What does all this have to do with obese, orchidloving misogynist Nero Wolfe and milk-drinking, smart-alecky Archie Goodwin? More than you might imagine. What better symbol of the power of the mind, of intellectual capital, than Nero Wolfe? Centuries ago his corpulence would have made his stay on earth a short one. He couldn't hunt or physically joust with his foes. Today, increasingly, mind matters more than matter. Wolfe's ability to fight crime with his intellect will be less "fictional" in the information age. And as technology empowers individuals, readers will better appreciate Wolfe's determination to make the universe revolve around him and his unalterable daily schedule instead of around the agendas of others. The time of topdown, military-style corporations, schools, and governments is coming to a close. But Wolfe's continued appeal will be based on more than his intellect. He is cultivated. He has taste. He is educated. He has standards; perhaps not always "politically correct" but deeply felt. His misogyny Introduction vii may offend some, yet most women will appreciate his impeccable manners and his unwillingness to behave like a dirty old man. In short, Wolfe has character and integrity. And as these virtues enjoy a revival--which they will, thanks in no small part to a high technology that shatters the passivityinducing, take-it-or-leave-it dominance of network TV--his popularity will grow. He stands as a rebuke to today's moral relativism. Similarly, the Wolfe mysteries will enjoy renewed appreciation for their refusal to pander to baser instincts such as sex and violence. Rex Stout treats the reader as an intelligent being rather than a lustful lout longing for erotic stimulation or thirsting for blood. We will admire as never before the superdetective's disdain for vulgarity. Wolfe, of course, has flaws. Humanizing qualities include his moods--he can go into a funk like the rest of us--and the need for money to maintain his extraordinary life-style.