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An African Millionaire Episodes in the Life of the Illustrious Colonel Clay
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339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1897
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About the author
Grant Allen
1,168 books29 followersCharles Grant Blairfindie Allen (February 24, 1848 – October 25, 1899) was a science writer and novelist, and a successful upholder of the theory of evolution.
He was born near Kingston, Canada West (now incorporated into Ontario), the second son of Catharine Ann Grant and the Rev. Joseph Antisell Allen, a Protestant minister from Dublin, Ireland. His mother was a daughter of the fifth Baron of Longueuil. He was educated at home until, at age 13, he and his parents moved to the United States, then France and finally the United Kingdom. He was educated at King Edward's School in Birmingham and Merton College in Oxford, both in the United Kingdom. After graduation, Allen studied in France, taught at Brighton College in 1870–71 and in his mid-twenties became a professor at Queen's College, a black college in Jamaica.
Despite his religious father, Allen became an agnostic and a socialist. After leaving his professorship, in 1876 he returned to England, where he turned his talents to writing, gaining a reputation for his essays on science and for literary works. One of his early articles, 'Note-Deafness' (a description of what is now called amusia, published in 1878 in the learned journal Mind) is cited with approval in a recent book by Oliver Sacks.
His first books were on scientific subjects, and include Physiological Æsthetics (1877) and Flowers and Their Pedigrees (1886). He was first influenced by associationist psychology as it was expounded by Alexander Bain and Herbert Spencer, the latter often considered the most important individual in the transition from associationist psychology to Darwinian functionalism. In Allen's many articles on flowers and perception in insects, Darwinian arguments replaced the old Spencerian terms. On a personal level, a long friendship that started when Allen met Spencer on his return from Jamaica, also grew uneasy over the years. Allen wrote a critical and revealing biographical article on Spencer that was published after Spencer was dead.
After assisting Sir W. W. Hunter in his Gazeteer of India in the early 1880s, Allen turned his attention to fiction, and between 1884 and 1899 produced about 30 novels. In 1895, his scandalous book titled The Woman Who Did, promulgating certain startling views on marriage and kindred questions, became a bestseller. The book told the story of an independent woman who has a child out of wedlock.
In his career, Allen wrote two novels under female pseudonyms. One of these was the short novel The Type-writer Girl, which he wrote under the name Olive Pratt Rayner.
Another work, The Evolution of the Idea of God (1897), propounding a theory of religion on heterodox lines, has the disadvantage of endeavoring to explain everything by one theory. This "ghost theory" was often seen as a derivative of Herbert Spencer's theory. However, it was well known and brief references to it can be found in a review by Marcel Mauss, Durkheim's nephew, in the articles of William James and in the works of Sigmund Freud.
He was also a pioneer in science fiction, with the 1895 novel The British Barbarians. This book, published about the same time as H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, which includes a mention of Allen, also described time travel, although the plot is quite different. His short story The Thames Valley Catastrophe (published 1901 in The Strand Magazine) describes the destruction of London by a sudden and massive volcanic eruption.
Many histories of detective fiction also mention Allen as an innovator. His gentleman rogue, the illustrious Colonel Clay, is seen as a forerunner to later characters. In fact, Allen's character bears strong resemblance to Maurice Leblanc's French works about Arsène Lupin, published many years later; and both Miss Cayley's Adventures and Hilda Wade feature early female detectives.
Allen was married twi
He was born near Kingston, Canada West (now incorporated into Ontario), the second son of Catharine Ann Grant and the Rev. Joseph Antisell Allen, a Protestant minister from Dublin, Ireland. His mother was a daughter of the fifth Baron of Longueuil. He was educated at home until, at age 13, he and his parents moved to the United States, then France and finally the United Kingdom. He was educated at King Edward's School in Birmingham and Merton College in Oxford, both in the United Kingdom. After graduation, Allen studied in France, taught at Brighton College in 1870–71 and in his mid-twenties became a professor at Queen's College, a black college in Jamaica.
Despite his religious father, Allen became an agnostic and a socialist. After leaving his professorship, in 1876 he returned to England, where he turned his talents to writing, gaining a reputation for his essays on science and for literary works. One of his early articles, 'Note-Deafness' (a description of what is now called amusia, published in 1878 in the learned journal Mind) is cited with approval in a recent book by Oliver Sacks.
