British writer GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON (1874-1936) expounded prolifically about his wide-ranging philosophies-he is impossible to categorize as "liberal" or "conservative, " for instance-across a wide variety of avenues: he was a literary critic, historian, playwright, novelist, columnist, and poet. His witty, humorous style earned him the title of the "prince of paradox, " and his works-80 books and nearly 4, 000 essays-remain among the most beloved in the English language Chesterton is best remembered, perhaps, as a spinner of mystery tales, and for his recurring character of Father Brown. This 1914 collection of stories includes some of the crime-solving priest's greatest cases: . "The Absence of Mr. Glass" . "The Paradise of Thieves" . "The Duel of Dr. Hirsch" . "The Man in the Passage" . "The Mistake of the Machine" . "The Head of Caesar" . "The Purple Wig" . "The Perishing of the Pendragons" . "The God of the Gongs" . "The Salad of Colonel Gray" . "The Strange Crime of John Boulnois" . "The Fairy Tale of Father Brown