E. Phillips Oppenheim
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Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866–1946), self-styled "prince of storytellers," was an English novelist, a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers. He composed during his lifetime more than a hundred novels, mostly of the suspense and international intrigue nature, as well as romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life. The sole biography of Oppenheim is Robert Standish's (pseudonym of Digby George Gerahty) Prince of Storytellers: The Life of E. Phillips Oppenheim; London: Peter Davies 1957.
Oppenheim's work possesses a unique charm all its own, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law. Perhaps Oppenheim's most enduring creation is General Besserley, the protagonist of General Besserley's Puzzle Box and General Besserley's New Puzzle Box (this last volume, written in 1939, was one of Oppenheim's last works).
For most of his life, Oppenheim maintained a regular schedule of work and productivity of an almost monastic nature, despite his fondness for Monte Carlo and his love of good food and wine. Troubled in his last years by intense prostate problems, Oppenheim persevered in the creation of a series of charming, escapist novels which still hold the reader's attention today.
Oppenheim's books, including the four omnibus volumes, total 151; he published published 109 novels, of which 12 have not been published in the United States (unless in pirated editions). Several of his novels appeared under the pseudonym "Anthony Partridge."
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[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Novels
- Expiation. 1887
- The Peer and the Woman. 1895
- A Daughter of the Marionis. 1895
- False Evidence. 1896
- A Modern Prometheus. 1896
- The Mystery of Mr. Bernard Brown. 1896
- The Wooing of Fortune. 1896
- The Postmaster of Market Deighton. 1897
- The Amazing Judgment. 1897
- Mysterious Mr. Sabin. 1898
- A Daughter of Astrea. 1898
- As a Man Lives. 1898
- Mr. Marx's Secret. 1899
- The Man and His Kingdom. 1899
- The World's Great Snare. 1900
- A Millionaire of Yesterday. 1900
- The Survivor. 1901
- Enoch Strone (aka A Master of Men). 1901
- A Sleeping Memory (aka The Great Awakening). 1902
- The Traitors. 1902
- A Prince of Sinners. 1903
- The Yellow Crayon. 1903
- The Betrayal. 1904
- Anna the Adventuress. 1904
- A Maker of History. 1905
- The Master Mummer. 1905
- A Lost Leader. 1906
- The Tragedy of Andrea. 1906
- The Malefactor (aka Mr. Wingrave, Millionaire). 1906
- Berenice. 1907
- The Avenger [aka The Conspirators]. 1907
- The Great Secret [aka The Secret]. 1908
- The Governor. 1908
- The Distributors [aka Ghosts of Society]. 1908 (as Anthony Partridge)
- The Missioner. 1908
- The Kingdom of Earth [aka The Black Watcher] 1909 (as Anthony Partridge)
- Jeanne of the Marshes. 1909
- The Illustrious Prince. 1910
- Passers By. 1910 (as Anthony Partridge)
- The Lost Ambassador [aka The Missing Delora]. 1910
- The Golden Web. 1911 (as Anthony Partridge)
- The Moving Finger [aka A Falling Star]. 1911
- Havoc. 1911
- The Court of St. Simon. 1912 (as Anthony Partridge)
- The Lighted Way. 1912
- The Tempting of Tavernake. 1912
- The Mischief Maker. 1913
- The Double Life of Mr. Alfred Burton. 1913
- The Way of These Women. 1914
- A People's Man. 1914
- The Vanished Messenger. 1914
- The Black Box. 1915
- The Double Traitor. 1915
- Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo. 1915
- The Kingdom of the Blind. 1916
- The Hillman. 1917
- The Cinema Murder [aka The Other Romilly]. 1917
