Father Brown, an ordinary priest whose unremarkable exterior conceals extraordinary crime-solving ability, is celebrated for his solutions to metaphysical mysteries, a genre perfected by his creator, G. K. Chesterton. More than lighthearted comedies built around puzzling crimes, these superbly written tales contain deeply perceptive philosophical reflections. The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) was the first collection of stories featuring the ecclesiastical sleuth and is widely considered the best. In this annotated edition of the collection, the Chesterton scholar Martin Gardner provides detailed notes and background information on various aspects of such stories as "The Blue Cross," "The Secret Garden," "The Invisible Man," "The Hammer of God," "The Eye of Apollo," and seven more, as well as an informative introduction and an extensive bibliography. Included also are eight illustrations reproduced from the first edition. The result is an indispensable companion for all Chesterton enthusiasts and a perfect introduction for anyone who has yet to meet the incomparable Father Brown.

Short stories about the priest's solution of baffling mysteries are accompanied by background and textual notes.

Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English novelist G. K. Chesterton. ... 1. The Innocence of Father Brown, 1911. "The Blue ...

The Innocence of Father Brown is a classic mystery collection by G.K. Chesterton and an exciting compilation of twelve mystery classics featuring the amatuer detective, Father Brown, the short, stumpy Catholic priest with "uncanny insight into human evil."Contents: The blue cross -- The secret garden -- The queer feet -- The flying stars -- The invisible man -- The honour of Israel Gow -- The wrong shape -- The sins of Prince Saradine -- The hammer of God -- The eye of Apollo -- The sign of the broken sword -- The three tools of death.Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English novelist G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuition and keen understanding of human nature.

Twelve mysteries featuring Father Brown, the short, stumpy Catholic priest with "uncanny insight into human evil."

Twelve mysteries featuring Father Brown, the short, stumpy Catholic priest with uncanny insight into human evil.

The first of G.K. Chesterton's books about seemingly hapless sleuth Father Brown, "The Innocence of Father Brown" collects twelve classic tales: "The Blue Cross," "The Secret Garden," "The Queer Feet," "The Flying Stars," "The Invisible Man," "The Honour of Israel Gow," "The Wrong Shape," "The Sins of Prince Saradine," "The Hammer of God," "The Eye of Apollo," "The Sign of the Broken Sword," and "The Three Tools of Death." "Father Brown is a direct challenge to the conventional detective and in many ways he is more amusing and ingenious."

The Innocence of Father Brown' is a novel by famous twentieth century novelist G. K. Chesterton. It revolves around a Roman Catholic priest and amateur sleuth Father Brown. Father Brown is featured in a series of short stories where he solves mysteries and crimes using his intuition and keen understanding of human nature. The character was loosely based by Chesterton on Father John O'Connor, who was a parish priest in Bradford and was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922.

G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown may seem a pleasantly doddering Roman Catholic priest, but appearances deceive. With keen observation and an unerring sense of man’s frailties–gained during his years listening to confessions–Father Brown succeeds in bringing even the most elusive criminals to justice. This definitive collection of fifteen stories, selected by the American Chesterton Society, includes such classics as “The Blue Cross,” “The Secret Garden,” and “The Paradise of Thieves.” As P. D. James writes in her Introduction, “We read the Father Brown stories for a variety pleasures, including their ingenuity, their wit and intelligence, and for the brilliance of the writing. But they provide more. Chesterton was concerned with the greatest of all problems, the vagaries of the human heart.”