Who or What is a Tingley Tidbit?

It's an obscure reference from a little-known, posthumously published Wolfe novella, Bitter End. It has the same plot as the non-Wolfe novel featuring Tecumseh Fox, Bad for Business. Stout wrote three mysteries featuring Tecumseh Fox.

Tingley's Tidbits is a fictitious, prepared food that is a key plot devise. Mr. Tingley owns the prepared food company that manufactures the tidbits.

Bitter End was published in James Rock Publishing's Corsage (1979) which had a limited printing of a few thousand and has been out of print since it's initial print run. Bitter End was also included in the trilogy Death Times Three (1985), which contains two other Wolfe stories previously published only in magazines.

The Heron

Mr. Wolfe Proven to Be Alive

At last, proof that Mr. Wolfe is alive and well.

As we all know from the movie Miracle on 34th Street, the judge found in favor of Edmund Gwynn (let us please ignore the remake) as Santa Claus, based upon the US Post Office delivery all its Christmas mail to him.

In 2008, at the Wolfe Pack post office box a letter arrived from the Financial Institution, Capital One, addressed to Nero Wolfe. Inside was a letter pitching a credit card. The salutation was "Dear Nero Wolfe." If a major financial institution and the US Postal Service both acknowledge Mr. Wolfe's existence, who are we to disagree? I say it is about time our government got something right.

Click the image to see the entire letter.

HOW NERO WOLFE AFFECTED ONE LIFE

James Rock, Publisher of a number of books relating to Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe, was asked, "Is the corpus just a good read or do you consider that Wolfe and company have influenced your lives in a significant way? Did the books affect your attitudes, ideals or opinions -- and if so, to what degree? What did you take away with you." Following is his answer:

"I started reading Nero Wolfe in 1972-3, which led to having a friend, Michael Bourne, go out in April 1973 to interview Rex Stout for a little arts/literary magazine, "Hubris: A Gazette of the Arts" (now at http:www.hubris.cc). We were publishing off campus from our bookstore, which lead to starting book publishing in order to publish the Interview and a novella "Bitter End" in a book "Corsage: A Bouquet of Nero Wolfe and Rex Stout" which led to buying typesetting equipment which led to starting a prepublication service business for other publishers which led to developing techniques for interfacing micro-computers to typesetting equipment (1980) which led to computer consulting which led to moving from Indiana to the Washington DC area which led to revitalizing our publishing company which led to publishing a new edition of Professor John McAleer's biography of Rex Stout and a release of the audio tape of the Rex Stout interview, which led to publishing other mystery books to releasing a new edition of Professor J. Kenneth Van Dover's book "At Wolfe's Door, A Guide to Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Novels," which will be released in the next two weeks. Of course there was the intellectual stimulation and the rapport with the characters in the corpus and with Rex Stout, Wolfe Pack members, etc. that was the impetus for all of the above. Other than that, I can't think of any influence at all."

Gumshoe Wardrobe — Mr. Wolfe's Yellow Shirt

"...Conversely, I’ve always had a problem with Nero Wolfe’s yellow shirt which due to his heft is “the size of a tent”. The size is believable. But for me the color is not. If Wolfe’s taste is reflected in his subtle masculine surroundings then why would he wear yellow? But when I tried to come up with a better color for Wolfe I couldn’t. Red? God, no. Blue? Too business like. Black? Too gansterish, and it would make him look as if he’s trying to hide his girth. Wolfe would never think of such a thing. White? He’d look like he’s wearing a wedding dress. Hunter green? Not bad. But the color carries with it a certain kind of upper class pretension. And that is definitely not Wolfe. How about pastels? Pink? That might make his determined bachelorhood suspect. Orange? I don’t even want to think about that. I guess given the choices Rex Stout did come up with the best color. But I still can’t keep from flinching when I read the description."

From Criminal Brief: The Mystery Short Story Web Log Project

Archie to Hackett: "No.  You prefer yellow.  It's the sun, the spring sun that makes things green.  You're Mr. Wolfe.  You wear yellow shirts." "Before I Die" - "A Nero Wolfe Mystery" June 16, 2002