detective fiction as Ellery Queen (Frederic Dannay), Anthony Boucher, Vincent Starrett, and Howard Haycraft. In his 1944 volume The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen wrote of Derleth's The Norcross Riddle, an early Pons story: "How many budding authors, not even old enough to vote, could have captured the spirit and atmosphere with as much fidelity?" Queen adds, "...and his choice of the euphonic Solar Pons is an appealing addition to the fascinating lore of Sherlockian nomenclature." Vincent Starrett, in his foreword to the 1964 edition of The Casebook of Solar Pons, wrote that the series is "...as sparkling a galaxy of Sherlockian pastiches as we have had since the canonical entertainments came to an end." Despite close similarities to Doyle's creation, Pons lived in the post-World War I era, in the decades of the 1920s and 1930s. Though Derleth never wrote a Pons novel to equal The Hound of the Baskervilles, editor Peter Ruber wrote: "...Derleth produced more than a few Solar Pons stories almost as good as Sir Arthur's, and many that had better plot construction." Although these stories were a form of diversion for Derleth, Ruber, who edited The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition (2000), argued: "Because the stories were generally of such high quality, they ought to be assessed on their own merits as a unique contribution in the annals of mystery fiction, rather than suffering comparison as one of the endless imitators of Sherlock Holmes." Some of the stories were self-published, through a new imprint called "Mycroft & Moran", an appellation of humorous significance to Holmesian scholars. For approximately a decade, an active supporting group was the Praed Street Irregulars, patterned after the Baker Street Irregulars. In 1946, Conan Doyle's two sons made some attempts to force Derleth to cease publishing the Solar Pons series, but the efforts were unsuccessful, and were eventually withdrawn. Derleth's mystery and detective fiction also included a series of works set in Sac Prairie and featuring Judge Peck as the central character. Youth and children's fiction Derleth wrote many and varied children's works, including biographies meant to introduce younger readers to explorer Jacques Marquette, as well as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Arguably most important among his works for younger readers, however, is the Steve and Sim Mystery Series, also known as the Mill Creek Irregulars series. The ten-volume series, published between 1958 and 1970, is set
{
        'QUESTION: Who created the Solar Pons series?' : 'Answer: August Derleth',
        'QUESTION: What is the setting of the Solar Pons series?' : 'Answer: Post World War I era, in the decades of the 1920s and 1930s.',
        'QUESTION: How did other writers view Derleth\'s work on the Solar Pons series?' : 'Answer: Other writers praised it, with Ellery Queen calling it captivating and Vincent Starrett considering it a sparkling galaxy of Sherlockian pastiche.',
        'QUESTION: Did anyone try to stop Derleth from continuing the Solar Pons series?' : 'Answer: Yes, Conan Doyle’s two sons tried to stop him, but he continued anyway.',
        'QUESTION: Besides the Solar Pons series, what else did August Derleth write?' : 'Answer: He also wrote mystery and detective fiction featuring Judge Peck, youth and children’s fiction, including biographies of figures like Jacques Marquette, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, and the Steve and Sim Mystery Series.',
        'QUESTION: Can you tell me more about the Steve and Sim Mystery Series?' : 'Answer: This is a ten-volume series set between 1958 and 1970, which features young detectives Steve and Sim solving mysteries. They are part of a group called the Mill Creek Irregulars.',
        'QUESTION: Are there any organizations related to the Solar Pons series?' : 'Answer: Yes, during its peak, there was an active supporting group called the Praed Street Irregulars, modeled after the Baker Street Irregulars.',
        }