The Case of the First Mystery Novelist

Like most people who care about the history of popular fiction, I thought that Wilkie Collins was the first true mystery writer, and I was not alone.

However, this week in the New York Times, Paul Collins had this essay where he talks about an earlier mystery title and his personal search to find out the identity of the author.

The essay will appeal to mystery fans, as Collins goes through his own detective process.  Collins himself also has a historical true crime book coming out in June 2011.