Pan Books 53 (1948). First Printing. Cover Art by J. Pollack
In 1907, as Special Corresondent of the "Daily Mail," Edgar Wallace visited the Belgian Congo to investigate the "rubber atrocities," and traveled a thousand miles up the River Congo on a little steamer with a cannibal crew to a mission-station; there he eagerly absorbed every detail of native life and customs and even studied the local language. The next year, having been dismissed from the "Daily Mail," he was in urgent need of money and secured an introduction to the editor of the "Weekly Tale-Teller." She suggested that he should write some African stories for her magazine. Wallace thereupon created Mr. Commissioner Sanders (a character who owed something to the famous explorer Sir Harry Johnston), and produced a series of stories whose immediate success he was quick to exploit by inventing another character, Lieutenant Tibbetts, nicknamed "Bones"-- the type of courageous "silly ass" later to be popularized by P. G. Wodehouse. Both these characters appear in the present volume. [Source: "About this book" on the back cover]
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) 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.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime. [Source: the Goodreads website at www.goodreads.com/book/show/1363197.The_Traitor_s_Gate]
Pan Books 53 (1948). First Printing. Cover Art by J. Pollack
In 1907, as Special Corresondent of the "Daily Mail," Edgar Wallace visited the Belgian Congo to investigate the "rubber atrocities," and traveled a thousand miles up the River Congo on a little steamer with a cannibal crew to a mission-station; there he eagerly absorbed every detail of native life and customs and even studied the local language. The next year, having been dismissed from the "Daily Mail," he was in urgent need of money and secured an introduction to the editor of the "Weekly Tale-Teller." She suggested that he should write some African stories for her magazine. Wallace thereupon created Mr. Commissioner Sanders (a character who owed something to the famous explorer Sir Harry Johnston), and produced a series of stories whose immediate success he was quick to exploit by inventing another character, Lieutenant Tibbetts, nicknamed "Bones"-- the type of courageous "silly ass" later to be popularized by P. G. Wodehouse. Both these characters appear in the present volume. [Source: "About this book" on the back cover]
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) 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.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime. [Source: the Goodreads website at www.goodreads.com/book/show/1363197.The_Traitor_s_Gate]