His first books were on scientific subjects, and include Physiological Æsthetics (1877) and Flowers and Their Pedigrees (1886). He was first influenced by associationist psychology as it was expounded by Alexander Bain and Herbert Spencer, the latter often considered the most important individual in the transition from associationist psychology to Darwinian functionalism. In Allen's many articles on flowers and perception in insects, Darwinian arguments replaced the old Spencerian terms. On a personal level, a long friendship that started when Allen met Spencer on his return from Jamaica, also grew uneasy over the years. Allen wrote a critical and revealing biographical article on Spencer that was published after Spencer was dead.
After assisting Sir W. W. Hunter in his Gazeteer of India in the early 1880s, Allen turned his attention to fiction, and between 1884 and 1899 produced about 30 novels. In 1895, his scandalous book titled The Woman Who Did, promulgating certain startling views on marriage and kindred questions, became a bestseller. The book told the story of an independent woman who has a child out of wedlock.
In his career, Allen wrote two novels under female pseudonyms. One of these was the short novel The Type-writer Girl, which he wrote under the name Olive Pratt Rayner.
Another work, The Evolution of the Idea of God (1897), propounding a theory of religion on heterodox lines, has the disadvantage of endeavoring to explain everything by one theory. This "ghost theory" was often seen as a derivative of Herbert Spencer's theory. However, it was well known and brief references to it can be found in a review by Marcel Mauss, Durkheim's nephew, in the articles of William James and in the works of Sigmund Freud.
He was also a pioneer in science fiction, with the 1895 novel The British Barbarians. This book, published about the same time as H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, which includes a mention of Allen, also described time travel, although the plot is quite different. His short story The Thames Valley Catastrophe (published 1901 in The Strand Magazine) describes the destruction of London by a sudden and massive volcanic eruption.
Many histories of detective fiction also mention Allen as an innovator. His gentleman rogue, the illustrious Colonel Clay, is seen as a forerunner to later characters. In fact, Allen's character bears strong resemblance to Maurice Leblanc's French works about Arsène Lupin, published many years later; and both Miss Cayley's Adventures and Hilda Wade feature early female detectives.
Allen was married twi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
October 11, 2022
An Old Delight.
This book is an old classic from the old days. The early nineteen hundreds.
Charles Van Drift is worth millions and Colonel Clay, a clever fraudster is on his tail.
Somehow Colonel “Fraudster” seems to know everything about him.
He’s able to impersonate him as well as a church of characters. He’s able to drum up a disguise at the drop of a hat.
Steal money and jewelry and an old mine, are just some of the things he is able to do.
Will Van Drift ever catch him?
Four fabulous stars. ⭐️
This book is an old classic from the old days. The early nineteen hundreds.
Charles Van Drift is worth millions and Colonel Clay, a clever fraudster is on his tail.
Somehow Colonel “Fraudster” seems to know everything about him.
He’s able to impersonate him as well as a church of characters. He’s able to drum up a disguise at the drop of a hat.
Steal money and jewelry and an old mine, are just some of the things he is able to do.
Will Van Drift ever catch him?
Four fabulous stars. ⭐️
Read
July 17, 2023Apparently the first pulp to present the criminal as hero, according to the intro. This is pretty fun. 'Colonel Clay' is the nom de guerre of a con artist who sets out to rip off a millionaire who has made his fortune in South Africa witth dodgy diamond dealings. It's narrated by the millionaire's secretary, and as the book goes on it exposes the millionaire's greed, corruption and profound dishonesty, and the fraud at the heart of capitalism, in quite a spectacular way. It's good fun watching the millionaire reduced to a quivering suspicious wreck and his equally corrupt secretary's weaseling. The cons become a little repetitive and I was a bit sad about the ending, though it does work, but overall this is a really interesting read for anyone who likes period pulp and I'm surprised it hasn't come to my attention before.
March 29, 2017
All of us who relish occasional moments of schadenfreude will find An African Millionaire great fun. A South African millionare, Sir Charles Vandrift is repeatedly fleeced by a clever con artist.
The story is told in the first person by Seymour Wilbraham Wentworth, the brother-in-law and secretary to Sir Charles Vandrift, who is every bit as grasping as the Vandrifts. Part of the pleasure of Allen's clever narrative is how Wentworth betrays his own mercenary tenancies while fawning obsequiously over his boss.
The con artists are masters of disguise and in each story it is a delight to try to figure out who they are and how they will work their next swindle. In one case the job is made easier by the fact that Lady Charles is as greedy and foolish as her husband and her brother.
Part of the pleasure of Allen's clever narrative is how Wentworth betrays his own mercenary tenancies.
A secretary, after all, can do a great deal.
The story is told in the first person by Seymour Wilbraham Wentworth, the brother-in-law and secretary to Sir Charles Vandrift, who is every bit as grasping as the Vandrifts. Part of the pleasure of Allen's clever narrative is how Wentworth betrays his own mercenary tenancies while fawning obsequiously over his boss.
