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Encyclopedia > Encyclopedia Brown
Cover of the first edition of Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective from Lodestar Books.
Cover of the first edition of Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective from Lodestar Books.

Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown is a fictional boy detective, the main character in a long series of children's books written by Donald J. Sobol since 1963. Only his parents call him by his given name of Leroy; the rest of the neighborhood children refer to him as Encyclopedia due to his above-average intelligence. Image File history File links Encyclopedia_Brown_-_Boy_Detective. ... Image File history File links Encyclopedia_Brown_-_Boy_Detective. ... Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... Jane Frank: illustration from Thomas Yoseloffs The Further Adventures of Till Eulenspiegel (1957). ... Born in 1924. ...


Books featuring Brown are subdivided into a number of (possibly interlinked) short stories, each of which presents a mystery. The mystery is always intended to be solved by the reader, thanks to the placement of a logical or factual inconsistency somewhere within the text. Brown invariably solves the case by exposing this inconsistency, but this part of the story is placed at the beginning of the book; the bulk of the story ends just at the moment when readers are invited to solve the case themselves, or flip to the section in the back with the answers. Mystery fiction is a distinct subgenre of detective fiction that entails the occurrence of an unknown event which requires the protagonist to make known (or solve). ...


Most books follow a formula where the first chapter involves Brown solving a case at the dinner table for his father, the local police chief in the fictional town of Idaville, Florida. The second chapter begins in the Brown garage on Rover Avenue, where Encyclopedia has set up his own detective agency to help neighborhood children solve cases for "25 cents per day, plus expenses." This second case usually involves the town bully, Bugs Meany, who after being foiled, attempts revenge in the third case and chapter. Encyclopedia's other main nemesis is Wilford Wiggins, a teenage con artist who is always concocting elaborate schemes to trick the children of Idaville out of their money. Encyclopedia takes cases involving Wilford for no charge.


Playing Watson to Brown's Holmes is Sally Kimball, his friend and occasional bodyguard. Despite her tomboyish nature (she is reputed to be the only child in the area, male or female, whom Bugs Meany fears), Sally is rather well-educated in and observant of etiquette, and sometimes solves cases where a lack of etiquette is the tip-off. A tomboy is typically described as a girl who behaves according to the gender role of a boy, though the term is also applied to women. ... It has been suggested that Office etiquette be merged into this article or section. ...


The enduring popularity of the Encyclopedia Brown books stems, at least partially, from the author's refusal to talk down to his young audience. Many adult readers also find the mysteries challenging. In 1975, the Mystery Writers of America honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a Special Edgar Award. Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York. ... The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. ...


The books were originally published by Lodestar Books (a branch of E.P. Dutton). Since then, the company has folded over and Bantam Skylark owns the publishing rights since the 1980s. Current editions of the books feature new illustrations in place of the originals by Leonard Shortall, updated to contemporary cultural styles. E. P. Dutton is an American book publishing company founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. ... Bantam Books is a major U.S. publishing house owned by Random House and is part of the Bantam Dell Publishing Group. ...


Encyclopedia Brown inspired many other solve-it-yourself mystery stories for younger readers, such as "Einstein" Anderson, and Hawkeye Collins & Amy Adams.


There have been several satirical versions of Encyclopedia Brown including one by the satirical newspaper The Onion. [1] Adam Cadre wrote a parody of Encyclopedia Brown which satirises Wikipedia. [2] The Onion is a United States-based parody newspaper published weekly in print and daily online. ... Adam Cadre (born February 5, 1974 in Silver Spring, Maryland[1]) is a U.S. writer. ... Wikipedia (IPA: , or ( ) is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization. ...


Some of the stories were adapted into a TV series on HBO in 1989. HBO (Home Box Office) is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner. ...


Book listing

The Encyclopedia Brown books, in order of publication and as numbered by original release cover art, are:

 1. Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963, ISBN 0-525-67200-1, 1982 reissue ISBN 0-553-15724-8)
 2. Encyclopedia Brown Strikes Again (the Case of the Secret Pitch) (1965, ISBN 0-590-01650-4, second title reissue ISBN 0-525-67202-8)
 3. Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues (1966, ISBN 0-525-67204-4)
 4. Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man (1967, ISBN 0-525-67206-0)
 5. Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All (1968, ISBN 0-525-67212-5)
 6. Encyclopedia Brown Keeps The Peace (1969, ISBN 0-525-67208-7)
 7. Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day (1970, ISBN 0-525-67210-9)
 8. Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down (1971, ISBN 0-553-15721-3)
 9. Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way (1972, ISBN 0-553-15142-X)
10. Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (1973)
11. Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand (1974, ISBN 0-553-48133-9, reissued as Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Exploding Plumbing and Other Mysteries, ISBN 0-590-44093-4)
12. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles (1975)
13. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor (1977, ISBN0-553-15586-5)
14. Encyclopedia Brown Carries On (1980, ISBN 0-027-86190-2)
15. Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace (1981, ISBN 0-027-86200-3)
15½. Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake (1982) (Co-written with Glenn Andrews)
16. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints (1985, ISBN 0-553-15739-6)
17. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt (1988, ISBN 0-553-15650-0)
18. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers (1990)
19. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies (1995)
20. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose (1996)
21. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog (1998)
22. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander (2000)
23. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (2005)


Related works

  • Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Strange But True Crimes
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Animals
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Cars
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Crimes
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Outdoors
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Spies
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Sports
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Second Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts
  • Encyclopedia Brown's Third Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts

External links

  • Encyclopedia Brown at Thrilling Detective
  • Encyclopedia Brown at KidsReads.com
  • Encyclopedia Brown at the Internet Movie Database

  Results from FactBites:
 
Encyclopedia Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (650 words)
Brown lives in the fictional Idaville, Florida, where his father is chief of police.
Brown is sometimes assisted in his investigations by his friend (and "muscle") Sally Kimball.
Encyclopedia Brown invariably solves the case by exposing this inconsistency, but this part of the story is placed at the end of the book; the bulk of the story ends just at the moment when readers are invited to solve the case themselves, or flip to the section in the back with the answers.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Thomas Brown (1750-1825) (1077 words)
Born in 1750 in Whitby on the North Sea coast of England, Brown was the son of a wealthy merchant and alum manufacturer.
When he recovered Brown rallied Loyalists in the South Carolina upcountry but was advised by the royal governor, Sir William Campbell, to await the arrival of British troops.
Brown formed his regiment of rangers, recruited Indian allies, and began a campaign of harassment of the Georgia frontiers.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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