
49 Tales of The Thinking Machine (49 detective stories featuring Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, also known as "The Thinking Machine") (Annotated)
Enriched Edition.By Jacques FutrelleLength38h 37m
About this audiobook
49 Tales of The Thinking Machine gathers the ingenious detective fiction of Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, whose austere intellect turns crime into a problem in pure reason. Written in crisp, economical prose, these stories belong to the formative period of American mystery writing, when the legacy of Poe and Conan Doyle was being reshaped into puzzle-centered detection. Van Dusen's famous confidence in logic—most memorably displayed in "The Problem of Cell 13"—gives the collection its distinctive cerebral force. Jacques Futrelle, an American journalist, dramatist, and fiction writer, brought to these tales the newsroom's taste for speed, clarity, and startling incident. His career in newspapers helped sharpen his sense of structure and suspense, while his fascination with rational inquiry produced one of detective fiction's most uncompromising minds. Futrelle's early death aboard the Titanic in 1912 left his achievement poignant and tantalizingly incomplete. This collection is warmly recommended to readers interested in the evolution of detective fiction, especially those who admire intellectual puzzles, locked-room ingenuity, and the pleasures of deduction. It offers both historical importance and enduring entertainment.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreMystery and Thriller
Length38 hrs 37 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateSep 20, 2013
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
149 Tales of The Thinking Machine (49 detective stories featuring Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, also known as "The Thinking Machine") (Annotated)
29The Mystery of the Fatal Cipher
2Introduction
30The Mystery of the Flaming Phantom
3Historical Context
31The Problem of the Ghost Woman
4Synopsis (Selection)
32The Mystery of the Golden Dagger
5“The Thinking Machine”
33The Great Auto Mystery
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6My first Experience with the great Logician
34The Grinning God
7A Piece of String
35The Mystery of the Grip of Death
8The Problem of the Perfect Alibi
36The Haunted Bell
9The Problem of the Stolen Bank Notes
37The Jackdaw
10The Problem of Convict no. 97
38The Problem of the Knotted Cord
11The first problem
39The Mystery of the Man Who Was Lost
12The Problem of the Crystal Gazer
40The Mystery of a Studio
13Five Millions by Wireless
41The Problem of the Organ Grinder
14The Problem of the Green Eyed Monster
42The Phantom Motor
15The Problem of the Hidden Million
43The Problem of the Private Compartment
16Kidnapped Baby Blake, Millionaire
44The Problem of the Auto Cab
17The Problem of the Missing Necklace
45The Problem of the Red Rose
18The Problem of the Motor Boat
46The Roswell Tiara
19The Mystery of the Ralston Bank Burglary
47The Mystery of the Scarlet Thread
20The Problem of the Opera Box
48The Silver Box
21The Problem of the Cross Mark
49The three Overcoats
22The Problem of the Broken Bracelet
50The Tragedy of the Life Raft
23The Problem of the Lost Radium
51The Problem of Cell 13
24The Problem of the Stolen Rubens
52The Problem of the Vanishing man
25The Problem of the Souvenir Cards
53The Problem of the Interrupted Wireless
26The Problem of the Superfluous Finger
54Analysis
27The case of the Scientific Murderer
55Reflection
28The Problem of the Deserted House
56Memorable Quotes