My name is Seymour Wilbraham Wentworth. I am brother-in-law and secretary to Sir Charles Vandrift, the South African millionaire and famous financier. Many years ago, when Charlie Vandrift was a small lawyer in Cape Town, I had the (qualified) good fortune to marry his sister. Much later, when the Vandrift estate and farm near Kimberley developed by degrees into the Cloetedorp Golcondas, Limited, my brother-in-law offered me the not unremunerative post of secretary; in which capacity I have ever since been his constant and attached companion.Well, as to that last the reader will eventually beg to differ. Vandrift fully earns his fate--the millionaire's vanity and greed blinds him to each con job that the devilishly clever Colonel Clay and his female side-kick devise.
He is not a man whom any common sharper can take in, is Charles Vandrift. Middle height, square build, firm mouth, keen eyes—the very picture of a sharp and successful business genius. I have only known one rogue impose upon Sir Charles, and that one rogue, as the Commissary of Police at Nice remarked, would doubtless have imposed upon a syndicate of Vidocq, Robert Houdin, and Cagliostro.
This particular season we were snugly ensconced at the Hôtel des Anglais. We had capital quarters on the first floor—salon, study, and bedrooms—and found on the spot a most agreeable cosmopolitan society. All Nice, just then, was ringing with talk about a curious impostor, known to his followers as the Great Mexican Seer, and supposed to be gifted with second sight, as well as with endless other supernatural powers. Now, it is a peculiarity of my able brother-in-law's that, when he meets with a quack, he burns to expose him; he is so keen a man of business himself that it gives him, so to speak, a disinterested pleasure to unmask and detect imposture in others. Many ladies at the hotel, some of whom had met and conversed with the Mexican Seer, were constantly telling us strange stories of his doings. He had disclosed to one the present whereabouts of a runaway husband; he had pointed out to another the numbers that would win at roulette next evening; he had shown a third the image on a screen of the man she had for years adored without his knowledge. Of course, Sir Charles didn't believe a word of it; but his curiosity was roused; he wished to see and judge for himself of the wonderful thought-reader.
The con artists are masters of disguise and in each story it is a delight to try to figure out who they are and how they will work their next swindle. In one case the job is made easier by the fact that Lady Charles is as greedy and foolish as her husband and her brother.
Part of the pleasure of Allen's clever narrative is how Wentworth betrays his own mercenary tenancies.
A secretary, after all, can do a great deal.
Who are the real thieves here? After yet another run-in with Clay, "We communicated the matter to the Parisian police. They were most unsympathetic. "It is no doubt Colonel Clay," said the official whom we saw; "but you seem to have little just ground of complaint against him. As far as I can see, messieurs, there is not much to choose between you." But you see, Sir Charles is a millionaire, and as we know that makes all the difference.As usual, at the hotel, a great many miscellaneous people showed a burning desire to be specially nice to us. If you wish to see how friendly and charming humanity is, just try being a well-known millionaire for a week, and you'll learn a thing or two. Wherever Sir Charles goes he is surrounded by charming and disinterested people, all eager to make his distinguished acquaintance, and all familiar with several excellent investments, or several deserving objects of Christian charity. It is my business in life, as his brother-in-law and secretary, to decline with thanks the excellent investments, and to throw judicious cold water on the objects of charity. Even I myself, as the great man's almoner, am very much sought after.The African Millionaire is witty social satire, almost as pointed as Dickens but a good deal shorter and less ponderous.
May 25, 2011
This series is a little gem. The gentleman thief known as Colonel Clay cons the same South African Millionaire, Sir Charles Vandrift again and again in a series of clever short stories. It is immensely satisfying to read how the pompous Vandrift and his equally demanding wife are tricked out of their money through their own greed, vanity and suspicion. Clay is a master of disguise and with his female partner, Madame Picardet, they follow the Vandrifts across Europe and America selling them their own diamonds or a stranger's castle.
In this present economic crisis it is is nice to see a millionaire of questionable morals get his comeuppance at the hands of a pair who freely admit they are preying on him specifically because he is a capitalist. Originally published in 1897, the stories are remarkably fresh and entertaining. With a social undercurrent that and clever plot construction that elevates above other specimens of the genre.
In this present economic crisis it is is nice to see a millionaire of questionable morals get his comeuppance at the hands of a pair who freely admit they are preying on him specifically because he is a capitalist. Originally published in 1897, the stories are remarkably fresh and entertaining. With a social undercurrent that and clever plot construction that elevates above other specimens of the genre.
December 6, 2023
Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰
This is a free novella e-book from Amazon by Grant Allen.
