The Amateur Cracksman

E. W. Hornung

• Publisher: Passerino
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN: 9791222070476
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literature General
• Index: Literature

The Amateur Cracksman is an 1899 short story collection by E. W. Hornung.It was the original short story collection by Hornung, featuring his most famous character, A. J. Raffles, a gentleman thief in late Victorian Great Britain. The book was very well received and spawned three follow-ups: two more short story collections, The Black Mask (1901) and A Thief in the Night (1904), as well as a full-lenh novel, Mr. Justice Raffles (1909). Ernest William Hornung (7 June 1866 – 22 March 1921) was an English author and poet known for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Hornung was educated at Uppingham School; as a result of poor health he left the school in December 1883 to travel to Sydney, where he stayed for two years. He drew on his Australian experiences as a background when he began writing, initially short stories and later novels.

Table of contents

• Cover
• The Amateur Cracksman
• Table of contents
• The Ides of March
• A Costume Piece
• Gentlemen and Players
• Le Premier Pas
• Wilful Murder
• Nine Points of the Law
• The Return Match
• The Gift of the Emperor