Edgar Allan Poe Collection
The Purloined Letter
par Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Purloined Letter” is a mystery centered on a document stolen from a royal household. Although its whereabouts are known to the thief’s pursuers, conventional searches fail to uncover it, leaving the matter to the perceptive amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin.
Dupin approaches the case by considering how the thief thinks and by questioning the assumptions behind the search. His method relies on observation, psychological insight, and careful reasoning rather than force or elaborate forensic techniques. The story unfolds as a conversation and investigation, drawing the listener into the puzzle alongside Dupin’s companion and the Paris police prefect.
Poe combines the suspense of a detective story with the pleasure of following a mind at work. The result is an intimate, cerebral mystery in which a seemingly simple object becomes the focus of a contest in ingenuity.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.