Melville Davisson Post (April 19, 1869June 23, 1930) is an American author, born in Harrison County, West Virginia. He earned a law degree from West Virginia University in 1892, and was married in 1903 to Ann Bloomfield Gamble Schofield. Their only child, a son, died at eighteen months old and Mrs. Post died of pneumonia in 1919.
After the death of their son, he left law practice and went on an European tour with his wife. Upon return from Europe, he began writing short stories and became America's highest paid short story writer. He was an avid horseman, and died on June 23, 1930, after a fall from his horse, and was buried in Harrison County. His boyhood home, "Templemoor", is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of 1982.
Although Post's name is not immediately familiar to many in this era, his stories are available through Gutenberg and many collections of detective fiction include works by Post. There is a case to be made for these stories to be among the finest of detective fiction in America. No less than Ellery Queen and Howard Haycraft both praised Post's writing as among the finest of American detective writing.
Post's best-known character is the mystery-solving, justice dispensing Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner. Post also created two other recurring characters, Sir Henry Marquis and Randolph Mason. He also wrote two non-crime novels. His total output was approximately 230 titles.
After the death of their son, he left law practice and went on an European tour with his wife. Upon return from Europe, he began writing short stories and became America's highest paid short story writer. He was an avid horseman, and died on June 23, 1930, after a fall from his horse, and was buried in Harrison County. His boyhood home, "Templemoor", is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of 1982.
Although Post's name is not immediately familiar to many in this era, his stories are available through Gutenberg and many collections of detective fiction include works by Post. There is a case to be made for these stories to be among the finest of detective fiction in America. No less than Ellery Queen and Howard Haycraft both praised Post's writing as among the finest of American detective writing.
Post's best-known character is the mystery-solving, justice dispensing Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner. Post also created two other recurring characters, Sir Henry Marquis and Randolph Mason. He also wrote two non-crime novels. His total output was approximately 230 titles.
Genres: Mystery
Series
Randolph Mason
The Man of Last Resort (1897)
aka The Clients
The Strange Schemes of Randolph Mason (1901)
The Corrector of Destinies (1908)
The Man of Last Resort (1897)
aka The Clients
The Strange Schemes of Randolph Mason (1901)
The Corrector of Destinies (1908)
Novels
Dwellers in the Hills (1901)
The Gilded Chair (1910)
The Nameless Thing (1912)
The Mountain School-teacher (1922)
Monsieur Jonquelle (1923)
The Man Hunters (1926)
The Revolt of the Birds (1927)
The Bradmoor Murder (1929)
aka The Garden In Asia
The Gilded Chair (1910)
The Nameless Thing (1912)
The Mountain School-teacher (1922)
Monsieur Jonquelle (1923)
The Man Hunters (1926)
The Revolt of the Birds (1927)
The Bradmoor Murder (1929)
aka The Garden In Asia
Collections
The Mystery of the Blue Villa (1919)
The Sleuth Of St. James's Square (1920)
Walker of the Secret Service (1924)
Naboth's Vineyard (1929)
The Silent Witness (1929)
The Sleuth Of St. James's Square (1920)
Walker of the Secret Service (1924)
Naboth's Vineyard (1929)
The Silent Witness (1929)
Non fiction show
Books containing stories by Melville Davisson Post
More books
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