Encyclopedia Brown is a fictional boy detective, the main character in a long series of children's books written by Donald J. Sobol .

Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown lives in the fictional Idaville, Florida, where his father is chief of police. Whenever a case arises (often one that is stumping his father), Encyclopedia Brown swings into action, assisted in his investigations by his friend (and "muscle") Sally Kimball. Two of the most frequent "villains" are Bugs Meany (leader of a gang of kids called the "Tigers" with a big dislike for Mr. Brown and Ms. Kimball), and William Wingurth (a pre-teen con-artist who attempts a scam every week to get kids to give up money).

Books featuring this character are subdivided into a number of (possibly interlinked) short stories, each of which presents a mystery. The mystery is always intended to be solved by the reader, thanks to the placement of a logical or factual inconsistency somewhere within the text. Encyclopedia Brown invariably solves the case by exposing this inconsistency, but this part of the story is placed at the end of the book; the bulk of the story ends just at the moment when readers are invited to solve the case themselves, or flip to the section in the back with the answers.

The enduring popularity of the Encyclopedia Brown books stems at least partially from the author's refusal to talk down to his audience (which consists primarily of younger readers), as far as leaving clues and puzzle pieces in each short stories. Adult readers who browse through an Encyclopedia Brown story often find that the mysteries are just as difficult for adults to solve.

Other similar book series are those of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and The Great Brain.

The Encyclopedia Brown books, in order of publication, are:

• Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963, ISBN 0525672001, 1982 reissue ISBN 0553157248)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch (1965, ISBN 0525672028)
• Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues (1966, ISBN 0525672044)
• Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man (1967, ISBN 0525672060)
• Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All (1968, ISBN 0525672125)
• Encyclopedia Brown Keeps The Peace (1969, ISBN 0525672087)
• Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day (1970, ISBN 0525672109)
• Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down
• Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way
• Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (1973)
• Encyclopedia Brown Lends A Hand (1974)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor (1977)
• Encyclopedia Brown Carries On (1980)
• Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace
• Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake (1982) (Co-written with Glenn Andrews)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints (1985)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt (1988)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers (1990)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies (1995)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose (1996)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog (1998)
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander (2000)

Quotes

• I wouldn't believe him if he swore he was lying.
• You thieving, lying crook! You should be elected president so you can grant yourself a pardon. -- Sally Kimball (From "The Case of Bug's Zebra")