"If I'm home with no chore at hand, and a package of books has come, the television set and the chess board and the unanswered mail will have to manage without me if one of the books is a detective story"

This quote by Rex Stout speaks with the power of books and the delight of reading. It recommends that when a bundle of books arrives, the reader is so enthralled by the stories that they forget about all of their other responsibilities. The tv, chess board, and unanswered mail are all put aside in favor of the investigator story. This quote stresses the importance of books and the enjoyment of reading, suggesting that books can be a form of escapism and a method to ignore the mundane tasks of daily life. It likewise speaks to the power of stories, as the detective story is so fascinating that it takes precedence over all other activities.