Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown still enthrall readers. But they were not alone – the magazines of the late Victorian and Edwardian period were full of detective stories. The course will trace the rise of the detective in fiction throughout the 19th century, in particular in Poe, Dickens and Wilkie Collins. We will read and discuss a selection of Conan Doyle and G.K. Chesterton, as well as other late Victorian and Edwardian detective stories, and set them in their historical and cultural background, and attempt to understand why this was the first ‘golden age’ of the detective fiction genre. Dates: Mondays 2-3.30pm 13th May, 20th May, 3rd June, 10th June, 17th June, 24th June 2019 Venue: Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1LH Cost: £60 per person (6 sessions) Booking essential: 01743 258881 or email [email protected]