Raffles, Gentleman Thief by E W Hornung

Raffles, Gentleman Thief by E W Hornung

A selection of the best classic crime stories featuring the much-loved rogue, Raffles

‘Why should I work when I could steal? Why settle down to some humdrum uncongenial billet, when excitement, romance, danger, and a decent living were all going begging together? Of course, it’s very wrong, but we can’t all be moralists’

Dashing man about town, first-class cricketer and master burglar: Raffles is the ultimate gentleman thief. Here we find the debonair rogue cracking a jeweller’s safe on Bond Street, stealing from the nouveau riche, spiriting away a priceless pearl, outwitting the law at every turn – and, of course, bowling like a demon – all with the assistance of his plucky sidekick Bunny Manders. This new selection of Ernest Hornung’s much-loved crime stories is taken from his three Raffles collections, The Amateur Cracksman, The Black Mask and A Thief in the Night.

Ernest William Hornung was born in Middlesborough in 1866 and was educated at Uppingham School. He spent two years in Australia as a private tutor and worked briefly as a clerk in London before devoting his time to writing. Hornung was a member of the same cricket club as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. He eventually married Conan Doyle's sister, Connie. Hornung wrote several novels – including A Bride from the Bush (1890) and Stingaree (1905) – as well as a book of verse, but his fame rests upon his creation of Raffles the gentleman thief, considered the first antihero figure of modern crime fiction.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780241790229
ISBN 10	0241790220
Title	Raffles, Gentleman Thief
Author	E W Hornung
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Classics
Year published	2026-01-08
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.