Mint Editions (Literary Fiction)

Earl Derr Biggers

• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781513210780
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Crime & Mystery Literature
• Index: Literature

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913) is a mystery novel by Earl Derr Biggers. Although he is widely known as the author of a bestselling series of novels featuring Chinese American detective Charlie Chan, Biggers worked for years as a struggling mystery writer with moderate success. Seven Keys to Baldpate is one of his most acclaimed works of fiction from that period in his career, due in no small part to George M. Cohan's celebrated stage adaptation of the same year. Cohan's version has since served as source material for at least seven feature length films. "'Yes, it's a little more lively in summer, when that's open, " answered the agent; 'we get a lot of complaints about trunks not coming, from pretty swell people, too. It sort of cheers things.' His eye roamed with interest over Mr. Magee's New York attire. 'But Baldpate Inn is shut up tight now. This is nothing but an annex to a graveyard in winter. You wasn't thinking of stopping off here, was you?'" When William Magee arrives at Baldpate Mountain from his native New York City, he discovers that the hotel where he will be staying is virtually closed for the winter. Despite this setback, Magee manages to secure a key to the Baldpate Inn. There, he begins to work on what he hopes will become his first serious novel, his big break after years as a pulp fiction writer. Soon, other guests begin to arrive, each of them harboring a dangerous secret. This edition of Earl Derr Biggers' Seven Keys to Baldpate is a classic of American mystery fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• I. “Weep No More, My Lady”
• II. Enter a Lovelorn Haberdasher
• III. Blondes and Suffragettes
• IV. A Professional Hermit Appears
• V. The Mayor Casts a Shadow Before
• VI. Ghosts of the Summer Crowd
• VII. The Mayor Begins a Vigil
• VIII. Mr. Max Tells a Tale of Suspicion
• IX. Melodrama in the Snow
• X. The Cold Gray Dawn
• XI. A Falsehood Under the Palms
• XII. Woe in Number Seven
• XIII. The Exquisite Mr. Hayden
• XIV. The Sign of the Open Window
• XV. Table Talk
• XVI. A Man from the Dark
• XVII. The Professor Sums Up
• XVIII. A Red Card
• XIX. Exeunt Omnes, As Shakespeare Has It
• XX. The Admiral’s Game
• XXI. The Mayor is Welcomed Home
• XXII. The Usual Thing
• A Note About the Author
• A Note from the Publisher