Encyclopedia Brown

Encyclopedia Brown is a series of books featuring the adventures of boy detective Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown. The first of the long series of children's novels written by Donald J. Sobol was published in 1963. The series has also spawned a comic strip and a TV series.

Style

Each book in the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series is self-contained in that the reader is not required to have read earlier books in order to understand the stories. The major characters, settings, etc. are usually introduced (or reintroduced) in each book.

Books featuring Brown are subdivided into a number—usually ten or more—of (possibly interlinked) short stories, each of which presents a mystery. The mysteries are intended to be solved by the reader, thanks to the placement of a logical or factual inconsistency somewhere within the text. This is very similar to the layout of Donald Sobol's other book series: "Two-Minute Mysteries". Brown invariably solves the case by exposing this inconsistency, in the "Answers" section in the back of the book.

Often these 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. Encyclopedia solves these cases by briefly closing his eyes while he thinks deeply, then asking a single question which directly leads to him finding the solution.

The second mystery often 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 and mischief maker, Brian Ash, also known as Bugs Meany, leader of a gang who call themselves the Tigers, who, after being foiled, will attempt revenge in the third mystery.

In the third mystery the plot involves Encyclopedia's partner, close friend and bodyguard, Sally Kimball, the one person under twelve years of age to physically stand up to Bugs. She is the only reason neither Bugs nor any of his Tigers ever try to physically attack Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia tends to dislike anyone that she has a crush on, possibly indicating that he has a crush on her. Also intelligent, she once attempted to prove herself smarter than Encyclopedia by stumping him with a mystery of her own creation. However, she was beaten in the contest (although Encyclopedia admitted that she almost tricked him), after which she became his friend. In that story Bugs or his gang usually sets up some sort of trap to get Encyclopedia or Sally in trouble. However, like in the previous story they make a key mistake which Encyclopedia exposes.

Later cases may find Encyclopedia assisting his father at a crime scene (rarely more serious than larceny, and Encyclopedia is always discreet when helping his father) or interacting with people around town, often exposing scams. One such example is a high school dropout and would-be con artist named Wilford Wiggins who spends time trying to dream up schemes to fleece kids out of their money. Like Bugs, his schemes have an inconsistency which Encyclopedia exposes.

In some cases it is Sally and not Encyclopedia who figures it out because in her words, "You are a boy." In other words, she notices things that only a female would find inconsistent. Sally further displays her intelligence in the various mysteries in that she often can deduce who committed the crime, or whether a certain person is lying, but she simply cannot always prove it.

Other recurring characters in the books include:

• Duke Kelly, Rocky Graham, Spike Larsen, Ike Cassidy, Dutch Jones, Rowdy Quilp, Carl Higgensbottom, Jess Rae—Bugs Meany's Tigers.
• Charlie Stewart—Encyclopedia's friend who collects animal teeth.
• Cicero Sturgess—Idaville's leading child actor.
• Benny Breslin—Encyclopedia's friend who is notorious for his loud snoring. He usually appears in stories involving camping trips.
• Pablo Pizzario-Idaville's best child artist, who Sally has a crush on. Encyclopedia dislikes him, precisely because of Sally's crush on him. He started out as the culprit of a case, but became a usual victim later on. His name is a pun on Pablo Picasso
• Tyrone Taylor-Idaville's "youngest ladies man"

Others:

• Pinky Plummer,
• Jody and Billy Turner,
• Chief Brown,
• Mrs. Brown,
• Red Slattery, and
• Ace Kurlasch

Comic strip

From December 3, 1978 to September 20, 1980, Encyclopedia Brown was a daily and Sunday comic strip syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate. The artwork was done by Frank Bolle and Donald J. Sobol was credited as the writer.

Legacy

The Encyclopedia Brown books experienced some enduring popularity. In 1976, the Mystery Writers of America honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a special Edgar Award.

The books were originally published by Thomas Nelson Inc. and later, by Lodestar Books. They were also published by Scholastic Inc. and Bantam Books through arrangement with those publishers. The current publishing rights are held by Penguin Books. Current editions of the books feature new illustrations in place of the originals by Leonard Shortall, updated to contemporary cultural styles.

