H. C. McNeile

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Herman Cyril McNeile

Pseudonym: Sapper
Born: 1888
Bodmin, Cornwall
Died: 1937
Occupation: Soldier, writer
Nationality: British
Genres: Thriller

Herman Cyril McNeile (September 28, 1888 - August 14, 1937[1]) was a British author, who published under the pseudonym "Sapper".

He was one of the most successful popular authors of the 1920s and 1930s; his principal character was Bulldog Drummond.

[edit] Biography

Herman McNeile was born in 1888 at Bodmin in Cornwall. His father was Malcolm McNeile, a Captain in the Royal Navy and, at the time, governor of the naval prison at Bodmin.

He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1907 and was sent to France in 1914 when World War I broke out. McNeile saw action at both the First and the Second Battle of Ypres. He displayed considerable bravery, was awarded the Military Cross and was mentioned in dispatches.

It is thought that McNeile's first work was published before the First World War, but this is difficult to verify as serving officers in the British Army were not permitted to publish under their own names. His first known published works were short war stories based on his own experiences and were immediately successful. They were originally published in the Daily Mail and, when republished in book form, sold over 200,000 copies within a year. His writing caught the public mood at the time. It was grimly realistic enough to seem authentic, yet managed to conceal the horrific reality of trench warfare and life at the front line. Lord Northcliff was so impressed by this writing that he attempted, but failed, to have McNeile released from the army so he could work as a war correspondent. In 1919, McNeile resigned from the army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became a full-time author.

He is mainly remembered as the author of the ten Bulldog Drummond books, the first of which was published in 1920. These brought him considerable financial success - the film-rights to the first talkie Bull-Dog Drummond film are reputed to have earned him $750,000. However, the bulk of his work was in the form of short stories that were published in various popular monthly magazines. Most of his books were short story collections.

He died in 1937.

[edit] Bibliography

  • 1915 Sergent Michael Cassidy R.E
  • 1915 The Lieutenant and Others
  • 1916 Men, Women and Guns
  • 1917 No Mans Land
  • 1918 The Human Touch
  • 1919 Mufti Short stories.
  • 1920 Bull-Dog Drummond
  • 1921 The Man in Ratcatcher
  • 1922 The Black Gang
  • 1923 The Dinner Club
  • 1923 Jim Maitland
  • 1924 The Third Round
  • 1925 Out of the Blue
  • 1926 Word of Honour
  • 1926 Jim Brent
  • 1927 The Saving Clause
  • 1927 Shorty Bill
  • 1927 John Walters
  • 1927 The Saving Clause
  • 1928 The Female of the Species
  • 1929 Temple Tower
  • 1930 The Finger of Fate
  • 1930 Tiny Carteret
  • 1931 The Island of Terror
  • 1932 The Return of Bull-Dog Drummond
  • 1933 Knock-Out
  • 1933 Ronald Standish
  • 1934 When Carruthers Laughed
  • 1935 Bull-Dog Drummond at Bay
  • 1936 Ask For Ronald Standish
  • 1937 Challenge
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