RAFFLES, A GENTLEMAN-THIEF: 27 Adventure Tales in One Volume (ePub)

Ernest William Hornung (1866-1921), commonly known as E. W. Hornung, was an English author and poet best known for creating the character A. J. Raffles, a gentleman thief in late Victorian London. Born into a middle-class family in Middlesbrough, Hornung spent most of his youth in England. His brother-in-law, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, significantly influenced Hornung's literary career, and Hornung himself acknowledged Doyle's impact on his work. Hornung's literary contribution is highlighted by his most celebrated assembly, 'Raffles, A Gentleman-Thief: 27 Adventure Tales in One Volume,' which presents the exploits of his charismatic antihero who, in stark contrast to Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, conducts his misdeeds within the upper echelons of society. The Raffles stories, serialized in 'Cassell's Magazine' before being published in book form, exemplify Hornung's adeptness at combining elements of suspense, humor, and social commentary. Hornung's portrayal of Raffles also reflects a nuanced perspective on Victorian and Edwardian attitudes towards class, crime, and justice. Although Raffles remains his most enduring creation, Hornung's bibliography includes other novels and short stories that often explore themes of adventure and crime, demonstrating his versatility and literary acumen. Hornung's work contributed to the crime fiction genre, as well as providing a counter-narrative to the morally unambiguous detective stories popular at the time.