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The Tracer of Lost Persons
He was thirty-three, agreeable to look at, equipped with as much culture and intelligence as is tolerated east of Fifth Avenue and west of Madison. He had a couple of elaborate rooms at the Lenox Club, a larger income than seemed to be good for him, and no profession. It follows that he was a pessimist before breakfast. Besides, it's a bad thing for a man at thirty-three to come to the conclusion that he has seen all the most attractive girls in the world and that they have been vastly overrated. So, when a club servant with gilt buttons on his coat tails knocked at the door, the invitation to enter was not very cordial. He of the buttons knocked again to take the edge off before he entered; then opened the door and unburdened himself as follows: "Mr. Gatewood, sir, Mr. Kerns's compliments, and wishes to know if 'e may 'ave 'is coffee served at your tyble, sir." Gatewood, before the mirror, gave a vicious twist to his tie, inserted a pearl scarf pin, and regarded the effect with gloomy approval. "Say to Mr. Kerns that I am-flattered," he replied morosely; "and tell Henry I want him." "'Enry, sir? Yes, sir." The servant left; one of the sleek club valets came in, softly sidling.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
About the author
Robert W. Chambers
860 books650 followersRobert William Chambers was an American artist and writer.
Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.
Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.
Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.
After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.
Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.
On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.
Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.
Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.
Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.
Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.
After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.
Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.
On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.
Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 18, 2023
Do you believe in love at first sight? Do you believe in The One, that you’ll know her when you see her, that she’ll fall into your arms when you meet: game over; happy ever after? Do you believe that some personal conception of physical beauty will inevitably harbour a kindred soul if only you can find it? Are you, in fact, a soppy old romantic who’s never met a real woman, never will meet a real woman, and deserves to stay single for the rest of his life?
That’s the world that this book inhabits, and given that light, fluffy romantic comedy – which is mostly what this is – requires some suspension of disbelief, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. After all, there are always the Sakis and Cabells of this world to set you straight, or at least crooked in the other direction. There are plenty of cynics out there.
Lay aside, then, the idea that girls might have any choice in these matters. Lay aside the thought that the face that launched a thousand ships might, when she opens her mouth, still not float your boat, or that a face like a bag of spanners might be worthy of your love. Fairytale love it is. Happy ever after all the way.
What we have here, then, is a set of linked short-stories or episodes featuring an all-the-omnis missing persons bureau side-lining as a matchmaking agency and bringing together a selection of wealthy drones with the Girl of Their Dreams. In at least one case this happens literally, because there is a touch of mystical-supernatural stuff going on here and there. It’s tripe, yes, but it’s mostly well-cooked tripe with a light comedy sauce. The bits that feature cryptography of one kind or another can, like the similar section of The Gold Bug, be skimmed without doing too much harm.
I’m not going to claim it’s high art, there are pretty good reasons no-one's heard of it, but as obscure light reads go it was entertaining enough.
That’s the world that this book inhabits, and given that light, fluffy romantic comedy – which is mostly what this is – requires some suspension of disbelief, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. After all, there are always the Sakis and Cabells of this world to set you straight, or at least crooked in the other direction. There are plenty of cynics out there.
Lay aside, then, the idea that girls might have any choice in these matters. Lay aside the thought that the face that launched a thousand ships might, when she opens her mouth, still not float your boat, or that a face like a bag of spanners might be worthy of your love. Fairytale love it is. Happy ever after all the way.
What we have here, then, is a set of linked short-stories or episodes featuring an all-the-omnis missing persons bureau side-lining as a matchmaking agency and bringing together a selection of wealthy drones with the Girl of Their Dreams. In at least one case this happens literally, because there is a touch of mystical-supernatural stuff going on here and there. It’s tripe, yes, but it’s mostly well-cooked tripe with a light comedy sauce. The bits that feature cryptography of one kind or another can, like the similar section of The Gold Bug, be skimmed without doing too much harm.
I’m not going to claim it’s high art, there are pretty good reasons no-one's heard of it, but as obscure light reads go it was entertaining enough.
January 29, 2025
Good beginnings can mislead.
