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The Sword of Damocles: A Story of New York Life
Paperback
Publisher: Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Published: Jun 7 2025
Pages: 260
Weight: 0.70
Height: 0.65 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Sword of Damocles: A Tale of New York Life is a novel by Anna Katharine Green, an influential early writer of detective fiction. Published in 1881, this book is one of her lesser-known works compared to her famous debut, The Leavenworth Case (1878), which established her as a pioneer in the genre.
The title references the ancient parable of the Sword of Damocles, symbolizing impending danger or doom. Set in New York City, the story follows a suspenseful plot involving crime, deception, and moral dilemmas, typical of Green's intricate mysteries.
Green was one of the first American women to write detective fiction, influencing later authors like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle.
About the Author
Anna Katharine Green (November 11, 1846 - April 11, 1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Green has been called the mother of the detective novel.
Green was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 11, 1846. She had an early ambition to write romantic verse and corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878), praised by Wilkie Collins, and the hit of the year. She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing 37 books over 40 years.
On November 25, 1884, Green married the actor and stove designer, and later noted furniture maker, Charles Rohlfs (1853 - 1936). Rohlfs toured in a dramatization of Green's The Leavenworth Case. After his theater career faltered, he became a furniture maker in 1897, and Green collaborated with him on some of his designs. Together they had one daughter and two sons: Rosamund Rohlfs, Roland Rohlfs, and Sterling Rohlfs. Her daughter Rosamund married Robert Twitty Palmer.
Green died on April 11, 1935, in Buffalo, New York, at the age of 88. Her husband died the following year.
In 2002, Buffalo Literary Walking Tours began an annual series of weekend walking tours highlighting authors with local connections. Green is included along with Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Herman Melville, Taylor Caldwell, and others.
Green's short story The Intangible Clue featuring Violet Strange was adapted by Chris Harrald for the second series of BBC Radio 4's drama series The Rivals and starred Jeany Spark as Violet Strange. (wikipedia.org)
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