The Annotated A.J. Raffles

 

Welcome to what I hope will become a comprehensive guide to E.W. Hornung's A.J. Raffles, the stories, characters, and other noteworthy minutiae.

 

 

E.W. Hornung's Raffles series now available in graphic novel form!

      

International and bulk orders, please place them at the comiXpress website.

 

 

                      Anthony Valentine as A.J. Raffles

Before the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, there was A.J. Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman. The twenty-six short stories and one novel written round the turn of the century (1898-1909) by E.W. Hornung remains, like his brother-in-law's creation of Sherlock Holmes, one of the more endearing characters in English literature. But one, sadly, who has not had the endurance of his law-abiding counterpart.

 

For Raffles was outside the law. Although he lived the public life of a respectable English gentleman and amateur cricketer, he owed his wealth and life of leisure to his nocturnal game—that as a "cracksman," or thief.

 

His right-hand man is none other than Harry "Bunny" Manders, his fag from his schoolboy days. Yes, I said fag. For in the good old days, the British public school system allowed older boys to take younger boys as their personal servants. Equally, yes, I said his friend's name was Bunny. For that is the only name Raffles ever calls him by (unless it's "my dear chap," "my good rabbit" or "my dear boy").

 

When we first meet Raffles, his dear old fag Bunny has put himself in a disgraceful position. He has squandered his family's inheritance living his own life of gentlemanly luxury and gambling. Seeking help from his old school-mate, Bunny's suicidal hand is stayed by Raffles who then proceeds to seduce him into a life of crime.

 

 

This site generously accepts a little "gross indecency" when it comes to the creations of Raffles and Bunny. If that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, please don't cry in your milk about it. After all, strong implications exist in the text, and one simply can't help but notice it!

 

 

I like to make things neat and tidy. It helps me to find things when they get so awesomely huge and unwieldy. So here's the lowdown of how this site is laid out in order to help you find what you're looking for.

 

1. General

    

   Who are all these characters? What's so interesting about this Raffles person? Why's his companion called Bunny? And where can I go for even more Raffles! All the basics will be covered here along with reviews, criticisms and more.

    

2. Genesis

    

   Before Raffles and Bunny there was the idea of turning a fine, up-standing public-school man into a common criminal. Read the stories that shaped the legend of the gentleman thief!

    

3. Short Stories

    

   Here are the stories that gave Raffles his name and his partner in crime. With each story comes notes on interesting tit-bits and links to additional information to help you unravel the men behind the villainy.

    

4. Plays

    

   Did you know there were two plays co-written by Hornung? Many of the feature-length films that were produced were based on these plays. Sadly, I currently do not have the text of these plays (as yet), although one of them was published in an omnibus in Canada some years ago. If anyone is able to get a hold of this, please contact me.

    

5. Novel

    

   The one and only full-length novel written by Hornung about our favourite burglar. Although it did not fare as well with the fans, it is still a must for any complete Raffles collection.

    

6. Pastiche

    

   Unlike his sleuthing counterpart, Sherlock Holmes, Raffles has very few additional works written about him. I'm always on the lookout for more escapades of Raffles and his Bunny!

    

7. Contact

    

   Suggestions? Comments? Rude awakenings? Please let me know!

 

 

The stories of Raffles were written by E.W. Hornung, and are now in the public domain. Where applicable, other works are copyright by author(s) as indicated. The notes and other commentary is copyright 2010 Lisa D. Jenkins.