Description: The "brilliant" and baffling puzzle book that launched the "solve-it-yourself" mystery craze of the 1920s and '30s (New York Times).
Brief description: Lassiter Wren (pseudonym of John T. Colter), with co-author Randle McKay, launched the concept of the "puzzle book"--in which the reader becomes the detective--into a Golden Age phenomenon with The Baffle Book in 1928. The Baffle Book became instantly popular and it was soon followed by The Second Baffle Book (1929) and The Third Baffle Book (1930). Little else is known about John T. Colter.
Review Quotes: "Brilliant."-- "New York Times"