 ...
#* "Introduction by
Anthony Boucher
William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio dr ...
#* "The Adventure of the Mazarine Blue"
#* "The Adventure of the Hats of M. Dulac"
#* "The Adventure of the Mosaic Cylinders"
#* "The Adventure of the Praed Street Irregulars"
#* "The Adventure of the Cloverdale Kennels"
#* "The Adventure of the Black Cardinal"
#* "The Adventure of the Troubled Magistrate"
#* "The Adventure of the Blind Clairaudient"
# Abbreviations for the Solar Pons Canon
Volume Two
# ''
The Casebook of Solar Pons''
965
Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tarsus and Mopsuestia. The Muslim resid ...
#* "Foreword" by
Vincent Starrett
Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett (; October 26, 1886 – January 5, 1974), known as Vincent Starrett, was a Canadian-born American writer, newspaperman, and bibliophile.
Biography
Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett was born above his grandfathe ...
#* "The Adventure of the Sussex Archers"
#* "The Adventure of the Haunted Library"
#* "The Adventure of the Fatal Glance"
#* "The Adventure of the Intarsia Box"
#* "The Adventure of the Spurious ''Tamerlaine''"
#* "The Adventure of the China Cottage"
#* "The Adventure of the Ascot Scandal"
#* "The Adventure of the Crouching Dog"
#* "The Adventure of the Missing Huntsman"
#* "The Adventure of the Amateur Philologist"
#* "The Adventure of the Whispering Knights"
#* "The Adventure of the Innkeeper's Clerk"
#* "Afterword"
# ''
Mr. Fairlie's Final Journey
''Mr. Fairlie's Final Journey'' is a detective fiction novel by American writer August Derleth. It was released in 1968 by Mycroft & Moran in an edition of 3,493 copies. The novel is part of Derleth's Solar Pons stories which are pastiches of ...
''
968
Year 968 ( CMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* Emperor Nikephoros II receives a Bulgarian embassy led by Prince Boris (the son of Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria), wi ...
#* I. "The Last of Jonas Fairlie"
#* II. "Farway Hall"
#* III. "The Poor Cousins"
#* IV. "Mr. Abercrombie's Reticence"
#* V. "An Attempt at Murder"
#* VI. "Inquest"
#* VII. "A Visit to Cheltenham"
#* VIII. "Jonas Fairlie's Retreat"
#* IX. "The Second Secret"
# ''
The Chronicles of Solar Pons
''The Chronicles of Solar Pons'' is a collection of detective fiction short stories by author August Derleth. It is the sixth volume in the series of Derleth's Solar Pons short stories, and was released in 1973 by Mycroft & Moran in an edition o ...
''
973
Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias ( Domestic of the Schools in the East), continues the op ...
#* "Introduction" by
Allen J. Hubin
#* "The Adventure of the Red Leech"
#* "The Adventure of the Orient Express"
#* "The Adventure of the Golden Bracelet"
#* "The Adventure of the Shaplow Millions"
#* "The Adventure of the Benin Bronze"
#* "The Adventure of the Missing Tenants"
#* "The Adventure of the Aluminum Crutch"
#* "The Adventure of the Seven Sisters"
#* "The Adventure of the Bishop's Companion"
#* "
The Adventure of the Unique Dickensians
"The Adventure of the Unique Dickensians" is a detective fiction short story by American writer August Derleth. It was released in 1968 by Mycroft & Moran in an edition of 2,012 copies. The 38-page chapbook is illustrated by Frank Utpatel.
Of t ...
"
#''
A Praed Street Dossier''
968
Year 968 ( CMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* Emperor Nikephoros II receives a Bulgarian embassy led by Prince Boris (the son of Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria), wi ...
#* "The Beginnings of Solar Pons"
#* "The Sources of the Tales"
#* "Concerning Dr. Parker's Background"
#* "The Favorite Pastiches"
#* "From the Notebooks of Dr. Lyndon Parker"
#* "The Adventure of the Bookseller's Clerk"
#* "Solar Pons, Off-Trail"
#* "The Adventure of the Snitch in Time" (with
Mack Reynolds
Dallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds (November 11, 1917 – January 30, 1983) was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Dallas Ross, Mark Mallory, Clark Collins, Dallas Rose, Guy McCord, Maxine Reynolds, Bob Belmont, and Todd Har ...
)
#* "The Adventure of the Ball of Nostradamus" (with
Mack Reynolds
Dallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds (November 11, 1917 – January 30, 1983) was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Dallas Ross, Mark Mallory, Clark Collins, Dallas Rose, Guy McCord, Maxine Reynolds, Bob Belmont, and Todd Har ...
)
# ''
The Final Adventures of Solar Pons''
998
Year 998 ( CMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Spring – Otto III retakes Rome and restores power in the papal city. Crescentius II (the Younger) and his followers ...
#* ''Terror Over London''
#** i. "If You See a Hunchback"
#** ii. "At the Foreign Office"
#** iii. "Pons Explains"
#** iv. "The Lady Ysola Warrender"
#** v. "The King of Clubs"
#** vi. "Lord Norton is Indiscreet"
#** vii. "Mr. Howells Appears and Disappears"
#** viii. "The Lady in Black"
#** ix. "The Green Light"
#** x. "Mr. Howells Once More"
#** xi. "Number 21, Limehouse Causeway"
#** xii. "The Enemy Strikes"
#** xiii. "Mr. John Devore"
#** xiv. "The Horror in the Fog"
#** xv. "The Halting Footsteps"
#** xvi. "The Dead Man Comes to Life"
#** xvii. "Alvert, the Dove"
#** xviii. "Frick is Heard From"
#** xix. "The End in Sight"
#** xx. "The Last of the Clubs"
#* The Lost Adventures
#** "The Adventures of Gresham Old Place"
#** "The Adventure of the Burlstone Horror"
#** "The Adventure of the Viennese Musician"
#** "The Adventure of the Muttering Man"
#* The Off-Trail Solar Pons
#** "The Adventure of the Nosferatu" (with
Mack Reynolds
Dallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds (November 11, 1917 – January 30, 1983) was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Dallas Ross, Mark Mallory, Clark Collins, Dallas Rose, Guy McCord, Maxine Reynolds, Bob Belmont, and Todd Har ...
)
#** "The Adventure of the Extra-Terrestrial" (with
Mack Reynolds
Dallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds (November 11, 1917 – January 30, 1983) was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Dallas Ross, Mark Mallory, Clark Collins, Dallas Rose, Guy McCord, Maxine Reynolds, Bob Belmont, and Todd Har ...
)
# Praed Street Papers
#* Cartoons by Frank Utpatel
#* "The Adventure of the Limping Man"
#* "The Adventure of the Missing Tenants"
# Abbreviations for the Solar Pons Canon
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, The
2000 short story collections
Mystery short story collections
Solar Pons