amateur detectives--From the History of Mystery by Max Allan Collins

Edgar Allen Poe “The Murders In The Rue Morgue”  --Poe’s chief innovation, the amateur detective, sets the stage for countless eccentric sleuths.  

Due to the unexpected popularity of his character, Dupin, Poe wrote two more stories featuring the ecccentric detective:  “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842) and “The Purloined Letter” (1845).  In doing so, the tortured poet created the first detective series.  A writer of Poe’s stature writing in this form placed the genre firmly in the ranks of fine literature.  

 Brief look at where the genre of amateur detectives began.  In 1841, when C. Auguste Dupin made his memorable first appearance in “The Murders In The Rue Morgue,” life in both America and Europe was considerably different than today.  Not only did a vast gulf exist between rich and poor, but between the literate and illiterate.  Nearly a quarter of the American people were still unable to read, most of those in the lower-income brackets.

After Dupin (1841, C. Auguste Dupin) ”Murders In The Rue Morgue” opened the door, many a disdainful detective slipped through after him.

Here is Max Allan Collins' fabulous blog

Link to the book