- The Pawns Count. 1918
- The Zeppelin's Passenger [aka Mr. Lessingham Goes Home]. 1918
- The Wicked Marquis. 1919
- The Box with Broken Seals [aka The Strange Case of Mr. Jocelyn Thew]. 1919
- The Curious Quest [aka The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss.] 1919
- The Great Impersonation. 1920
- The Devil's Paw. 1920
- The Profiteers. 1921
- Jacob's Ladder. 1921
- Nobody's Man. 1921
- The Evil Shepherd. 1922
- The Great Prince Shan. 1922
- The Mystery Road. 1923
- The Wrath to Come. 1924
- The Passionate Quest. 1924
- Stolen Idols. 1925
- Gabriel Samara, Peacemaker. 1925
- The Golden Beast. 1926
- Prodigals of Monte Carlo. 1926
- Harvey Garrard's Crime. 1926
- The Interloper [aka The Ex-Duke]. 1927
- Miss Brown of X. Y. O. 1927
- The Light Beyond. 1928
- The Fortunate Wayfarer. 1928
- Matorni's Vineyard. 1928
- The Treasure House of Martin Hews. 1929
- The Glenlitten Murder. 1929
- The Million Pound Deposit. 1930
- The Lion and the Lamb. 1930
- Gangster's Glory [aka Inspector Dickens Retires]. 1931
- Up the Ladder of Gold. 1931
- Simple Peter Cradd. 1931
- The Man from Sing Sing [aka Moran Chambers Smiled]. 1932
- The Ostrekoff Jewels. 1932
- Murder at Monte Carlo. 1933
- Jeremiah and the Princess. 1933
- The Gallows of Chance. 1934
- The Man without Nerves [aka The Bank Manager]. 1934
- The Stranger Boarders of Palace Crescent. 1934
- The Spy Paramount. 1934
- The Battle of Basinghall Street. 1935
- Floating Peril [aka The Bird of Paradise]. 1936
- The Magnificent Hoax [aka Judy of Bunter's Buildings]. 1936
- The Dumb Gods Speak. 1937
- Envoy Extraordinary. 1937
- The Mayor on Horseback. 1937
- The Colossus of Arcadia. 1938
- The Spymaster. 1938
- And Still I Cheat the Gallows. 1939
- Sir Adam Disappeared. 1939
- Exit a Dictator. 1939
- The Strangers' Gate. 1939
- Last Train Out. 1940
[edit] Short story collections
Of these 37 collections of short stories, 26 of which have been issued in book form in the United States, most of the volumes are series with sustained interest in which one group of characters appear throughout the various stories.
- The Long Arm of Mannister [aka The Long Arm]. 1908
- Peter Ruff and the Double-Four [aka The Double Four]. 1912
- For the Queen. 1912
- Those Other Days. 1912
- Mr. Laxworthy's Adventures. 1913
- The Amazing Partnership. 1914
- An Amiable Charlatan [aak The Game of Liberty]. 1915
- Mysteries of the Riviera. 1916
- Aaron Rodd, Diviner. 1920
- Ambrose Lavendale, Diplomat. 1920
- Hon. Algernon Knox, Detective. 1920
- The Seven Conundrums. 1923
- Michael's Evil Deeds. 1923
- The Inevitable Millionaires. 1923
- The Terrible Hobby of Sir Joseph Londe. 1924
- The Adventures of Mr. Joseph P. Gray. 1925
- The Little Gentleman from Okehampstead. 1926
- The Channay Syndicate. 1927
- Mr. Billingham, the Marquis and Madelon. 1927
- Madame and Her Twelve Virgins. 1927
- Nicholas Goade, Detective. 1927
- The Exploits of Pudgy Pete. 1928
- Chronicles of Melhampton. 1928
- The Human Chase. 1929
- Jennerton & Co. 1929
- What Happened to Forester. 1929
- Slane's Long Shots. 1930
- Sinners Beware. 1931
- Crooks in the Sunshine. 1932
- The Ex-Detective. 1933
- General Besserley's Puzzle Box. 1935
- Advice Limited. 1936
- Ask Miss Mott. 1936
- Curious Happenings to the Rooke Legatees. 1937
- A Pulpit in the Grill Room. 1938
- General Besserley's Second Puzzle Box. 1939
- The Grassleyes Mystery. 1940
[edit] External links
- Works by Edward Phillips Oppenheim at Project Gutenberg
- 1927 Time cover featuring Oppenheim
- E. Phillips Oppenheim, Prince of Story Tellers Contains extensive lists of writings by Oppenheim.
- The Free Library