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The Collected Raffles Stories
This entertaining collection of crime stories presents the adventures of one of fiction's most enduring characters, the hyper-elegant A.J. Raffles, man-about-town, thief, and "finest slow bowler of his generation." With his partner in crime, Bunny Manders, Raffles preys on the rich, the greedy, and the unspeakably vulgar. His talents are exercised not only in London, but as far afield as Italy, Australia, and South Africa at the height of the Boer War. Throughout these exciting yarns the emphasis on panache, with intensifying suggestions of fallibility, goes to the heart of late Victorian attitudes and values.
424 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 1996
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About the author
E.W. Hornung
352 books78 followersErnest William Hornung known as Willie, was an English author, most famous for writing the Raffles series of novels about a gentleman thief in late Victorian London.
In addition to his novels and short stories Hornung wrote some war verse, and a play based on the Raffles stories was produced successfully. He was much interested in cricket, and was "a man of large and generous nature, a delightful companion and conversationalist".
In addition to his novels and short stories Hornung wrote some war verse, and a play based on the Raffles stories was produced successfully. He was much interested in cricket, and was "a man of large and generous nature, a delightful companion and conversationalist".
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 13, 2021
I bought a copy of 'The Collected Raffles' off eBay in the hope it would be fun, light reading. I was delighted to find it's a hoot. I'd vaguely heard of Raffles, mostly via him and Bunny showing up in Kim Newman's Victorian crime crossover extravaganza Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles. In that, the narrator comments on Raffles and Bunny being a couple. From this I inferred that there would perhaps be some Holmes and Watson-level homoerotic subtext. This was a significant underestimate, as I found that the pair are absurdly married. In the first few stories, I enjoyed their hijinks while wondering why exactly these Edwardian fools were doing crimes. They aren't very competent thieves and earn enough from one jewel theft to live comfortably for ages, were they capable of budgeting. Raffles insists that it's better to live by crime than cricket, despite being manifestly better at the latter. Bunny is highly ambivalent about law-breaking until in the same room as Raffles, whereupon he decides crime is good as long as the hot guy he had a crush on at boarding school is doing it. Eventually it became clear to me that they steal things, sometimes using violence, because they get off on it. Raffles manipulates Bunny and conceals his plans, exciting mayhem ensues, they flee, Bunny complains until Raffles soothes and flatters him back into admiration. Both appear very happy with this dynamic; there is only one mention of bringing a third person into their crime relationship, quickly quashed.
What with the cricket and Raffles' affectations, he and Bunny are Mike and Psmith if they were amoral crime husbands. Although the pair would doubtless be extremely annoying people to encounter for multiple reasons, their shenanigans are a delight to read about. Stealing money is apparently too dull and bourgeois, so they inevitably go after jewels and silverware. Raffles' plans are either highly elaborate and full of dependencies or impulsive smash and grab, nothing in between. He also prefers to steal from people who he has taken against for some reason, or who seem like a challenge. The appelation 'amateur cracksman' is certainly apposite, as he behaves unprofessionally throughout. No wonder Moriarty didn't approve of him in Newman's novel! Bunny is literally only in it for Raffles, as he states: 'It was Raffles I loved. It was not the dark life we led together, still less its base rewards; it was the man himself, his gaiety, his humour, his dazzling audacity, his incomparable courage and resource.'
The Edwardian setting of the stories unfortunately comes with some racist and anti-semetic stereotypes, as well as plenty of colonialism. However, there are also high speed bicycle chases and telephones as plot devices. The tone is generally of melodramatic farce, which makes the stories great fun to read. Memorable incidents include Bunny being held hostage on a roof during a thunderstorm, Raffles repeatedly faking his own death, Bunny being a jealous bitch while on a cruise, the pair squatting in someone's house as a 'rest cure', Bunny flirting with an asthmatic guy after attempting crime on his own, and an awkward school reunion.
When I say that Raffles and Bunny seem married, this is the kind of thing I mean:
In the second volume of stories, our anti-heroes get caught up in spurious patriotic sentiment and go to fight in the Boer War. There's very little in the way of actual fighting, but Bunny recounts how he got shot in the thigh in this blatantly romantic fashion:
The final story in the collection is a letter from Bunny's nameless former paramour. He broke it off with her in order to run off with Raffles. Raffles then manipulated him into breaking into her house, and she hid him in a cupboard when this burglary went wrong. Raffles later went back to apologise to her and insist that wasn't Bunny's plan. Her letter includes these incredible lines:
An impressively understanding response to your fiance abandoning you for a criminal! It's worth noting that this magnetism doesn't seem to work on the many people who try to arrest, injure, and/or murder Raffles over the years. I enjoyed these tales of the crime husbands, who doubtless survived the Boer War and continued their jewel theft hobby for many more years. After faking his death twice before, obviously Raffles would do so again.
