Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Happy birthday, Baroness Orczy.

Emma Magdalena Rosalia Maria Josefa Barbara Orczy, aka Baroness Orczy, was born today in 1865. Best known for the gallant Scarlet Pimpernel, she also wrote some memorable mysteries: Stories (1908) with Bill Owen, aka "The Old Man in the Corner," often considered the first appearance of the modern armchair detective; and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard (1910), in which Lady Molly and her maid Mary Granard join Scotland Yard's "Female Department," as Lady Molly seeks to exonerate her wrongly accused husband. The York Theatre Royal (UK) staged a production of Lady Molly in 2006.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice coincidence. I'm re-reading the book right now for a posting this Friday.

Elizabeth Foxwell said...

Bill,

It turns out that the copy that I bought of _The Old Man in the Corner_ stories was once owned by Bill Deeck.

Unknown said...

A nice connection! My copy is an International Polygonics edition, without the "old" in the title. It's a reprint of the first American edition.