Showing results by author "Allan Pinkerton" in All Categories

Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, wrote a number of "great detective stories", which he claimed were "literally true". We may call this assertion into question, but they were doubtless based, however loosely, on his actual experiences. This volume brings together two of the stories, The Somnambulist and the Detective; and The Murderer and the Fortuneteller. - Summary by LynneT

Allan Pinkerton, a Scotsman by birth and a barrel maker by trade, settled in Chicago in its infancy and founded the Pinkertons, the world's first detective agency. Though events associated with the agency after his death have tarnished the name, Pinkerton himself was one of the original human rights advocates. He was a dear friend to John Brown, an advisor to Abraham Lincoln, and 80 years ahead of his time in hiring female detectives.

Dive into the fascinating life of Allan Pinkerton, the Scotsman turned barrel-maker who founded the worlds first detective agency in the burgeoning city of Chicago. A true advocate for human rights, he was a close friend of John Brown and trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln. He was a pioneer in hiring female detectives, a whole 80 years before its time. Known for his stubbornness and egotistical nature, he was described by the London Times as a man at once deeply admirable and quite obnoxious. In The Expressman and the Detective, his first endeavor at transforming his real-world experiences ...