Books with title The Club of Queer Trades

A collection of related short stories by British author G. K. Chesterton. Each story is centered on a person who is making his living by some novel and extraordinary means (a "queer trade"). To gain admittance to the Club, one must have a unique queer trade as principal source of income. "Cherub" Swinburne describes his quest for The Club of Queer Trades with his friend Basil Grant, a retired judge, and Rupert Grant, a private detective who is Basil's younger brother. Each of the stories describes their encounter with one of the trades. In the final story, Rupert Grant rescues a lady from her kidnappers but cannot understand why she refuses to be rescued. The answer leads to the unveiling of the mystery of The Club of Queer Trades.First published by Harper & Brothers, London, 1905.

The Club of Queer Trades is a collection of stories by G. K. Chesterton first published in 1905.Each story in the collection is centered on a person who is making his living by some novel and extraordinary means (a "queer trade", using the word "queer" in the sense of "peculiar"). To gain admittance one must have invented a unique means of earning a living and the subsequent trade being the main source of income.The framing narrative by "Cherub" Swinburne describes his quest for The Club of Queer Trades with his friend Basil Grant, a retired judge, and Rupert Grant, a private detective who is Basil's younger brother. Each of the stories describes their encounter with one of the trades.The Tremendous Adventures of Major BrownWhile investigating a case of assault brought by Major Brown, Rupert Grant, the private detective, and his brother Basil stumble upon the Adventure and Romance Agency, Limited, an agency that creates adventures for its clients. The story is notable for prefiguring the concept of the alternate reality game.The Awful Reason of the Vicar's Visit"Cherub" Swinburne is asked to investigate the mysterious assault on the Vicar of Chuntsey (in Essex).The Eccentric Seclusion of the Old LadyRupert Grant rescues a lady from her kidnappers but cannot understand why she refuses to be rescued. The answer leads to the final unveiling of the mystery of The Club of Queer Trades.

The brilliant English author G. K. Chesterton, widely known for his style of blending philosophy and theology into his writing, has taken the classic whodunnit genre and turned it upside down with his collection of mysteries, The Club of Queer Trades.Filled with Chesterton’s masterful storytelling and his strong held belief of questioning the truth, The Club of Queer Trades is more than just a mystery novel. Instead, Chesterton takes his readers on a lighthearted, but deeply moving journey that cannot easily be forgotten after being put down. This short, yet wild 20th century novel contains six amusing stories which follows a club of eccentric characters, all who have peculiar trades in which they make a living from.The narrator, “Cherub” Swinburne, is a detective who is tasked with investigating the problems that crop up from the club members’ unique situations. With his friend Basil Grant, a retired judge, the two end up in whacky adventures while trying to solve these queer mysteries, sometimes finding that unquestioned facts can be unreliable. With Chesterton’s genius writing, his delightfully weird characters, and the quirky mysteries that need solving, The Club of Queer Trades is a short, but immeasurably satisfying read.

The Club of Queer Trades is a collection of stories by G. K. Chesterton first published in 1905.Each story in the collection is centered on a person who is making his living by some novel and extraordinary means (a "queer trade", using the word "queer" in the sense of "peculiar"). To gain admittance one must have invented a unique means of earning a living and the subsequent trade being the main source of income.

Basil Grant, the strangely affected judge, is dismissed when he loses his mind. The newly made flâneur then proceeds to assist his dithering brother, a private sleuth, in a series of seemingly isolated cases. The only clue they have is The Club of Queer Trades, the most exclusive club in the world, but what is it and is there really any connection to the investigation? Basil seems to be onto something if only his brother Rupert could understand anything he was saying or doing. In fact, does anything make any sense in this series of bewildering stories? Take nothing at face value. This unparalleled work is a journey through an often surreal world where mystery, humour and discovery collide until the final story when all is revealed, including the real Basil. Only a writer of Chesterton’s genius could create a classic like none other, where the least probable motive, not suspect, is what compels the reader.