The dime novel was the first form of cheap fiction available to the American masses; between the 1870s and 1890s such dime novel detectives as Old Sleuth, Nick Carter, Old Cap Collier, Deadwood Dick and "Lady Kate, The Dashing Female Detective" thrilled millions of readers. One of the finest dime-novelists was Philip Schuylar Warne, the first known person of African-American descent to publish a mystery in the United States. Howard W. Macy, whose works predate Warne's, was also a prolific popular dime novel writer during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Both clever wordsmiths, Warne and Macy demonstrate their skills in the two mystery novellas featured in this book. Published before detective fiction became a widely recognized genre, Warne's Who Was Guilty? (1881) and Macy's The Mystery of Sea-Eagle Tavern (1872) will keep readers guessing until both stories' startling conclusions.
In her introduction, editor Marlena E. Bremseth offers another startling conclusion. Her detective work has unearthed compelling evidence that Philip S. Warne was, in actuality, a pseudonym of Howard W. Macy. Professor Bremseth, the premier expert on African-Americans in dime novels, teaches at San Diego City College. She has published articles in The Dime Novel Round-Up and is Area Chair of the Dime Novels/Pulps/Juvenile Series Books of the Popular Culture Association.
Who Was Guilty? is the 17th in Crippen & Landru's series of Lost Classics. The cover design is by Deborah Miller and is based on a woodcut for Tiger Dick, The Faro King; or, The Cashier's Crime (1878) by Philip S. Warne.