The August 2019 meeting investigated crime, true or otherwise. From
first-person true crime accounts to pioneering detective fiction, the topic
spanned time and geography. True crime
sees accusations of treason extend throughout the history of the United States,
from the Revolutionary War through World War II. Fictional crime—the otherwise—transported the
group to London and Paris to witness both elaborate plotting and reasoned deduction.
True
 |
| The Varick Court of Inquiry |
Hart,
Albert Bushnell, ed. The Varick Court
of Inquiry to Investigate the Implication of Colonel Varick (Arnold's Private
Secretary) in the Arnold Treason.
Boston: The Bibliophile Society, 1907. Limited edition of 470 copies. Full brown pebbled leather with deckled
fore-edge and gilt top edge. 217 pages,
including over a dozen fold-out facsimiles of correspondence relating to the
court case and several engravings. Richard
Varick (1753-1831) served as an aide to General Benedict Arnold during the
American Revolution. When Arnold
defected, Varick was arrested for treason. He was eventually cleared by the Court of
Inquiry. Varick went on to serve under
General George Washington until Washington retired his commission in 1783; after
Varick retired from his service in the Continental Army, he remained in service
as a colonel in the New York State Militia until 1801.
 |
| The Trial of Ezra Pound |
Cornell,
Julien. The Trial of Ezra Pound. Omaha, NE: Gryphon Editions, 1992. Introduction by Alan M. Dershowitz. Facsimile of the 1966 first edition, privately
printed for The Notable Trials Library. Written
and compiled by Julien Cornell, Pound's lawyer, the book contains facsimiles of
letters Pound wrote to his editors and lawyers, transcripts of Pound's radio broadcasts,
the text of the indictment, and a transcript of the legal proceedings. Ezra Pound (1885-1972), the eccentric
American poet, was arrested on charges of treason in 1945 in Italy. During the war, Pound made hundreds of radio
broadcasts criticizing the United States and President Roosevelt. There was no actual trial, as Pound had a
supposed mental breakdown and spent twelve years in a psychiatric hospital in
Washington, D.C. He was never convicted
of treason. He returned to Italy where
he died 14 years later. In his introduction
to this volume, Alan Dershowitz posits various legal means were used to save
Pound from standing trial for treason.
Otherwise
"The
Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe is the first modern
detective story and one of the great short stories of American literature. At the time Poe wrote this tale (1841), the
word detective did not exist and for contemporary readers this was
something of a profound novelty. This
tale and other Poe crime/detective stories helped to create and influenced a
whole genre down to our present day.
Under Poe's editorship at Graham's Magazine, he increased the
audience from 5,500 to over 40,000 making it the leading literary magazine in
America in the 1840s. Later in 1845, the
tale made its first appearance in book form.
 |
| First appearance in Graham's Magazine |
Poe,
Edgar Allan. "The Murders in the
Rue Morgue." Graham's Magazine,
Vol. 18, No. 4 (April 1841): 166-179.
The April 1841 number bound in volume 18 for the whole year 1841. Contains the first appearance of "The
Murders in the Rue Morgue."
 |
| First appearance in book form in Tales |
Poe,
Edgar Allan. Tales. New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845. First Edition. Tales bound by the publisher with The
Raven and Other Poems. Contains the
first appearance of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" in book form
among many other first book appearances of his tales.
A. J.
Raffles is a fictional gentleman thief, created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, the
brother-in-law of Arthur Conan Doyle.
Whereas Doyle created a master detective in Sherlock Holmes, Hornung
created an expert thief and master of disguise.
Holmes has his Dr. Watson and Raffles has his Bunny Manders, a sidekick and
accomplice burglar. Doyle believed a
criminal should never be the protagonist of a story, but Raffles's reception
and popularity proved Doyle wrong.
Hornung wrote about Raffles and Bunny in 26 short stories published in three
short story collections (1899, 1901, and 1904), one full-length novel (1909),
and one play (1909). Various writers
have since adapted the Edwardian characters.
Graham Greene returned Raffles and Bunny to the stage in 1975 with the
comedic play The Return of A. J. Raffles, in which Raffles plots to rob
the Marquess of Queensbury not only for the money but also to exact revenge
against the Marquess for his treatment of Oscar Wilde, whom he considers a
friend.
 |
| Limited edition of The Return of A. J. Raffles |
Greene,
Graham. The Return of A. J. Raffles. London: The Bodley Head, 1975. Limited edition of 250 copies, of which 80
copies were reserved for the author's use and copies 81-250 were sold. Precedes the first commercial edition. Signed by the author on the limitation page.
 |
| Stage script of The Return of A. J. Raffles |
Greene,
Graham. The Return of A. J. Raffles. London: Odanti Script Services, 1975. Actor's working stage script for the premier
production at the Royal Shakespeare Company, directed by David Jones. The play ran from December 1975 through
February 1976. The cast included Denholm
Elliot (A. J. Raffles), Clive Francis (Bunny), Peter Blythe (Lord Alfred
Douglas), Paul Rogers (Mr. Portland, Prince of Wales), and Michael Bryant
(Captain von Blixen). This copy belonged
to Clive Francis, who originated the role of Bunny, and was acquired directly
from him.
