Philo Vance was a fictional American detective created by S. S. Van Dine in the 1920s who appeared in 12 novels. Although largely forgotten today, for a few years he was immensely popular in books, movies, and on the radio. He was portrayed as being a super-dandy, super-intellectual, and super-man-about-town in Manhattan.
Van Dine's first three mystery novels were unusual for mystery fiction because he planned them as a trilogy but plotted and wrote them in short form, more or less at the same time. After they were accepted as a group by famed editor Maxwell Perkins, Van Dine expanded them into full-length novels.
To most modern readers his character would be supercilious and highly irritating. He struck some contemporaries that way, as well: At the height of Philo Vance's popularity, comic poet Ogden Nash wrote:
- Philo Vance
- Needs a kick in the pants
Books featuring Philo Vance
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