Jacques Futrelle August Nemo Popular Books

Jacques Futrelle August Nemo Biography & Facts

Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S., M.D., M.D.S. is a fictional character in a series of detective short stories and a novel by Jacques Futrelle, the best known being The Problem of Cell 13. Biography In the stories, Professor Van Dusen solves a variety of different mysteries with his friend and companion, Hutchinson Hatch, reporter of a fictional newspaper called The Daily New Yorker. The professor is known as "The Thinking Machine", solving problems by the remorseless application of logic. This nickname was given to him after his winning of a match against the fictional chess champion of the day, Tschaikowsky, in a demonstration to show the power of applying pure logic. He was able to win against the reigning champion, having only been taught the game the morning of the match. Many of his titles are actually honorary degrees awarded to him, serving only to amuse the universities and scientific institutions that crown him with those titles. Van Dusen's catchphrases include, "Two and two always equal four," "Nothing is impossible" and "All things that start must go somewhere." His first story gives numerous details about his background, physical appearance, and personality: In appearance he was no less striking than in nomenclature. He was slender with the droop of the student in his thin shoulders and the pallor of a close, sedentary life on his clean-shaven face. His eyes wore a perpetual, forbidding squint—the squint of a man who studies little things—and when they could be seen at all through his thick spectacles, were mere slits of watery blue. But above his eyes was his most striking feature. This was a tall, broad brow, almost abnormal in height and width, crowned by a heavy shock of bushy, yellow hair. All these things conspired to give him a peculiar, almost grotesque, personality.Professor Van Dusen was remotely German. For generations his ancestors had been noted in the sciences; he was the logical result, the master mind. First and above all he was a logician. At least thirty-five years of the half-century or so of his existence had been devoted exclusively to proving that two and two always equal four, except in unusual cases, where they equal three or five, as the case may be. He stood broadly on the general proposition that all things that start must go somewhere, and was able to bring the concentrated mental force of his forefathers to bear on a given problem. Bibliography Novels The Chase of the Golden Plate (1906) Short stories First Series "The Problem of Cell 13." Boston American, 30 October to 5 November 1905. Van Dusen accepts a challenge to escape from a death row cell within a week, and Hatch publicizes it in the newspaper "The Ralston Bank Burglary." Boston American, 6 November to 12 November 1905. "The Flaming Phantom." Boston American, 13 November to 19 November 1905. Hatch is sent to investigate a "haunted house" where a flaming ghost chases off any intruders, but he is forced to summon Van Dusen) "The Great Auto Mystery." Boston American, 20 November to 26 November 1905. Also published as "The Knife." "Kidnapped Baby Blake, Millionaire." Boston American, 27 November to 3 December 1905. Also published as "The Disappearance of Baby Blake." "The Mystery of a Studio." Boston American, 4 December to 10 December 1905. "The Scarlet Thread." Boston American, 11 December to 17 December 1905. "The Man Who Was Lost." Boston American, 18 December to 24 December 1905. "The Golden Dagger." Boston American, 25 December to 31 December 1905. "The Fatal Cipher." Boston American, 1 January to 7 January 1906. "The Mystery of the Grip of Death." Boston American, 8 January to 14 January 1906. Second Series "Problem of Dressing Room 'A.' " Associated Sunday Magazines [e.g. (Minneapolis) Sunday Journal], 2 September 1906. (The original magazine publication also featured an introductory vignette, "The Thinking Machine.") "Problem of the Motor Boat." Associated Sunday Magazines, 9 September 1906. "A Piece of String." Associated Sunday Magazines, 16 September 1906 "Problem of the Crystal Gazer." Associated Sunday Magazines, 23 September 1906. "Problem of the Roswell Tiara." Associated Sunday Magazines, 30 September 1906. "Problem of the Lost Radium." Associated Sunday Magazines, 7 October 1906. The story takes place in a laboratory at the fictional "Yarvard University", named for Yale and Harvard). "The Problem of the Opera Box." Associated Sunday Magazines, 14 October 1906 "Problem of the Missing Necklace." Associated Sunday Magazines, 21 October 1906. "Problem of the Green Eyed Monster." Associated Sunday Magazines, 28 October 1906. "Problem of the Perfect Alibi." Associated Sunday Magazines, 4 November 1906. Also published as "His Perfect Alibi." "Problem of the Phantom Auto." Associated Sunday Magazines, 11 November 1906. Also published as "The Phantom Motor." "The Haunted Bell." The Saturday Evening Post, 17 November 1906 "Problem of the Stolen Bank Notes." Associated Sunday Magazines, 18 November 1906. Also published as The Brown Coat. "Problem of the Superfluous Finger." Associated Sunday Magazines, 25 November 1906. A doctor comes to Van Dusen with an ethical quandary: a woman wants a perfectly good little finger amputated, but won't say why. Third Series "Problem of the Knotted Cord." Associated Sunday Magazines, 20 January 1907. (The original magazine publication also featured an introductory vignette, "My First Experience with the Great Logician.") "Problem of the Souvenir Cards." Associated Sunday Magazines, 3 February 1907 "Problem of the Stolen Rubens." Associated Sunday Magazines, 17 February 1907 "Problem of the Three Overcoats." Associated Sunday Magazines, 3 March 1907 "Problem of the Organ Grinder." Associated Sunday Magazines, 17 March 1907 "Problem of the Hidden Million." Associated Sunday Magazines, 31 March 1907 "Problem of the Auto Cab." Associated Sunday Newspapers, 14 April 1907 "Problem of the Private Compartment." Associated Sunday Newspapers, 28 April 1907 "Problem of the Cross Mark." Associated Sunday Magazines, 12 May 1907 "Problem of the Ghost Woman." Associated Sunday Newspapers, 26 May 1907 "The Silver Box." Associated Sunday Newspapers, 9 June 1907. Also published as "The Leak." A businessman asks Van Dusen's help when his industrial secrets are instantly leaked to a competitor. "Problem of Convict No. 97." Associated Sunday Newspapers, 23 June 1907 "Problem of the Deserted House." Associated Sunday Magazines, 7 July 1907 "Problem of the Red Rose." Associated Sunday Magazines, 21 July 1907 "Problem of The Vanishing Man." Associated Sunday Magazines, 11 August 1907 "Problem of the Broken Bracelet." Associated Sunday Magazines, 8 September 1907 "Problem of the Interrupted Wireless." Associated Sunday Magazines, 3 November 1907. "The Grinning God: Part 2: The House That Was." Associated Sunday Magazines, 1 December 1907. Part 1, "Wraiths of the Storm," was written by Futrelle's wife May. Fourth Seri.... Discover the Jacques Futrelle August Nemo popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jacques Futrelle August Nemo books.