I listened 🎶 to these twelve short stories as part of The Victorian Rouge Megapack.
This novella e-book contains twelve short stories about a con artist Colonel Cozy and the number of times that he cons the Millionaire. Each story is different and stand alone with interesting well developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to each conclusion.
I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of British 🏰👑 Victorian era novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒☺😮👑🏰
This is a free novella e-book from Amazon by Grant Allen.
I listened 🎶 to these twelve short stories as part of The Victorian Rouge Megapack.
This novella e-book contains twelve short stories about a con artist Colonel Cozy and the number of times that he cons the Millionaire. Each story is different and stand alone with interesting well developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to each conclusion.
I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of British 🏰👑 Victorian era novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒☺😮👑🏰
August 2, 2007
One of Grant Allen's best known works, and deservedly so. The character of the rascally Colonel Clay, who always manages to be one (or more) steps ahead of the law, is one of the great literary creations.
July 21, 2012
This was a surprise. I picked it up at the library, not noticing at first that it was a reissue of a novel originally published in serial form in 1896. What a diversion! The story centers around the diamond millionaire Charles Van Drift, and his recurring misadventures in dealing with a master of disguise and swindler, Colonel Clay. Each chapter brings new cringing on the reader's part as we realize before Charles does that he is about to be a victim anew. Colonel Clay has a female sidekick whose charms are not wasted on Charles, no matter what appearance she takes. He repeatedly falls for her distractions as Colonel Clay primes him for the next sting. The author takes delight in mocking Charles for his wealth, implying that it is undeserved, and creates a Robin Hood of sorts in Colonel Clay, who feels that Charles' money is for the taking, as long as he can get it.
The underlying theme seems timely in the Main St. vs. Wall St. conflict playing out in the headlines, and we can't help rooting for the colonel, even as he faces his foe in the Old Bailey in the final episode. Very enjoyable!
The underlying theme seems timely in the Main St. vs. Wall St. conflict playing out in the headlines, and we can't help rooting for the colonel, even as he faces his foe in the Old Bailey in the final episode. Very enjoyable!
January 13, 2019
An African Millionaire (1897) by Grant Allen is one of the first books to feature a "gentleman crook." Colonel Cuthbert Clay (his alias) is a master of disguise and an ingenious con man who sets his sights on the South African Millionaire, Sir Charles Vandrift. Vandrift is a man of dubious morality himself who has not been above shady dealings if it would get him what he wanted--whether that be diamonds for his wife or a diamond mine. In a series of twelve stories Clay transforms himself through skillfully applied make-up and his ability to mimic the behavior of others into a Tyrolean Count, a humble parson, a Mexican Seer with psychic powers, and even a detective employed by Vandrift to catch himself. Clay repeatedly eludes capture until the very last story--where, although he faces prison, he still manages to humble the financier who has been his prey.
The book was a somewhat disappointing read for me--primarily because the blurb on the back of the book made it seem as though we would be reading about the exploits of this magnificent con man from his point of view. That we would see how he plotted his schemes to take in Sir Charles. Instead we follow the millionaire about and see everything from the point of view of his "Watson"--his faithful brother-in-law and secretary/companion. Since the stories were told from this side of the confidence trick, it would have been more effective if we, the readers, hadn't been told that the same thief was pulling these jobs off. Then we could have been mystified until the final reveal at the end. As it was, the tales were fairly anti-climatic and we could only shake our heads at how gullible Sir Charles (and his brother-in-law) is. He is particularly so considering how often we are told that not just anybody could fool him, that he wouldn't have made his millions if he was taken in by confidence tricks. And yet...even though he knows that Colonel Clay has targeted him again and again, he never suspects that he's falling into another trap.
What does work here is the social satire--revealing just how greed and vanity can lead even the greatest of millionaire into folly. Clay's job is made all the easier because Sir Charles just can't resist getting his hands on a diamond or a rare painting by a master--especially if he thinks he's underpaying. It is also satisfying to see the unscrupulous financier cheated himself.
A decent read that might have been better if the blurb hadn't been so misleading. But then, perhaps the blurb-writer has a bit of Colonel Clay in him...
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The book was a somewhat disappointing read for me--primarily because the blurb on the back of the book made it seem as though we would be reading about the exploits of this magnificent con man from his point of view. That we would see how he plotted his schemes to take in Sir Charles. Instead we follow the millionaire about and see everything from the point of view of his "Watson"--his faithful brother-in-law and secretary/companion. Since the stories were told from this side of the confidence trick, it would have been more effective if we, the readers, hadn't been told that the same thief was pulling these jobs off. Then we could have been mystified until the final reveal at the end. As it was, the tales were fairly anti-climatic and we could only shake our heads at how gullible Sir Charles (and his brother-in-law) is. He is particularly so considering how often we are told that not just anybody could fool him, that he wouldn't have made his millions if he was taken in by confidence tricks. And yet...even though he knows that Colonel Clay has targeted him again and again, he never suspects that he's falling into another trap.