What with the cricket and Raffles' affectations, he and Bunny are Mike and Psmith if they were amoral crime husbands. Although the pair would doubtless be extremely annoying people to encounter for multiple reasons, their shenanigans are a delight to read about. Stealing money is apparently too dull and bourgeois, so they inevitably go after jewels and silverware. Raffles' plans are either highly elaborate and full of dependencies or impulsive smash and grab, nothing in between. He also prefers to steal from people who he has taken against for some reason, or who seem like a challenge. The appelation 'amateur cracksman' is certainly apposite, as he behaves unprofessionally throughout. No wonder Moriarty didn't approve of him in Newman's novel! Bunny is literally only in it for Raffles, as he states: 'It was Raffles I loved. It was not the dark life we led together, still less its base rewards; it was the man himself, his gaiety, his humour, his dazzling audacity, his incomparable courage and resource.'
The Edwardian setting of the stories unfortunately comes with some racist and anti-semetic stereotypes, as well as plenty of colonialism. However, there are also high speed bicycle chases and telephones as plot devices. The tone is generally of melodramatic farce, which makes the stories great fun to read. Memorable incidents include Bunny being held hostage on a roof during a thunderstorm, Raffles repeatedly faking his own death, Bunny being a jealous bitch while on a cruise, the pair squatting in someone's house as a 'rest cure', Bunny flirting with an asthmatic guy after attempting crime on his own, and an awkward school reunion.
When I say that Raffles and Bunny seem married, this is the kind of thing I mean:
"Now, what I want you to do is to go and take some quiet place somewhere, and then let me know, so that I may have a port in the storm when it breaks."
"Now you're talking!" I cried, recovering my spirits, "I thought you meant to go and drop a fellow altogether!"
"Exactly the sort of thing you would think," rejoined Raffles, with a contempt that was welcome enough after my late alarm. "No, my dear rabbit, what you've got to do is to make a new burrow for us both."
In the second volume of stories, our anti-heroes get caught up in spurious patriotic sentiment and go to fight in the Boer War. There's very little in the way of actual fighting, but Bunny recounts how he got shot in the thigh in this blatantly romantic fashion:
So we lay together on the veldt, under blinding sun and withering fire, and I suppose it is the veldt that I should describe, as it swims and flickers before wounded eyes. I shut mine to bring it back, but all that comes is the keen brown face of Raffles, still a shade paler than its wont, now bending to sight and fire; now peering to see results, brows raised, eyes widening; anon turning to me with the word to set my tight lips grinning. He was talking all the time, but for my sake, and I knew it. Can you wonder that I could not see an inch beyond him? He was the battle to me then; he is the whole war to me as I look back now.
The final story in the collection is a letter from Bunny's nameless former paramour. He broke it off with her in order to run off with Raffles. Raffles then manipulated him into breaking into her house, and she hid him in a cupboard when this burglary went wrong. Raffles later went back to apologise to her and insist that wasn't Bunny's plan. Her letter includes these incredible lines:
There is an absolute magnetism about Mr. Raffles that neither you nor I could resist. He has the strength of personality which is a different thing from strength of character; but when you meet both kinds together, they carry the ordinary mortal off his or her feet. You must not imagine you are the only one who would have served and followed him as you did. When he told me it was all a game to him, and the one game he knew was always exciting, always full of danger and drama, I could just then have found it in my heart to try the game myself!
[...]
It is not for me to condone it, and yet I know that Mr Raffles was what he was because he loved danger and adventure, and that you were what you were because you loved Mr Raffles.
An impressively understanding response to your fiance abandoning you for a criminal! It's worth noting that this magnetism doesn't seem to work on the many people who try to arrest, injure, and/or murder Raffles over the years. I enjoyed these tales of the crime husbands, who doubtless survived the Boer War and continued their jewel theft hobby for many more years. After faking his death twice before, obviously Raffles would do so again.
