( 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.
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.
- 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''
- 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 '' The 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 Shadow Man''
- 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''
- 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''
- 1929 ''The Ringer''
- 1930 ''The Squeaker''
- "The intellectual is someone who has found something more interesting than sex".
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