What does work here is the social satire--revealing just how greed and vanity can lead even the greatest of millionaire into folly. Clay's job is made all the easier because Sir Charles just can't resist getting his hands on a diamond or a rare painting by a master--especially if he thinks he's underpaying. It is also satisfying to see the unscrupulous financier cheated himself.
A decent read that might have been better if the blurb hadn't been so misleading. But then, perhaps the blurb-writer has a bit of Colonel Clay in him...
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
November 30, 2016
A rogue with two devoted wives (who the final scenes indicate are extremely close so whether V or triad is up to you), a master of disguise, and a wiseass Robin Hood socialist? Heyooo, why have I never heard of this book until now? Yes, most of his antics are slimy and underhanded, but the target he repeatedly cheats is even more slimy and underhanded (especially in "The Episode of the German Professor", the twist ending of which made it my favorite of the stories.)
The stories are narrated by the millionaire target's brother-in-law who is also his secretary. They're episodic in the sense that you can read as many or as few of them as you like, but they do all wrap up with a real conclusion in the final few.
OK, it's plausible that Clay isn't a real socialist and is using that as emotional cover so he doesn't have to feel guilty about what he's doing--after all, a real socialist would be sharing with other poor people?--but still, he makes a game out of cheating someone who puts himself in the hot seat by the very act, again and again, of trying to cheat someone else.
So there we are.
The stories are narrated by the millionaire target's brother-in-law who is also his secretary. They're episodic in the sense that you can read as many or as few of them as you like, but they do all wrap up with a real conclusion in the final few.
OK, it's plausible that Clay isn't a real socialist and is using that as emotional cover so he doesn't have to feel guilty about what he's doing--after all, a real socialist would be sharing with other poor people?--but still, he makes a game out of cheating someone who puts himself in the hot seat by the very act, again and again, of trying to cheat someone else.
So there we are.
March 29, 2015
This brilliant series of fast-paced rogueries, laced with wicked wit, proves that Victorian authors could be as brisk and funny as a modern newspaper column. Sadly now forgotten, Grant Allen - who wrote between 1877-1899 - is a master of language and under-stated irony. These tales relate the battle eternal between an unscrupulous millionaire Sir Charles Vandrift and Colonel Clay, a confidence trickster of devilish cunning, as told by Vandrift's secretary, himself a man of flexible morals. The more alert that Vandrift grows to Clay's tricks, the faster he falls for them.
Grant Allen's genius lies, not just in presenting a dazzling array of clever and original little plots, but in depicting Clay - a Raffles-like gentleman thief - as the most sympathetic person in the cast list. When his last caper fails and he is brought cruelly to justice amid the weeping of his women, there is a tone of genuine tragedy and moral question: who truly was the villain of the piece? Highly recommended.
Grant Allen's genius lies, not just in presenting a dazzling array of clever and original little plots, but in depicting Clay - a Raffles-like gentleman thief - as the most sympathetic person in the cast list. When his last caper fails and he is brought cruelly to justice amid the weeping of his women, there is a tone of genuine tragedy and moral question: who truly was the villain of the piece? Highly recommended.
August 26, 2014
This is a funny book -- satire, but not biting. A millionaire keeps on getting taken by a modern day Robin Hood. And when he finally catches him.... well, you'll just have to read it. Fair to say the millionaire and the 'hood' develop a relationship. Told from the POV of the millionaire's secretary, it has you wondering who is the real thief. It's an old book and e-versions should be available from http://www.gutenberg.org/. Fun read.
Currently reading
June 15, 2009The story of an african millionaire and how he's being burglarized again and again. I have read 1/4 of the book and begin to find it boring ...
July 29, 2014
A sardonic gem of a collection.
July 7, 2015
Can be read on my blog: Brilsby's Whims
The series in a line: Gentleman swindler cons a millionaire over and over again. Sounds repetitive, doesn’t it, twelve stories performing the same dance. But Allen avoids stagnation by differentiating the stories just enough. Of course the stories have a formula, but they never descend to the formulaic. In each story Allen introduces one or two new characters – It doesn’t take a mystery aficionado to spot the criminal. But the unmask never hogs the climax. Allen doesn’t tease and hint at where, oh where, is that damned Colonel Clay. He focusses on the con, rather, on how that magnificent bastard Clay will swindle that petty bastard Vandrift.
