Some Buried Caesar was published by Farrar & Rinehart in 1939. Wolfe and Archie are traveling to an orchid show in upstate New York when their car is forced off the road. Stranded near the town of Crowfield during its annual agricultural exposition, they become involved in a case centered on a champion Guernsey bull named Donat Caesar — worth $45,000 and the subject of a bitter dispute between its owner and a rival cattleman who wants to slaughter it for a publicity barbecue.
When a man is found dead in the bull’s pasture — apparently gored — Wolfe’s suspicion is aroused: bulls rarely kill with such precision, and the dead man had enemies beyond the bovine. The investigation takes place against the colorful backdrop of a county fair, with its cattle judging, horse races, and agricultural politics.
The novel is significant in the series for introducing Lily Rowan — a wealthy, independent, witty woman who becomes Archie’s most enduring romantic interest across the series. Unlike Archie’s other women, Lily matches him in intelligence and surpasses him in social confidence; their relationship, sustained but never formalized across decades, provides a counterpoint to Wolfe’s monastic existence.
Collecting Some Buried Caesar
First edition (Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1939): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $1,000–$3,000
- Very good/good jacket: $300–$800
- Without jacket: $50–$150