Profile of Edgar Wallace on Famous Like Me

Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (April 1, 1875–February 10, 1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals. Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.

Presumably born in London, he was found abandoned at the age of nine days in Billingsgate by a fishmonger, who subsequently brought him up as his own son. His career started as a war correspondent for the Daily Mail in the Boer War, following which he turned his hand to writing crime thrillers at a prolific rate. He is generally credited with inventing the modern thriller novel.

He wrote an immense number of novels in the last ten years of his life and his output is often compared to that of other prolific authors, such as Isaac Asimov. There is a famous anecdote in which visitors to his home actually observed him dictate a novel in the course of a weekend.

He also invented and patented the Edgar Wallace Plot Wheel. The wheel has written on it several events, such as "murder", and when turned one comes up and should be incorporated in the storywriting. (http://www.stephen-king.de/interviews/interview1.html).

It is said that Wallace was the first British crime novelist to use policemen rather than brilliant amateur sleuths as most other writers of the time did. However, his heroes were far from ordinary - they were mostly special investigators of some sort who worked outside the normal police force. Most of his novels are independent stand-alone stories; he seldom used series heroes.

He did write a popular series about the heyday of the British Empire, starring "Sanders of the River". The movie of the same name is remembered today mostly because it co-starred Paul Robeson as a tribal chief.

Today we think of Wallace as a novelist but in his time he was a very popular playwright. His play The Ringer was a vehicle for Gerald du Maurier, the actor who was the father of novelist Daphne du Maurier.

He died in Hollywood on 10th February 1932 of pneumonia while working on King Kong and is buried in Little Marlow, England.

A large number of movies have been based on his novels. The Green Archer was a well-regarded serial in the days of silent cinema, and post-war there were a string of B-movies made in both Britain and Germany. These later became a staple of late-night television.

Both his son Bryan Edgar Wallace and daughter Penelope Wallace were also authors of mystery and crime novels.

Literary Works

African Novels

• 1911 Sanders Of The River
• 1911 The People Of The River
• 1913 The River Of Stars
• 1914 Bosambo Of The River
• 1915 Bones
• 1917 The Keepers Of The King's Peace
• 1918 Lieutenant Bones
• 1921 Bones in London
• 1922 Sandi the Kingmaker
• 1923 Bones of the River
• 1926 Sanders
• 1928 Again Sanders

Crime Novels

• 1905 The Four Just Men
• 1908 Angel Esquire
• 1910 The Nine Bears
• 1913 The Fourth Plague
• 1913 Grey Timothy
• 1915 The Man Who Bought London
• 1915 The Melody Of Death
• 1916 A Debt Discharged
• 1916 The Tomb Of T'Sin
• 1917 The Just Men of Cordova
• 1917 The Secret House
• 1918 The Clue Of The Twisted Candle
• 1918 Down Under Donovan
• 1919 The Green Rust
• 1919 Kate Plus 10
• 1919 The Man Who Knew
• 1920 The Daffodil Mystery
• 1920 Jack O'Judgment
• 1921 The Law Of The Four Just Men
• 1922 The Angel of Terror
• 1922 The Crimson Circle
• 1922 Mr Justice Maxell
• 1922 The Valley Of Ghosts
• 1923 Captains Of Souls
• 1923 The Clue Of The New Pin
• 1923 The Green Archer
• 1923 The Missing Million
• 1924 The Dark Eyes Of London
• 1924 Double Dan
• 1924 Educated Evans
• 1924 The Face In The Night
• 1924 Room 13
• 1924 The Sinister Man
• 1924 The Three Oak Mystery
• 1925 The Blue Hand
• 1925 The Daughters Of The Night
• 1925 The Fellowship Of The Frog
• 1925 The Gaunt Stranger
• 1925 A King By Night
• 1925 The Mind Of Mr. J.G. Reeder
• 1925 The Strange Countess
• 1926 The Avenger
• 1926 The Black Abbot
• 1926 The Day Of Uniting
• 1926 The Door With Seven Locks
• 1926 The Joker
• 1926 The Man From Morocco
• 1926 The Million Dollar Story
• 1926 More Educated Evans
• 1926 The Northing Tramp
• 1926 Penelope Of The Polyantha
• 1926 The Square Emerald
• 1926 The Terrible People
• 1926 We Shall See!
• 1926 The Yellow Snake
• 1927 Big Foot
• 1927 The Brigand
• 1927 The Feathered Serpent
• 1927 Flat 2
• 1927 The Forger
• 1927 Good Evans
• 1927 The Hand Of Power
• 1927 The Man Who Was Nobody
• 1927 The Mixer
• 1927 Number Six
• 1927 The Squeaker
• 1927 Terror Keep
• 1927 The Traitor's Gate
• 1928 The Double
• 1928 Elegant Edward
• 1928 The Flying Squad
• 1928 The Gunner
• 1928 The Orator
• 1928 The Thief In The Night,
• 1928 The Twister
• 1929 Again The Ringer
• 1929 Again The Three Just Men = The Law Of The Three Just Men
• 1929 The Big Four
• 1929 The Black
• 1929 The Cat-Burglar
• 1929 Circumstantial Evidence
• 1929 Fighting Snub Reilly
• 1929 For Information Received
• 1929 Forty-Eight Short Stories
• 1929 Four Square Jane
• 1929 The Ghost Of Down Hill
• 1929 The Golden Hades

