are often barely readable. Just because they are the first of some type of story does not always mean they also are among the best examples of that subgenre. This caveat does not apply to the stories in the anonymously published Revelations of a Lady Detective (1864), which turn out to be extremely old-fashioned but nonetheless quite charming. They do not have the narrative drive of such of the author’s contemporaries as Charles Dickens or Wilkie Collins, and characterization is sparse, not to mention that dialogue is stilted and overly formal, but it is all intrinsically pleasing.
Mrs. Paschal, the heroine of the stories in the book, is not fully developed, but we do know that she works for Scotland Yard in a special division of female detectives. She was widowed early, as she is not yet forty years old when she makes her first appearance, is relatively fearless and creatively adventurous, is an accomplished actress, and has the complete trust of her superior at Scotland Yard.
It is somewhat cavalier to describe Mrs. Paschal as the first female detective, as a convincing argument could be made for the eponymous protagonist of Andrew Forrester, Jr.’s The Female Detective. Without getting bogged down in a lengthy discussion of bibliographical points, most of which rely on conjecture, however learned the scholars who debate it, I will leave it with the evidence that the first advertisement for Revelations of a Lady Detective, announcing the book as “available” (though no copy has ever been reported), was dated May 15, 1864; the first for The Female Detective was dated May 22, 1864. It is a weak argument, and there is more evidence to suggest that Forrester’s book appeared first, perhaps as much as six months earlier.
There are many other controversies, notably in the title of the book and the identification of the author. The wonderful scholar Frederic Dannay (half of the Ellery Queen collaboration) attributed authorship to “Anonyma,” but the title page of the volume clearly states that the volume is “by the author of ‘Anonyma.’ ” Additionally, he lists the title as Experiences of a Detective, which is no more than a later retitling. He further errs by dating the book 1861, when it was, in fact, published three years later. Much of the mix-up may be attributed to the fact that it is one of the rarest volumes of detective fiction ever published and he wrote his bibliography without ever actually having seen it.
Even today, the authorship has not been conclusively determined. Voices have been heard for Forrester; for Bracebridge Hemyng, who wrote several volumes, perhaps all twelve or thirteen in the “Anonyma” series; and for W. Stephens Hayward, whose byline unambiguously appears on a recent reprint by the British Library but without explanation and should not be trusted.
“Anonyma,” incidentally, was the name used by newspapers to pseudonymously refer to the beautiful Catherine Walters, the most famous courtesan of her day, and the fictionalized series of books about her adventures was a sensation.
“The Mysterious Countess” was originally published in Revelations of a Lady Detective (London, J. A. Berger—doubtful!—or George Vickers—likely!—, 1864).