tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post3068669022976796683..comments2024-03-18T11:01:42.459-05:00Comments on Pretty Sinister Books: Things I Learned While Reading Detective FictionJ F Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-70569029924938793042013-05-22T08:08:56.029-05:002013-05-22T08:08:56.029-05:00In re the monkey gland cocktail, you might find th...In re the monkey gland cocktail, you might find the history of the American quack John R. Brinkley to be interesting. He was doing "goat gland" transplants at about the same time. He was such a charlatan he may well have ripped off the monkey gland guy, but his fame was so widespread it might have been the other way around. Here's a link to his history in case you are interested. Fascinating guy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Brinkley In any event, I love your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-57834906708803917112013-05-16T11:24:47.998-05:002013-05-16T11:24:47.998-05:00F.A.S.C.I.N.A.T.I.N.G. John. Absolutely you should...F.A.S.C.I.N.A.T.I.N.G. John. Absolutely you should continue this series. Why didn't I think of it? Huey Long's life also inspired ALL THE KING'S MEN, novel and movie. You probably knew that, but just thought I'd mention it.<br /><br />Ah, the Maginot Line. And didn't it fall rather quickly once the Germans showed up. It's always amazed me how the French went to all the trouble of establishing this barrier, then at the first sign of trouble...well, you know the rest.<br /><br />I learned a heck of a lot about philately in Ellery Queen's CHINESE ORANGE MYSTERY. Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-17000023549396463902013-05-14T20:58:50.181-05:002013-05-14T20:58:50.181-05:00Great post, John. Weird, wild stuff. On a more pro...Great post, John. Weird, wild stuff. On a more prosaic note, I find that detective fiction is a great storehouse of data on how people lived, day by day, in times gone by. It's a genre that takes the minutiae of everyday life seriously—pretty much by design, since every mundane detail might actually be a Vital Clue in disguise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-52328171472493954232013-05-13T17:40:37.857-05:002013-05-13T17:40:37.857-05:00Or movies. I spent the weekend watching the LADY C...Or movies. I spent the weekend watching the LADY CHAPLIN spy movie. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of sporting event was going in the first part of the film. It had something to do with women, badminton and men betting. I think.Tim Mayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16191899859528990414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-36131000514918474662013-05-13T01:09:13.401-05:002013-05-13T01:09:13.401-05:00Good post, John! Never thought one could pick up s...Good post, John! Never thought one could pick up so much from reading early or forgotten mysteries. I should be more attentive when I read mysteries or other fiction. You should make this a regular post.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-67162636186164673452013-05-12T20:35:42.926-05:002013-05-12T20:35:42.926-05:00Excellent post. I enjoyed reading it, John and yes...Excellent post. I enjoyed reading it, John and yes, as a new subscriber to this blog, I'd love to read more trivia. whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030571187291039318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-67923758199203123592013-05-12T18:35:02.311-05:002013-05-12T18:35:02.311-05:00I love this post. You are right, there is so much ...I love this post. You are right, there is so much to learn from mystery novels. The mystery that had all the information about aerodynamics and wind tunnels sound very interesting.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.com