Encyclopedia Brown inspired many other crack-the-mystery-yourself mystery stories for younger readers, such as "Einstein" Anderson, and Hawkeye Collins & Amy Adams.^{[citation needed]}

TV series on HBO

A TV series of Encyclopedia Brown premiered on HBO in 1989 with 30-minute episodes. Scott Bremner played the title role, with Laura Bridge playing Sally. The live action series ran a little over 10 episodes, which was produced by Howard David Deutsch and directed by Savage Steve Holland. It also included a 60-minute episode ("The Case of the Missing Time Capsule").

Exact episode run information is difficult to track down, but here is at least a partial list of episodes (not necessarily in airdate order), most all of which have been officially released to VHS.

1. "The Case of the Missing Time Capsule" (hour long special first aired in 1989 to kick off series and released to VHS.)
2. "The Case of the Burglared Baseball Cards" (Released to VHS)
3. "The Case of the Amazing Race Car" (Released to VHS)
4. "The Case of the Flaming Beauty Queen" (Released to VHS)
5. "The Case of the Ghostly Rider" (Released to VHS)
6. "The Case of the Incredible Culpepper" (This episode does not seem to have been released to VHS. The Movie Kids web site (http://moviekids.info/mk/epi/index.php?id=18302) offers a synopsis: The big Idaville magic show is spoiled when a lion belonging to The Incredible Culpepper is stolen. E.B. and Sally are immediately on the case and identify several suspects. With their typical detective skills they soon solve the crime and return the lion to Culpepper. The magic show finally entertains all the good folks of the town- Thanks to Encyclopedia Brown.)
7. "The Case of the Missing U.F.O." (Released to VHS)
8. "Encyclopedia Brown, The Boy Detective in One Minute Mysteries" (This episode adapted 6 of the Encyclopedia Brown stories from the books, including Encyclopedia's very first case - "The Case of Natty Nat", "The Case of the Scattered Cards", "The Case of the Civil War Sword", "The Case of the Foot Warmer", "The Case of the Bitter Drink" and "The Case of the Great Merko". This was also released to VHS.)

Books

Novel series

The Encyclopedia Brown books, in order of publication (parentheses indicate numbers on original release cover art):

1. (1) Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963, ISBN 0-525-67200-1, 1982 reissue ISBN 0-553-15724-8)
2. (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. (3) Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues (1966, ISBN 0-525-67204-4)
4. (4) Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man (1967, ISBN 0-525-67206-0)
5. (5) Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All (1968, ISBN 0-525-67212-5)
6. (6) Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace (1969, ISBN 0-525-67208-7)
7. (7) Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day (1970, ISBN 0-525-67210-9)
8. (8) Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down (1971, ISBN 0-553-15721-3)
9. (9) Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way (1972, ISBN 0-553-15142-X)
10. (10) Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (1973, ISBN 0-553-15723-X)
11. (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. (12) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles (1975, ISBN 0-590-43343-1)
13. (13) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor (1977, ISBN 0-553-15586-5)
14. (14) Encyclopedia Brown Carries On (1980, ISBN 0-027-86190-2)
15. (15) Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace (1981, ISBN 0-027-86200-3)
16. (15½) Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake (1982, ISBN 0590078437) (Co-written with Glenn Andrews)
17. (16) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints (1985, ISBN 0-553-15739-6)
18. (17) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt (1988, ISBN 0-553-15650-0)
19. (18) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers (1990, ISBN 0688090125)
20. (19) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies (1995, ISBN 0385320361)
21. (20) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose (1996, ISBN 0385321848)
22. (21) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog (1998, ISBN 0385325762)
23. (22) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander (2000, ISBN 0385325797)
24. (23) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (2003, ISBN 0385729316)
25. (24) Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case (2007, ISBN 978-0-525-47924-6)
26. (25) Encyclopedia Brown, Super Sleuth (2009, ISBN 978-0-525-42100-9)
27. (26) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFO (2010, ISBN 978-0-525-42210-5)
28. (27) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Carnival Crime (2011, ISBN 978-0-525-42211-2)