As such, Allen’s decision to write the short stories as parts of a serial narrative seems the optimal, if not only, choice for avoiding banal repetition. Unlike with Holmes or Raffles, Allen’s reader cannot just open the volume anywhere and start reading. They must start at the start and go from there. By this, Allen controls where the reader is at, and where the reader thinks the characters are at. In a non-consecutive collection Story 4 must fit just as well before Story 5 as after Story 8. To manage this the characters and status quo must remain static. Story to story Vandrift could gain no experience in dealing with Clay; he would fall into the same traps, making for dull reading after the fourth story. But the stories’ consecutive nature means that in Story 4 Vandrift, and the reader, have accrued assumptions about Clay from Stories 1, 2 and 3, assumptions which Allen can now diverge from and subvert. With each story Vandrift’s paranoia and cautiousness increases, forcing Clay to adapt his methods to exploit Vandrift’s blind spots and wariness. Clay’s biggest charm is his cleverness, and by having his mark possess above average intelligence, Clay appears more intelligent by extension.
Allen, besides having a knack for plots and twists, is a good writer. His prose, concise for a Victorian, reads easily as it jogs through the story. Every story runs for around five to ten pages, so one can easily read each in a sitting. An added bonus of his brevity is that he doesn’t clutter his prose with copious scenic descriptions, as works set in exotic landscapes are wont to do.
Given the narrative’s predator and prey are a charming conman and a scumbag diamond-mogul respectively, the book presents overt and subtextual social commentary. None of it is particularly incisive or searching, but it’s there nonetheless as a pleasant flavour. Numerous times Allen shows Sir Charles Vandrift acting, or intending to act, immorally. If it nets a profit, or saves himself, he’ll betray trust and exploit weakness. Clay limits himself to the rich, and we only see him prey on Vandrift. By contrast Clay seems honourable, the lesser of two evils, if he’s evil at all. The subtext congeals to text when Clay gives his rendition of ‘We’re not so different, you and I’.
‘Sir Charles Vandrift, we are a pair of rogues. The law protects you. It persecutes me. That’s all the difference.’
Less restrained writers would suffocate the readers with lines like this, hammering the point home in a misguided attempt to give their entertainment depth. Allen keeps himself to a few lines and an undercurrent, imbuing his stories with edge, but not preachiness.
A treat of Victorian Roguery, An African Millionaire holds twelve stories of unwaning intrigue with a side of social consciousness.
The series in a line: Gentleman swindler cons a millionaire over and over again. Sounds repetitive, doesn’t it, twelve stories performing the same dance. But Allen avoids stagnation by differentiating the stories just enough. Of course the stories have a formula, but they never descend to the formulaic. In each story Allen introduces one or two new characters – It doesn’t take a mystery aficionado to spot the criminal. But the unmask never hogs the climax. Allen doesn’t tease and hint at where, oh where, is that damned Colonel Clay. He focusses on the con, rather, on how that magnificent bastard Clay will swindle that petty bastard Vandrift.
As such, Allen’s decision to write the short stories as parts of a serial narrative seems the optimal, if not only, choice for avoiding banal repetition. Unlike with Holmes or Raffles, Allen’s reader cannot just open the volume anywhere and start reading. They must start at the start and go from there. By this, Allen controls where the reader is at, and where the reader thinks the characters are at. In a non-consecutive collection Story 4 must fit just as well before Story 5 as after Story 8. To manage this the characters and status quo must remain static. Story to story Vandrift could gain no experience in dealing with Clay; he would fall into the same traps, making for dull reading after the fourth story. But the stories’ consecutive nature means that in Story 4 Vandrift, and the reader, have accrued assumptions about Clay from Stories 1, 2 and 3, assumptions which Allen can now diverge from and subvert. With each story Vandrift’s paranoia and cautiousness increases, forcing Clay to adapt his methods to exploit Vandrift’s blind spots and wariness. Clay’s biggest charm is his cleverness, and by having his mark possess above average intelligence, Clay appears more intelligent by extension.
Allen, besides having a knack for plots and twists, is a good writer. His prose, concise for a Victorian, reads easily as it jogs through the story. Every story runs for around five to ten pages, so one can easily read each in a sitting. An added bonus of his brevity is that he doesn’t clutter his prose with copious scenic descriptions, as works set in exotic landscapes are wont to do.
