Henry Brougham Farnie

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Henry Brougham Farnie (1836 - 1889), often called H. B. Farnie, was a British librettist and adapter of operettas and author.

In 1857, Farnie wrote the first book on golf instruction, The Golfer's Manual: being an historical and descriptive account of the national game of Scotland, under the pseudonym, "A Keen Hand". He also wrote the Handy book of St. Andrews about the flora of that area of Scotland, and The City of St. Rule with calotypes by Thomas Rodger (1860).

Farnie wrote or adapted libretti for dozens of operettas. Some of his adaptations include the English libretti for Jacques Offenbach's Barbe-bleue (1872, Bluebeard), Genevieve de Brabant (1873), Dick Whittington and his Cat (1875), The Rose of Auvergne, or, Spoiling the Broth, The Barber of Bath, La Fille du Tambour-Major, his very successful Madame Favart (1879), and The Blind Beggars (1882); for Robert Planquette's hit debut, Le Cloches de Corneville (1878), Rip van Winkle (1882), Nell Gwynne (1884), Les voltigeurs de la 32ème (The Light Infantrymen of the 32nd Regiment) (1887), and Paul Jones (1889); for Charles Lecocq's La Fille de Madame Angot (1873); for Franz von Suppé's Boccaccio (1882); for Edmund Audran's La mascotte and Olivette; for Francois Chassaigne's Falka (1883); and for Hervé's Chilperic (1884). Some of Farnie's most enduring songs are the "Gendarmes' Duet" (with Offenbach), "Sweet Dreamer" (with Arthur Sullivan), and "Time's Up" (with Rosenbloom).

With Edward Solomon, Farnie wrote Rothomago or The Magic Watch in 1879 and The Naval Cadets in 1880. With William Marshall Hutchison, he wrote Glamour in 1886. The following Farnie shows were performed on Broadway as well as in London: Sinbad the Sailor (1869), Pluto (1869), The Forty Thieves (1970), Little Faust (1870, revived 1871), Bluebeard (1872), Nemesis Not Wisely But Too Well (1874), Indiana (1887), and Nell Gwynne (1901).