Edwy Searles Brooks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pseudonym: | Berkeley Gray, Victor Gunn, Rex Madison, and Carlton Ross |
|---|---|
| Born: | 11 November 1889 Hackney, London, England |
| Died: | 2 December 1965 |
| Occupation: | Writer |
| Nationality: | British |
| Writing period: | 1907 - 1965 |
| Genres: | Adventure fiction |
| Debut works: | "Mr Dorien's Missing £2000" (short story); "Mr. Mortimer Gets The Jitters" (novel) |
| Influences: | P. G. Wodehouse, Edgar Allan Poe |
Edwy Searles Brooks (11 November 1889 - 2 December 1965) was a British novelist who also wrote under the pseudonyms Berkeley Gray, Victor Gunn, Rex Madison, and Carlton Ross. It is estimated that Brooks's output amounted to 800 novels.
Brooks was born in Hackney, London.
He published his first short story, "Mr Dorien's Missing £2000", in July of 1907, when he was seventeen. His first major breakthrough came in 1910, when the magazine The Gem gave him an assignment to publish a serial named "The Iron Island", the main character being Frank Kingston.
In 1912, he wrote his first Sexton Blake stories. In 1915, he started writing stories for the Nelson Lee Library, becoming the lead writer in the series. He also created stories for the St. Frank series in 1917.
Additional serial assignments followed, including those featuring Clive Derring and Sexton Blake. In 1918, he launched the character of Rupert Waldo, an early superhero.
Also in 1918, he married Frances nee Goldstein, who became his assistant and collaborator through the years. The two took great pride in delivering clean manuscripts for publication throughout their careers. They became a cornerstone of the Amalgamated Press imprints.
The magazines that had published his stories started running into financial trouble in the 1930s, and Brooks started publishing hardcover novels for the adult market in 1938 with the first novel in the Norman Conquest series under the pseudonym of Berkeley Gray. He also published stories and novels as Victor Gunn featuring "Ironsides" Cromwell. He may have also continued publishing stories through D C Thomson Ltd, a Dundee-based rival of Amalgamated that was less affected by paper shortage.
His serialized novels included the Norman Conquest and Ironsides Cromwell stories. Dare-Devil Conquest formed the basis for the 1954 movie Park Plaza 605 starring Tom Conway.
Brooks continued to write throughout his life, though his productivity varied at times. An avid motorist, he traveled extensively. He enjoyed a long and harmonious marriage.
[edit] Selected publications
| Pseudonym | Main character | Title | Year(s) | First published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Mr. Mortimer Gets the Jitters | 1937 (serial), 1938 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Vultures Ltd. | 1937 (serial), 1938 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Miss Dynamite | 1938 (serial), 1939 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest Marches On | 1938 (serial), 1939 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Leave it to Conquest | 1938 (serial), 1939 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest Takes All | 1939 (serial), 1939 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Footsteps of Death | 1939 | Serial in Detective Weekly |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Six to Kill | 1939 (serial), 1940 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Meet the Don | 1939 (serial), 1940 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Ironsides of the Yard | 1940 | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Convict '1066' | 1939 (serial), 1940 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Thank You Mr. Conquest | 1939 (serial), 1940 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Ironsides Smashes Through | 1940 | Serial in Thriller |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Six Feet of Dynamite | 1939 (partially, serial), 1941 (novel) | Serial in Thrillers |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Ironsides' Lone Hand | 1941 | Serial in Detective Weekly and SBL |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Death's Doorway | 1941 | Serial in Sexton Blake Library |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Mad Hatter's Rock | 1942 | Serial in Detective Weekly |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Blonde for Danger | 1943 | Sexton Blake Library |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Ironside Sees Red | 1943 | Serial in Detective Weekly |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | The Gay Desperado | 1944 | UJs |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Dead Man Laughs | 1944 | Serial in Union Jack and Dixon Hawke |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Cavalier Conquest | 1945 | UJ 2nd series |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Alias Norman Conquest | 1945 | UJs |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Nice Day for a Murder | 1945 | Serial in Detective Weekly |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Mr Ball of Fire | 1946 | Gem serial |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Ironsides Smells Blood | 1946 | Serial in Detective Weekly |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Killer Conquest | 1947 | UJs |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Death on Shivering Sands | 1947 | Serial in Union Jack |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Three Dates with Death | 1947 | Serial in Union Jack |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | The Conquest Touch | 1948 | Detective Weekly and Union Jack |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Ironsides on the Spot | 1939 | Serial in Union Jack |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | The Spot Marked 'X' | 1948 | Detective Weekly |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Duel Murder | 1948 | Detective Weekly |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Road to Murder | 1949 | Serial in Detective Weekly and Nelson Lee Library |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Dead Man's Warning | 1949 | Serial in Nelson Lee Library |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Dare-Devil Conquest | 1950 | Detective Weekly |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Alias the Hangman | 1950 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Seven Dawns to Death | 1950 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Borgia Head Mystery | 1951 | Rewritten from the Nelson Lee Library |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Murder on Ice | 1951 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Operation Conquest | 1951 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest in Scotland | 1951 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | The Lady is Poison | 1952 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Body Vanishes | 1952 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Death Comes Laughing | 1952 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | The Half-Open Door | 1953 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Whistling Key | 1953 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Target for Conquest | 1953 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Follow the Lady | 1954 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Crooked Staircase | 1954 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Crippled Canary | 1954 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest Goes West | 1954 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Turn Left for Danger | 1955 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Laughing Grave | 1955 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Painted Dog | 1955 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest in Command | 1956 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Dead Men's Bells | 1956 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | The House of the Lost | 1956 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest after Midnight | 1957 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Golden Monkey | 1957 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Castle Dangerous | 1957 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest Goes Home | 1957 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest in California | 1958 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The 64 Thousand Murder | 1958 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Death on the Hit Parade | 1958 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Treble Chance Murder | 1958 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | The Big Brain | 1959 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Next One to Die | 1959 | Rewritten from the Black Inquisitor written as Rex Madison |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Murder & Co | 1959 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Dead in a Ditch | 1959 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Nightmare House | 1960 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Death on Bodwin Moor | 1960 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Death at Traitor's Gate | 1960 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest on the Run | 1960 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Get Ready to Die | 1961 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Devil in the Maze | 1961 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Sweet Smelling Death | 1961 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Call Conquest for Danger | 1961 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest in the Underworld | 1962 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | All Change for Death | 1962 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Body in the Boot | 1963 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Murder with a Kiss | 1963 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Count Down for Conquest | 1963 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Castle Conquest | 1964 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Murder at the Motel | 1964 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest Overboard | 1964 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | The Black Cap Murder | 1965 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Calamity Conquest | 1965 | |
| Victor Gunn | Ironsides Cromwell | Murder on Whispering Sands | 1965 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Conquest Likes It Hot | 1965 | |
| Berkeley Gray | Norman Conquest | Curtains for Conquest? | 1966 | |
| Berkeley Gray (written by Frances Brooks and Lionel Brooks) | Norman Conquest | Conquest Calls the Tune | 1968 | |
| Berkeley Gray (written by Lionel Brooks) | Norman Conquest | Conquest in Ireland | 1969 |
[edit] References
- Mark Caldicott (1995). Biographical outline for Edwy Searles Brooks. The Nelson Lee Library and Bibliography of the Writings of Edwy Searles Brooks. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
