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Back to The Beginnings of the Mystery Novel Melville Davisson Post Melville Davisson Post was born on April 19, 1869 in Romines Mills, WV. He was born into a prosperous, landed family, and he grew up knowing about horses, cattle, the outdoor life, and local folklore which provided him with material which would appear later in his novels. He obtained a law degree at the University of West Virginia in 1892, and practised criminal and corporate law for 11 years. He was also active in Democratic politics. With the success of his first series, he left his law career and wrote full time. His stories were published in The Saturday Evening Post The Ladies Home Journal , and Hearst's and other magazines. He was the most commercially successful magazine writer of his day. Post and his wife Ann lived fashionably. They enjoyed the resort life in Bar Harbor and Newport, and traveled to Europe frequently. During World War I, they returned to Clarkson, West Virginia and lived in a house called The Chalet which was built in the style of a Swiss alpine house. There Post maintained a polo ground and ponies. Ann died in 1919. Post himself died on June 23, 1930 as a result of a fall from a horse. Post developed six series characters. Randolph Mason was an aristocratic New York city lawyer. He was a recluse and, at first, only took clients who came to him as a last resort. Later, he took clients who were victims of the legal system. His first appearance was in | |
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