Join us for a talk featuring author Rebecca Rego Barry on her new book, “The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author.” Part biography and part sleuthing narrative, Barry’s work documents both Carolyn Wells’ life and career as well as her own experience researching this once famous author. Barry will also share discoveries drawn from the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library’s Carolyn Wells Papers, which contains literary manuscripts, photographs, reviews and juvenilia.
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Before there was Agatha Christie, there was Carolyn Wells (1862-1942). Although you likely haven’t heard of her, Wells was one of the most popular and prolific mystery novelists of the early twentieth century, but she didn’t confine her writing to a single genre. She also produced children’s books and anthologies, and wrote short stories, prose and poetry for magazines such as Life, Harper’s, and The New Yorker. During her lifetime, Wells penned over 180 books, some of which were bestsellers or adapted for the screen.