October 8, 2020
This volume collects all of the AJ Raffles short stories written by the original author, E.W. Hornung, combining the works previously published in Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman (1899), “The Black Mask” (1901), and A Thief in the Night (1905). The only thing missing is the 1909 novel, Mr. Justice Raffles. So, a total of 26 short stories included as well as an in-depth introduction written by Clive Bloom.
For the uninitiated, Raffles is "the classic gentleman thief". The character defines the archetype of the gentleman criminal who has a code of honor, steals only from the rich, and is drawn to burglary for the sport as much as for the money. By day he is a well-known amateur cricket player, a useful tool to distract from his other profession. He is accompanied in his thieving practices by Harry "Bunny" Manders who “writes” the stories much like Watson “writes” the Sherlock Holmes stories. The comparisons don’t stop there considering that the author, E.W. Hornung was the brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle. There are a number of similar plot devices and character quirks that are similar as well.
While I enjoyed the characters of both Raffles and Bunny, the stories are clearly from another time. They are heavy on Bunny’s observations and full of description. The action, particularly the thievery, Raffles' disguises, etc. is subdued compared to today’s style and thus can be difficult to stick with. I keep coming across references to the character of Raffles in other books so I’m glad I’ve read them. I would be interested to read some more recent stories or crossovers by other authors if I can find any.
For the uninitiated, Raffles is "the classic gentleman thief". The character defines the archetype of the gentleman criminal who has a code of honor, steals only from the rich, and is drawn to burglary for the sport as much as for the money. By day he is a well-known amateur cricket player, a useful tool to distract from his other profession. He is accompanied in his thieving practices by Harry "Bunny" Manders who “writes” the stories much like Watson “writes” the Sherlock Holmes stories. The comparisons don’t stop there considering that the author, E.W. Hornung was the brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle. There are a number of similar plot devices and character quirks that are similar as well.
While I enjoyed the characters of both Raffles and Bunny, the stories are clearly from another time. They are heavy on Bunny’s observations and full of description. The action, particularly the thievery, Raffles' disguises, etc. is subdued compared to today’s style and thus can be difficult to stick with. I keep coming across references to the character of Raffles in other books so I’m glad I’ve read them. I would be interested to read some more recent stories or crossovers by other authors if I can find any.
July 5, 2021
May 2011
I say, old sport, we had a devil of a time tracking this one down, didn't we?
Harry "Bunny" Manders was about to blow his brains out over a gambling debt, until his old school-chum A. J. Raffles, famous cricketer and popular London man-about-town, talked him out of it and offered to help him get the cash. So they robbed a jewelry store together, and thus began a long, and fairly successful, career in crime. Gentlemen bachelors by day, gentlemen thieves by night, no lock or safe could stop them. Hide your treasures! Raffles and Bunny are on the loose!
A. J. Raffles and Bunny were the creation of E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame. This edition brings together the three Raffles collections in one volume:
Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman contains eight stories, detailing the pair's earliest adventures, from Bunny's first brush with crime ("The Ides of March") to their capture aboard an ocean cruise and Raffles's supposed death by drowning ("The Gift of the Emperor"). Other stories involve Raffles and Bunny attempting to rob a famous diamond hunter, the theft of a diamond necklace from a country manor, the tale of Raffles' first crime, and several others. Eight stories total.
The Black Mask occurs some time later, with Bunny released from prison and a much-diminished Raffles returned to Britain, still presumed dead. This time their crimes are less daring, though no less cheeky, as Raffles steals a cup of gold and sends it to the Queen, hoodwinks a jeweler, outwits another thief, fakes his death again, and finally finds redemption for his crimes in South Africa during the Boer war. Eight stories.
Popular demand brought back Raffles in A Thief in the Night, although Hornung, refusing to change the ending of The Black Mask, added some new stories to the canon which were omitted from the first two collections. From Bunny's solo attempt to rob the house of an old flame, to Raffles' daring bank robbery from the inside; outwitting a club of amateur criminologists; a trap that nearly catches them both; and other scrapes and near-misses, including a daring uphill bicycle chase. Ten stories.
The Amateur Cracksman was a very lucky find at a favorite secondhand bookstore, and I was so charmed by Raffles and his exploits that I made some effort to hunt down the rest of the stories. Took some searching, but I managed to find a nice Everyman edition. No luck finding the novel Mr. Justice Raffles yet, but I've been lazy. Hopefully your efforts to read Hornung are as fruitful as mine--after all, who doesn't enjoy good Victorian-era crime fiction?