Given the narrative’s predator and prey are a charming conman and a scumbag diamond-mogul respectively, the book presents overt and subtextual social commentary. None of it is particularly incisive or searching, but it’s there nonetheless as a pleasant flavour. Numerous times Allen shows Sir Charles Vandrift acting, or intending to act, immorally. If it nets a profit, or saves himself, he’ll betray trust and exploit weakness. Clay limits himself to the rich, and we only see him prey on Vandrift. By contrast Clay seems honourable, the lesser of two evils, if he’s evil at all. The subtext congeals to text when Clay gives his rendition of ‘We’re not so different, you and I’.
‘Sir Charles Vandrift, we are a pair of rogues. The law protects you. It persecutes me. That’s all the difference.’
Less restrained writers would suffocate the readers with lines like this, hammering the point home in a misguided attempt to give their entertainment depth. Allen keeps himself to a few lines and an undercurrent, imbuing his stories with edge, but not preachiness.
A treat of Victorian Roguery, An African Millionaire holds twelve stories of unwaning intrigue with a side of social consciousness.
August 23, 2011
Simply put, I love this book, and I look forward to reading Allen's other works.
When I picked it up, I did not expect "African Millionaire" to be as deep and well-crafted as it turned out to be. It is not (NO spoiler) at all what I expected, which was essentially a series of twelve "capers," good guy against bad guy. Instead, I got a well-written, amusing bit of social commentary. Granted, it is not overt in its message, but Allen's stories leave the reader with very little doubt as to whose side the author is on in the narrative.
While all commentaries state that Colonel Clay is the first "gentleman rogue" of literature, the true protagonist of the stories is Sir Charles, who presents an excellent type of the over-confident man of the world, whose self-styled shrewdness provides a perfect foil for his total lack of common sense. The genius of Allen's style is that Vandrift is not at all an ironic character - the author takes him as seriously as he takes himself, and in so doing gives the reader a perfect view between the lines. This is underscored by the narrator, Wentworth, a character of unrivalled ambiguity and double vision. We know what he thinks of his brother-in-law at the same time that he does not.
Brilliantly written, and a must read (even if crime fiction is not your thing). Because, you see, that's not really what it is...
When I picked it up, I did not expect "African Millionaire" to be as deep and well-crafted as it turned out to be. It is not (NO spoiler) at all what I expected, which was essentially a series of twelve "capers," good guy against bad guy. Instead, I got a well-written, amusing bit of social commentary. Granted, it is not overt in its message, but Allen's stories leave the reader with very little doubt as to whose side the author is on in the narrative.
While all commentaries state that Colonel Clay is the first "gentleman rogue" of literature, the true protagonist of the stories is Sir Charles, who presents an excellent type of the over-confident man of the world, whose self-styled shrewdness provides a perfect foil for his total lack of common sense. The genius of Allen's style is that Vandrift is not at all an ironic character - the author takes him as seriously as he takes himself, and in so doing gives the reader a perfect view between the lines. This is underscored by the narrator, Wentworth, a character of unrivalled ambiguity and double vision. We know what he thinks of his brother-in-law at the same time that he does not.
Brilliantly written, and a must read (even if crime fiction is not your thing). Because, you see, that's not really what it is...
March 18, 2017
This is a series of tales about a con man who dons a series of disguises to dupe the title character out of thousands of pounds sterling. He preys on the millionaire's own greed to beat him at his own game. Allen clearly intends the work as a critique of a sort of wealthy individual who has no concern for the less fortunate, and in fact will take advantage of them if the opportunity arises..
The stories themselves are fun. At times it seems obvious which character in each story is the con man, but it's still intriguing to see how the con will play out. And at other times it is less obvious, as Allen is not above playing tricks on his reader. All in all, a fun little collection of stories on par with the Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief stories I reviewed recently.
The stories themselves are fun. At times it seems obvious which character in each story is the con man, but it's still intriguing to see how the con will play out. And at other times it is less obvious, as Allen is not above playing tricks on his reader. All in all, a fun little collection of stories on par with the Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief stories I reviewed recently.
November 23, 2016
Grant Allen was an ahead-of -his time writer in many ways- he wrote early science-fiction, discussed openly sexuality and equality of women, and , in this book, exposed clearly the idea (which is quite clear today, but was not so much back then, more than 100 years ago) that respectable business men can be as low and despicable and even more than common thieves. Colonel Clay and Mme Picardet, charming, intelligent and brave, swindle the "respectable" millionaire Mr Vandrift and his secretary over and over again and a good deal of their success lies on Vandrift's dirty conscience and dishonest ways. A book that is surprisingly modern because it shows how dishonesty is revered if it brings about great dividends and accused if it has more modest results. A book for these times indeed.
