Detection existed in fiction long before Poe and Doyle. Its real origins
lurk in the popular press of the early Nineteenth century, where the
detective and the case were steadily developed. The well-known masters
of early crime fiction, including Collins and Dickens, drew on this
material, found in texts that have rarely been reprinted or even
discussed. In this revealing book, Heather Worthington combines
scholarly and archival study with theoretically informed analysis to
unearth the foundations of detective fiction. This is essential reading
for those researching in, studying, or just fascinated by crime fiction.