And now, on to Sherlock Holmes!
See also: The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime
I say, old sport, we had a devil of a time tracking this one down, didn't we?
Harry "Bunny" Manders was about to blow his brains out over a gambling debt, until his old school-chum A. J. Raffles, famous cricketer and popular London man-about-town, talked him out of it and offered to help him get the cash. So they robbed a jewelry store together, and thus began a long, and fairly successful, career in crime. Gentlemen bachelors by day, gentlemen thieves by night, no lock or safe could stop them. Hide your treasures! Raffles and Bunny are on the loose!
A. J. Raffles and Bunny were the creation of E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame. This edition brings together the three Raffles collections in one volume:
Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman contains eight stories, detailing the pair's earliest adventures, from Bunny's first brush with crime ("The Ides of March") to their capture aboard an ocean cruise and Raffles's supposed death by drowning ("The Gift of the Emperor"). Other stories involve Raffles and Bunny attempting to rob a famous diamond hunter, the theft of a diamond necklace from a country manor, the tale of Raffles' first crime, and several others. Eight stories total.
The Black Mask occurs some time later, with Bunny released from prison and a much-diminished Raffles returned to Britain, still presumed dead. This time their crimes are less daring, though no less cheeky, as Raffles steals a cup of gold and sends it to the Queen, hoodwinks a jeweler, outwits another thief, fakes his death again, and finally finds redemption for his crimes in South Africa during the Boer war. Eight stories.
Popular demand brought back Raffles in A Thief in the Night, although Hornung, refusing to change the ending of The Black Mask, added some new stories to the canon which were omitted from the first two collections. From Bunny's solo attempt to rob the house of an old flame, to Raffles' daring bank robbery from the inside; outwitting a club of amateur criminologists; a trap that nearly catches them both; and other scrapes and near-misses, including a daring uphill bicycle chase. Ten stories.
The Amateur Cracksman was a very lucky find at a favorite secondhand bookstore, and I was so charmed by Raffles and his exploits that I made some effort to hunt down the rest of the stories. Took some searching, but I managed to find a nice Everyman edition. No luck finding the novel Mr. Justice Raffles yet, but I've been lazy. Hopefully your efforts to read Hornung are as fruitful as mine--after all, who doesn't enjoy good Victorian-era crime fiction?
And now, on to Sherlock Holmes!
See also: The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime
January 7, 2025
smash
December 18, 2025
I mean I've definitely said this before but I'm pretty certain Raffles is my favourite book ever (sorry Agatha Christie and sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Read
November 3, 2024Raffles and his sidekick Bunny are upper-middle class Victorian gentlemen thieves, who would also rather live by that dishonoured profession than cricket, in a hedonistic approach to life (according to Anthony Powell)... I thought they might have a thing like Robin Hood, where they donate some of their gains to worthy others, but no, they kept it all. Well written, light, entertaining, but law-breaking falls short of what I want in two heroes. It might have been hailed as fun adventures of the time, but seems to have dated by the very virtue of their profession...
August 15, 2013
I originally heard about this collection of short stories through my research of Arthur Conan Doyle. E.W. Hornung was the brother-in-law of Conan Doyle and though his success in writing does not come close to that of Conan Doyle, the series of A.J. Raffles, Amateur Cracksman, seems to have been quite successful. In fact, I have noted a mention of Raffles in Raymond Chandler's works (an American contemporary of Hornung) and even heard the U.K. Top Gear make a mention of it in one of their shows. I was curious as to how Hornung had written the series which is said to be an inversion of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Like Holmes, Raffles has his sidekick - named Bunny - but unlike Holmes, Raffles is the bad guy. I believe there were requests from the public for Conan Doyle and Hornung to work together on a mystery, however they declined to do so.
The stories are well written overall, but lack that spark that Sherlock Holmes has, there isn't as much of the description of Victorian England or the surroundings, and the plots aren't usually a puzzle to be solved, except when Raffles occasionally keeps things from Bunny. I think what has hurt them a bit is the jargon that Hornung used which dates the stories, and at times, completely confuses the reader. An example would be the term "salad age" that was used in "The Field of Philipi." Or, when the character "Bunny" claims to Raffles, "...I fagged for you at school, and you said you remembered me." I knew the term fag could mean a cigarette, and "fagged" in Jane Austen's stories meant to be tired, but, I was confused as to this definition. Turns out a fag also was a junior boy who acts as a servant to a senior boy in a British school. This was an obscure term however which obviously has very different meanings today and dated the text. I found it was easiest to read with a smart phone nearby so I could google other such terms.
