Philo Gubb is a small-town paperhanger who admires Sherlock Holmes and learns a deductive technique by correspondence course. Gubb differs from many mainstream fictional detectives in that he is not brilliant, nor egocentric, but he is persistent, good-natured, and occasionally displays common sense. Also in contrast, his work may be characterized by elaborate disguises that deceive nobody, theories that are overhauled at every clue, and the often unintentional solving of mysteries.
Table of Contents:
The Hard-Boiled Egg
The Pet
The Eagle's Claws
The Oubliette
The Un-Burglars
The Two-Cent Stamp
The Chicken
The Dragon's Eye
The Progressive Murder
The Missing Mr. Master
Waffles and Mustard
The Anonymous Wiggle
The Half of a Thousand
Dietz's 7462 Bessie John
Henry
Buried Bones
Philo Gubb's Greatest Case

Ellis Parker Butler was an American author. His career spanned more than forty years, and his stories, poems, and articles were published in more than 225 magazines. Butler's most famous character is Philo Gubb, a small-town paperhanger who does a little bit of a detective work.