Jack and Gilbert Alvarez:  Twin Masters of Disguise, Acrobatic Wonders, and Ventriloquism.

Five rare detective crime novels from 1898 are collected for the first time in one book.

All but one have been out of print since the early 1920s: a five-novel story collection lost to the ages.

Born in 1882 or the following year, the twins naturally developed what can be called superhero abilities, due to a number of early childhood tragedies and training. The Alvarez Bros. books are a prime example of dime novels as early inspiration for comic book superheroes.

Each Alvarez Bros. book contains a complete story with a plot that spans all five volumes. The fifth book provides the page-turning conclusion: a culmination of evil deeds and heroism!

Originally published in 1898 as part of the Old Sleuth's Own series by Parlor Car Publishing Company, this restoration is derived from J. S. Ogilvie Publishing Co. editions that were in print from 1900 to the early 1920s, using the original Parlor Car printing plates!

There were other recurring characters in the Old Sleuth's Own dime novel series, but none with a complete five-issue arc.

Origins of the Alvarez Bros. (summarized from chapter 2 of book 1; The Twin Athletes;  Always On Top.  A Tale Of Wonderful Surprises)

In the 1870s, a young girl from Maine, whose mother died one year after she was born, became an orphan when her father, a ship’s captain, was lost at sea. Alone in the world, she was taken in by a charity home, and at age 11 ran away to find a way to support herself, and a new home, as a farmhouse's hired help. At 16, with confidence and drive, she joined a circus company as a marcher in the “grand pageant”.

During her travels with the big top she met a handsome Spanish acrobat and got married in her 17th year. Her new husband, familiar with her skills, convinced her to train as a horse rider so they could perform equestrian tricks. The joint attraction was a success and together they saved quite a lot of money traveling with various circus companies.

In 1882 or 1883 the couple gave birth to healthy twins, John and Gilbert. The new mother made their home in Madrid, Spain, while her husband went to South America.

By the time they were three years of age, the boys showed an inherent instinct in acrobatics without any encouragement. Their mother had other hopes for the boys’ future but, unknown to her, an uncle who was also an acrobatic performer showed them some of the ropes and trained them for the circus.

She taught the twins to speak English as a first language, as well as truthfulness and honesty. However, the tragedies of their mother's life were passed on to them when their father, who had never returned from South America, was presumed dead. She died when Jack and Gilbert were ten.

Under the care of their uncle, they continued their training in the acrobatic arts for the circus. He also gave them a good education and taught them different languages: soon they could speak German, French and Italian fluently.

When the Alvarez brothers reached 13 years, their uncle took them to America, their mother's native land, to perform for the public in New York City, and gave them lessons to develop a command of ventriloquism. Fate arrived at the Alvarez family's door again when their beloved uncle caught a cold and died of pneumonia. On his death bed he gave the two boys a bag of gold that would help them until they were able to get by in the Big City of New York, until they found employment. They were 14 when he died, and alone, but were well informed about life in New York: Americans with courage and self- reliance.

Bequeathed with several thousand dollars in gold, worth roughly $92,000 today, they found themselves perfectly able to get along in the urban jungle, and had promise of great deeds, as well as becoming masters of disguise and detective observation.

This is where their story, and the five-dime novels, begins: becoming detectives out of coincidence and necessity.