August 15, 2014
It was entertaining for the first three stories, but then it got old. It only recounted the tale of the millionaire being conned instead of Colonel Clay's adventures. However, as the book progressed we got to see more of the characters; their flaws and their goodness. The characters were distinctive on their own. I was not rooting for either Sir Charles or Colonel Clay, although the stupidity shewn by the former was as astonishing as the audacity of the latter.
The ending a little sad, but the right one, in my opinion.
The ending a little sad, but the right one, in my opinion.
April 18, 2016
Very entertaining, with an appealing 'villain'. And interesting to find criticism of capitalism and capitalists as pertinent now as when the book was written (it was first published in 1897).
Here's a good quote: "I may add that people always imagine it must be easier to squeeze money out of millionaires than out of other people – which is the reverse of the truth, or how could they ever have amassed their millions? Instead of oozing gold as a tree oozes gum, they mop it up like blotting paper, and seldom give it out again."
Here's a good quote: "I may add that people always imagine it must be easier to squeeze money out of millionaires than out of other people – which is the reverse of the truth, or how could they ever have amassed their millions? Instead of oozing gold as a tree oozes gum, they mop it up like blotting paper, and seldom give it out again."
April 3, 2007
This book about how a callous millionaire (whose diamond fueled fourtune is the epitome of colonial, capitalist greed)gets his comeuppance is a humane comic masterpiece. Written at the very end of the 19th century, Allen's work feels shockingly contemporary- especially given the state of current corporate greed. Every chapter finds Col. Clay in a different disguise getting the best of the titular character. Awesome. Take that capitalist scum! You'll get yours!
Want to read
May 21, 2023Read so far:
The episode of the Mexican seer--3
The episode of the diamond links--3
The episode of the old master--2
*The episode of the Tyrolean castle--
The episode of the drawn game--
The episode of the German professor--
The episode of the arrest of the Colonel--
The episode of the Seldon gold-mine--
The episode of the japanned dispatch-box--
The episode of the game of poker--
The episode of the Bertillon method--
The episode of the Old Bailey--
The episode of the Mexican seer--3
The episode of the diamond links--3
The episode of the old master--2
*The episode of the Tyrolean castle--
The episode of the drawn game--
The episode of the German professor--
The episode of the arrest of the Colonel--
The episode of the Seldon gold-mine--
The episode of the japanned dispatch-box--
The episode of the game of poker--
The episode of the Bertillon method--
The episode of the Old Bailey--
June 7, 2011
This is the story of a con man and a millionaire. The can man swindles the millionaire over and over again. You begin to wonder why the millionaire doesn't figure out who his nemesis is before it's too late. His hubris is his achilles heel. Definitely a "cat and mouse" tale that entertains the reader who tries to figure out who the mysterious Col. Clay is in each of his guises.
March 28, 2016
A bit of amusing reading; reminiscent of some of O. Henry's stories that were collected into the volume entitled The Gentle Grafter. A series of scams, some of which go awry.
Very much dated, the time setting being late 19th C and the language is idiomatic of that period in Britain. It bears a moral message but none of it need be taken seriously.
Very much dated, the time setting being late 19th C and the language is idiomatic of that period in Britain. It bears a moral message but none of it need be taken seriously.
July 11, 2017
This is about a hapless millionaire who is duped over and over again by the enterprising conman, Colonel Clay. Great fun to try and anticipate if the Colonel is unfolding another scheme to swindle the African Millionaire as he travels throughout Europe and America. The author is Grant Allen who was born in 1848 in what is now Kingston, Ontario.
July 9, 2015
I don't often review books that I haven't finished, but at halfway through the "adventures" have become very repetitive; moreover, I'm not particularly sympathetic to the villain/swindler here. Audio narration is very good.
April 1, 2014
The rivalry between Charles and Colonel Clay and the witty schemes make An African Millionaire both funny and clever; a formidable combination.
Full review here:
http://imranlorgat.com/2013/11/03/an-...
Full review here:
http://imranlorgat.com/2013/11/03/an-...
March 13, 2015
"Do you know who I am, sir?" he asked angrily. "I am Sir Charles Vandrift, of London-a member of the English Parliament."
"You may be the Prince of Wales", the man answered, "for all I care. You'll get the same treatment as anyone else, in America."
"You may be the Prince of Wales", the man answered, "for all I care. You'll get the same treatment as anyone else, in America."
August 20, 2016
but I think Grant Allen just about pulls it off. Any monotony in the plot is made up for by great characters, a great theme, great dry humor, and a great ending.
December 17, 2008
Why have so few people read this wonderful book?
Read
December 8, 2023the story of a long con, frequently hilarious.
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