This image is the cover for the book The Purloined Letter, Classics To Go

The Purloined Letter, Classics To Go

The unnamed narrator is discussing  some of his most celebrated cases  with with the famous Parisian amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin when they are joined by the Prefect of the Police, a man known as G—. The Prefect has a case he would like to discuss with Dupin. A letter has been stolen from the boudoir of an unnamed female by the unscrupulous Minister D—. It is said to contain compromising information. Danton was in the room, saw the letter, and switched it for a letter of no importance. He has been blackmailing his victim.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story. He is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career. (Wikipedia)