Recently I read and reviewed an anthology ("Detection Under Gaslight") which contained a very fine short story ("The Purple Emperor") by this author. Chambers wrote mostly "weird stories" which is not my genre. This short book sounded like a collection of mystery stories, so I took a chance.
It's 1906 and romance is in the air. Many handsome, successful young bachelors in New York City are longing to find "Miss Right." Others who are satisfied to remain single have happily married friends determined to set them up. But finding just the right girl can be difficult. Enter Mr Keen: Tracer of Lost Persons.
Keen is head of a large, flourishing detective agency that specializes in helping NYC's most eligible bachelors find their lost loves, even if they never found her to lose her. Put it another way, it's a collection of romance stories, with a little mystery and some paranormal aspects.
The writing is good and the premise is intriguing. There's droll humor and even the occasional indication that the author isn't convince that "True Love is ALL." There are also a LOT of boring details. If you like old writing and if you're really, REALLY romantic, it may be worth your time.
The author was an artist who turned to writing - mostly paranormal stories, then romantic stories. It's quirky and whimsical, which are normally recommendations for me. Sadly, it has too much happily-ever-after vibe. You may find it charming. I hope so because the writing is too good for it to be dismissed completely.
Recently I read and reviewed an anthology ("Detection Under Gaslight") which contained a very fine short story ("The Purple Emperor") by this author. Chambers wrote mostly "weird stories" which is not my genre. This short book sounded like a collection of mystery stories, so I took a chance.
It's 1906 and romance is in the air. Many handsome, successful young bachelors in New York City are longing to find "Miss Right." Others who are satisfied to remain single have happily married friends determined to set them up. But finding just the right girl can be difficult. Enter Mr Keen: Tracer of Lost Persons.
Keen is head of a large, flourishing detective agency that specializes in helping NYC's most eligible bachelors find their lost loves, even if they never found her to lose her. Put it another way, it's a collection of romance stories, with a little mystery and some paranormal aspects.
The writing is good and the premise is intriguing. There's droll humor and even the occasional indication that the author isn't convince that "True Love is ALL." There are also a LOT of boring details. If you like old writing and if you're really, REALLY romantic, it may be worth your time.
The author was an artist who turned to writing - mostly paranormal stories, then romantic stories. It's quirky and whimsical, which are normally recommendations for me. Sadly, it has too much happily-ever-after vibe. You may find it charming. I hope so because the writing is too good for it to be dismissed completely.
December 23, 2024
I can see how this loosely structured novel inspired the long-running soap opera it did. I really dislike the author's unquestioned-imperialism era worldview, which I see everywhere in his stories. It's clear he understands narrative structure.
The "occult detective" genre was a way to add supernatural frisson to the emerging blockbuster of amateur sleuth stories in the middle nineteenth century. I've read and enjoyed John Thunstone and Jules de Grandin stories, so I'm not immune to the charms here. But this is a pleasure best sipped in a liqueur glass of story size, where a novel is a quart jar of high-fructose corn syrup.
Enjoy in moderation, and it can be fun. Odin’s Library Classics offers a trade paperback for $5.25.
The "occult detective" genre was a way to add supernatural frisson to the emerging blockbuster of amateur sleuth stories in the middle nineteenth century. I've read and enjoyed John Thunstone and Jules de Grandin stories, so I'm not immune to the charms here. But this is a pleasure best sipped in a liqueur glass of story size, where a novel is a quart jar of high-fructose corn syrup.
Enjoy in moderation, and it can be fun. Odin’s Library Classics offers a trade paperback for $5.25.
Want to Read
April 27, 2020This book was the inspiration for the old time radio show Mr. Keen: Tracer of Lost Persons.
Read this book online for free through Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13180...
Read this book online for free through Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13180...
December 26, 2023
I DNFed at Chapter VII. I thought it was a detective story with many mysteries, but it's not.
November 25, 2024
I don’t care what you say, this book was amazing and the fact that there’s quite a bit of funny parts in here, even better! For 1905 this book was lovely and I’m sure I’ll read it again.
October 27, 2014
Easy to read story about finding love for others. This free version is missing some of the last stories--wasn't done right. However, the three stories I read before that were charming. Mr. Keen finds lost persons--most of them here are lost loves.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews