Emil and the Detectives

First published in 1929, this children's novel follows Emil Tischbein, who is sent from a small town to Berlin with money for his grandmother and is robbed on the train by a man in a bowler hat. In the city he meets a gang of local children who organise a watch, trail the thief through streets and cafes, and turn the recovery of the money into a collective hunt. The setting is everyday Weimar Berlin rather than a fantasy world. The book is a detective story in which the police arrive late and the work is done by children who know their neighbourhood and how to use it.

Bound in light brown striped cloth blocked in gold with an inset colour illustration. Yellow endleaves. Red slipcase.