Related works

• Encyclopedia Brown's Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts (1979, ISBN 0440023297)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Second Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts (1981, ISBN 0440022606)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Crimes (1983 ISBN 0553151606)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Spies (1984 ISBN 0553152572)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Sports (1984 ISBN 0553152696)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Animals (1985, ISBN 0553153463)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Third Record Book of Weird and Wonderful Facts (1985, ISBN 0688057055)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Cars (1987, ISBN 0688062229)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Outdoors (1988 ISBN 0553155989)
• Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Strange But True Crimes (1992, ISBN 0590441485)

References in popular culture

• There have been several satires of Encyclopedia Brown including one by The Onion. Adam Cadre wrote a parody of Encyclopedia Brown which satirizes Wikipedia. Jay Russel's novel Brown Harvest is a pastiche of Dashiel Hammett's Red Harvest featuring Brown (unnamed) and several other characters from children's literature as adults.
• Bill Amend made reference to the Encyclopedia Brown series in the title of a 2001 compilation of FoxTrot comics—Encyclopedias Brown and White.
• Tom Tomorrow's comic on Salon.com, This Modern World, also occasionally features a parody called "Conservative Jones".
• The film Mystery Team is based on Encyclopedia Brown but set in a darker, more comedic tone.
• Hip hop artist Keith Murray references Encyclopedia Brown in his song "The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World", rhyming, "Never fakin I gets down for my crown clown; Shakin the membrane of Encyclopedia Brown."
• Powerpop band Nothing Painted Blue reference Encyclopedia Brown in their song Epistemophilia on their Powertrips Down Lovers Lane album.
• In the episode "Losin' the Wobble" of Robot Chicken, a bit includes Encyclopedia Brown solving the case of his fathers missing balls.
• The lyrics to the song "Rainbow In the Dark" by rap group Das Racist have a line that reads, "Catch me solvin' mysteries like Wikipedia Brown."
• The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series features Sherlock Sammy, an Encyclopedia Brown type character featured in a series of detective short stories for children. The protagonist, Greg Heffley, uses each individual short story as a separate book, allowing a single Sherlock Sammy book to last him the entire school year. In the original webcomic, Greg really did use Encyclopedia Brown books for his book reports.
• In the TV series Monk, in the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk on Wheels", Monk reluctantly aids Natalie Teeger in finding a bioengineer's stolen bicycle (a crime he feels is beneath him). After identifying the thief to be John Kuramoto, a petty crook with two arrests for vehicle theft, Monk and Natalie travel to the thief's house. Pounding on the door, Monk sarcastically says, "Hello, Johnny! Open up, it's... it's Encyclopedia Brown! Sally and I want our blue bike back, and the name of your decorator! You're not in trouble! Nobody's gonna press charges! We just want the bike!"
• A fake news story titled "Idaville Detective 'Encyclopedia Brown' Found Dead in Library Dumpster" on The Onion parodies Encyclopedia Brown. In the story, Police are investigating the murder of Leroy Brown, a Police detective (the grown-up version of the child detective). The story contains references to many of the formulaic components of the Encyclopedia Brown novels. The main suspect is Police Commissioner Bugs Meany (the grown-up version of the childhood gang member), who is well known to have not gotten along with Detective Brown. At the end of the story, Bugs reveals his guilt in a typical fashion by concocting an alibi with a factual error in it ("at the time the crime was committed, I was at the North Pole watching the penguins"; note penguins are found not at the north pole, but rather at the south pole).
• In Simpsons Season 22 Episode 21 a reference is made to old child crime solving book series, including Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys as well as Encyclopedia Brown. In the reference, the character names are written on tombstones in a pop up bubble over Lisa's head.
• Steven C. Anderson adapted the book series for a children's theatre group production, with the show having a game show format in order to give the audience the chance to solve the mystery, just as in the books. The "Encyclopedia Brown" show has run in early 2011- http://www.catco.org/seasons/2010-2011-season/encyclopedia-brown
• In issue 3 of Hack/Slash volume 2, "Intrepid Detective" Cat Curio refuses to use a gun, mentioning that most detectives don't use firearms with the notable exception of "Howitzer" Brown who used to go by the name "Encyclopedia".

External links

• Encyclopedia Brown at Thrilling Detective
• Encyclopedia Brown at KidsReads.com
• Encyclopedia Brown (TV series) at the Internet Movie Database