Overall, the plots are well written, I think they would be more surprising and enjoyable to readers living in that time period when perhaps not many stories about thieves existed. However, in today's time period with movies like The Italian Job or The Ocean's Eleven series, it's harder to be impressed. Much like old art that seems rather crude when viewed as an art piece itself, it is best to read the series with the mindset that he is considered as a kind of stepping stone to the next generation of adventurer/borderline law breakers (or in Raffles' case complete law breakers). The stories can be a bit slow at times, but Bunny does have his moments of wit - my favorites were "The Wrong House" and "The Knees of the Gods" - both at the end of the Black Mask story collection, when Hornung seems to have done his finest work. There are also some hints at his brother-in-law with a mention of a Glasgow Irishman (Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh and both his parents were of Irish descent) as well as a mention of the wedding of a woman and her family very similar to Touie (Conan Doyle's first wife) whom Raffles and Bunny plan to rob. The name itself may also have been borrowed from Conan Doyle's book, The Doings of Raffles Haw (1891) as the first A.J. Raffles story was published in 1898. Worth the read if you enjoy seeing the progression of the field and the connection to Arthur Conan Doyle.
The stories are well written overall, but lack that spark that Sherlock Holmes has, there isn't as much of the description of Victorian England or the surroundings, and the plots aren't usually a puzzle to be solved, except when Raffles occasionally keeps things from Bunny. I think what has hurt them a bit is the jargon that Hornung used which dates the stories, and at times, completely confuses the reader. An example would be the term "salad age" that was used in "The Field of Philipi." Or, when the character "Bunny" claims to Raffles, "...I fagged for you at school, and you said you remembered me." I knew the term fag could mean a cigarette, and "fagged" in Jane Austen's stories meant to be tired, but, I was confused as to this definition. Turns out a fag also was a junior boy who acts as a servant to a senior boy in a British school. This was an obscure term however which obviously has very different meanings today and dated the text. I found it was easiest to read with a smart phone nearby so I could google other such terms.
Overall, the plots are well written, I think they would be more surprising and enjoyable to readers living in that time period when perhaps not many stories about thieves existed. However, in today's time period with movies like The Italian Job or The Ocean's Eleven series, it's harder to be impressed. Much like old art that seems rather crude when viewed as an art piece itself, it is best to read the series with the mindset that he is considered as a kind of stepping stone to the next generation of adventurer/borderline law breakers (or in Raffles' case complete law breakers). The stories can be a bit slow at times, but Bunny does have his moments of wit - my favorites were "The Wrong House" and "The Knees of the Gods" - both at the end of the Black Mask story collection, when Hornung seems to have done his finest work. There are also some hints at his brother-in-law with a mention of a Glasgow Irishman (Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh and both his parents were of Irish descent) as well as a mention of the wedding of a woman and her family very similar to Touie (Conan Doyle's first wife) whom Raffles and Bunny plan to rob. The name itself may also have been borrowed from Conan Doyle's book, The Doings of Raffles Haw (1891) as the first A.J. Raffles story was published in 1898. Worth the read if you enjoy seeing the progression of the field and the connection to Arthur Conan Doyle.
April 5, 2023
Book #: 26
Title: The Complete Short Stories of Raffles
Author: E.W. Hornung
Series: Raffles #1 - #3
Format: Hardcover, 475 pages, ILL
Pub Date: originally pub in 1898, 1901, and 1905, omnibus in 1984
Started: 3/5/23 Ended: 3/28/23
Awards: none
Categories: Mystery written in 1890's, Mystery written in 1900's, First book in a series, Next book
in a series, First appearance of a detective.
Rating: ***** five out of five stars
If you've ever wondered what Sherlock Holmes would have been like if he worked on the other side of the law, read Raffles! The resemblance is not a coincidence. E.W. Hornung, the creator of Raffles, was actually the brother-in-law of A.C. Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The first collection "The Amateur Cracksman" was dedicated "To A.C.D. This Form of Flattery". Raffles shares a first name with Doyle and with Hornung's son. His name may have been inspired by Doyle's 1891 novel "The Doings of Raffles Haw". I've enjoyed the stories immensely. It's like reading Sherlock Holmes for the first time. Highly recommended. The 1984 omnibus has an introduction by George Orwell, the author of 1984. By the way, Raffles has been portrayed on stage, screen and radio. John Barrymore has played both Raffles and Holmes on screen.
