Encyclopedia Brown is a series of books featuring the adventures of boy detective Leroy Brown, nicknamed "Encyclopedia" for his intelligence and range of knowledge. The series of 29 children's novels was written (one co-written) by Donald J. Sobol, with the first book published in 1963 and the most recent new novel published in 2012—shortly after Sobol's death. The Encyclopedia Brown series has spawned a comic strip, a TV series, compilation books of puzzles and games, and a feature film is in development (2013).