Practical Instruction for Detectives: A Complete Course in Secret Service Study

by Emmerson Wain Manning

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Genres: Nonfiction

92 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[L. Shosty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dismal and boring. Perhaps it's that we live in a society that has become as intimate with the workings of police officers and private detectives (via media such as television or novels) as we are our own lives, in some respects, but there is nothing timely here that is not something which I've seen numerous times before. As a document of older techniques, it's hardly worth mentioning, either. The only pieces of interest are in the period slang and the detail with which the author describes the criminal's attention to detail in his various crimes. What the book could have used was more examples from cases the author or his fellow detectives worked. That would have been worth the time spent,

[John Schumacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I had the assumption that it would focus mostly on the mental aspects of being a detective. As an example, I thought the book would focus on how detectives approach their role as a whole, and not the steps required to apprehend each type of burglar.

This is the type of book that benefits from interesting examples of how the material could be applied. Sure, there are example, but they are mostly sparse and uninteresting. Very rarely does the detective talk through his actions in his personal stories, he makes it seem like being a detective is nothing more than running down a checklist of things to do in certain situations. Maybe I have too high of expectations for the profession of a detective... I think it does require most rational thought than the author seems to suggest...

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

2014: Being a Detective for Dummies in the 1920s. A real block of wood, and unlikely to have ever provided anyone with any actual information. Kind of interesting to listen to now (the librovox recording is good), although not for any reason intended by the author.

2019: Boy, was I generous to give this two stars! This book is really quite terrible, a cynical attempt to pawn off pompous, half-baked, insipid advice to the would-be 1920s detective. But it is mildly entertaining still for what it reveals in passing about everyday life a century back, and for what it reveals about that great unreliable narrator, Emmerson Wain Manning.

[Timothy Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emmerson Manning’s handbook was written in 1921, and is targeted at young people considering employment in the security field. He describes the work of store, hotel, train, and other detectives. I thought the book would have been most useful as a primer into how to begin work as a small-time criminal in a large American city. He describes various methods of shoplifting, for example, so that new detectives can spot them, but I as a reader now know how to roll a 1920s jewelry store.

This review was first posted on book coasters

[Ahmed Aglan]

audiobook ..
it sounded like sitting with an old retired detective who likes to share his experience in moments of nostalgia and clarity of mind .. amusing for curious readers , not really for professional detectives .

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an audiobook from LibriVox!


https://librivox.org/practical-instru...