(LITERATURE AND POETRY) HARDING CAPTAIN ELMER Nicodemus the

Sale 2408 - Lot 296

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Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750

(LITERATURE AND POETRY.) HARDING, CAPTAIN ELMER. Nicodemus, the Detective from Africa. Copious engraved illustrations; folio, original illustrated self-wrappers; the first of 12 chapters, serialized in Frank Leslie's "Boys' and Girls' Weekly." 29:739. New York: Frank Leslie, 18 December 1880

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the first chapter of a rare serialized novelette, featuring the first mainstream detective story featuring an african american professional detective. The front cover of the magazine shows Nicodemus, "undercover" on a train, dressed as a Pullman Porter. Nicodemus the Detective from Africa is a novellete dealing with the kidnapping of a wealthy man's daughter. There are several sub-plots, the most prominent of which is a love story involving the kidnapped young lady and her piano tutor. The plotting here is classic for the nineteenth century. Well educated and from a good family, the music teacher who had aspired to be a physician, was swindled out of his money and forced to into a profession "below his station." Nicodemus Programm, his full name, is the main character and is employed by a Captain Cuykendall who has a detective agency like that of Alan Pinkerton. "Nick," as he calls himself is a professional agent of Captain Cuykendall. The author, Captain Elmer Hardinge was no doubt a staff writer for Frank Leslie. We have done a search and no such author was found.