• The Calendar, 1930
• The Hand of Power, 1930
• The Keepers of the King's Peace, 1930
• Silinski - Master Criminal: Detective T.B.Smith, 1930
• The Thief in the Night, 1930
• White Face, 1930
• The Clue of the Silver Key, 1930 (aka The Silver Key)
• The Lady of Ascot, 1930
• The Devil Man, 1931
• The Man at the Carlton, 1931
• The Coat of Arms, 1931 (aka The Arranways Mystery)
• On the Spot: Violence and Murder in Chicago, 1931
• The Ringer Returns, 1931 (aka Again the Ringer)
• The Frightened Lady, 1933
• Mr J. G. Reeder Returns, 1932
• Sergeant Sir Peter, 1932 (aka Sergeant Dunn, C.I.D.)
• When the Gangs Came to London, 1932
• The green pack, 1933
• The Mouthpiece, 1935
• Smoky Cell, 1935
• The Table, 1936
• Sanctuary Island, 1936
• Death Packs a Suitcase, 1961
• The Road to London, 1986
• The Jewel
• The Shaddow Man

Novels

• 1898 The Mission That Failed
• 1900 War And Other Poems
• 1900 Writ In Barracks
• 1901 Unofficial Despatches
• 1905 Smithy
• 1908 The Council Of Justice
• 1909 Captain Tatham Of Tatham Island
• 1909 Smithy Abroad
• 1909 The Duke In The Suburbs
• 1912 Private Selby
• 1914 The Admirable Carfew
• 1915 Smithy And The Hun
• 1918 Tam Of The Scouts
• 1918 Those Folk of Bulboro
• 1919 The Adventure of Heine
• 1919 The Fighting Scouts
• 1921 The Book Of All Power
• 1922 Flying Fifty-five
• 1923 The Books Of Bart
• 1923 Chick
• 1926 Barbara On Her Own
• 1927 This England

Fact Books

• 1914 Famous Scottish Regiments
• 1914 Field Marshal Sir John French
• 1914 Heroes All: Gallant Deeds Of The War
• 1914 The Standard History Of The War
• 1915 Kitchener's Army And The Territorial Forces: The Full Story Of A Great Achievement
• 1915 1925 - The Story Of A Fatal Place
• 1915 Vol. 2 - 4 War Of The Nations
• 1916 Vol. 5 - 7 War Of The Nations
• 1917 Vol. 8 - 9 War Of The Nations
• 1918 Tam Of The Scouts
• 1926 People

Screenplay

• 1932 King Kong unfinished

Plays

• 1929 The Ringer
• 1930 The Squeaker

Quotes

• "The intellectual is someone who has found something more interesting than sex".

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