For Completion's sake: The short stories are from the first three collections of Raffles; "The Amateur Cracksman", first published 1898; "The Black Mask", first published 1901; and "A Thief in the Night", first published 1905. Unfortunately, a fourth appearance and first novel "Mr. Justice Raffles" was universally panned, now out of print, and difficult to get ahold of. :(
The Stories by Collection:
The Amateur Cracksman
---------------------
The Ides of March
A Costume Piece
Gentlemen and Players
Le Premier Pas
Wilful Murder
Nine Points of the Law
The Return March
The Gift of the Emperor
The Black Mask
--------------
Narrator's Note
No Sinecure
A Jubilee Present
The Fate of Faustina
The Last Laugh
To Catch a Thief
An Old Flame
The Wrong House
The Knees of the Gods
A Thief in the Night
--------------------
Narrator's Note
Out of Paradise
The Chest of Silver
The Rest Cure
The Criminologist's Club
The Field of Philippi
A Bad Night
A Trap to Catch a Cracksman
The Spoils of Sacrilege
The Raffles Relics
The Last Word
Title: The Complete Short Stories of Raffles
Author: E.W. Hornung
Series: Raffles #1 - #3
Format: Hardcover, 475 pages, ILL
Pub Date: originally pub in 1898, 1901, and 1905, omnibus in 1984
Started: 3/5/23 Ended: 3/28/23
Awards: none
Categories: Mystery written in 1890's, Mystery written in 1900's, First book in a series, Next book
in a series, First appearance of a detective.
Rating: ***** five out of five stars
If you've ever wondered what Sherlock Holmes would have been like if he worked on the other side of the law, read Raffles! The resemblance is not a coincidence. E.W. Hornung, the creator of Raffles, was actually the brother-in-law of A.C. Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The first collection "The Amateur Cracksman" was dedicated "To A.C.D. This Form of Flattery". Raffles shares a first name with Doyle and with Hornung's son. His name may have been inspired by Doyle's 1891 novel "The Doings of Raffles Haw". I've enjoyed the stories immensely. It's like reading Sherlock Holmes for the first time. Highly recommended. The 1984 omnibus has an introduction by George Orwell, the author of 1984. By the way, Raffles has been portrayed on stage, screen and radio. John Barrymore has played both Raffles and Holmes on screen.
For Completion's sake: The short stories are from the first three collections of Raffles; "The Amateur Cracksman", first published 1898; "The Black Mask", first published 1901; and "A Thief in the Night", first published 1905. Unfortunately, a fourth appearance and first novel "Mr. Justice Raffles" was universally panned, now out of print, and difficult to get ahold of. :(
The Stories by Collection:
The Amateur Cracksman
---------------------
The Ides of March
A Costume Piece
Gentlemen and Players
Le Premier Pas
Wilful Murder
Nine Points of the Law
The Return March
The Gift of the Emperor
The Black Mask
--------------
Narrator's Note
No Sinecure
A Jubilee Present
The Fate of Faustina
The Last Laugh
To Catch a Thief
An Old Flame
The Wrong House
The Knees of the Gods
A Thief in the Night
--------------------
Narrator's Note
Out of Paradise
The Chest of Silver
The Rest Cure
The Criminologist's Club
The Field of Philippi
A Bad Night
A Trap to Catch a Cracksman
The Spoils of Sacrilege
The Raffles Relics
The Last Word
Read
December 5, 2012Unlike other books hastily categorized as 'Victorian', these stories really ARE Victorian, or at least they begin in the reign of Victoria. In one story, Raffles steals a very distinctive gold cup. Unable to fence it intact, and repulsed by the idea of it being broken up for the metals, he sends it anonymously to Queen Victoria as a gift for her Diamond Jubilee. Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, so her Diamond Jubilee would be in 1897.
In this hothouse and double-walled-garden world where many houses of the nobility are barely converted castles (note a scandal from our time in which MPs in the Commons were found to be using government funds to maintain their moats), and where many people believed that their society was either permanent or would change gradually if at all, Raffles is a 'gentleman' by inheritance, which was really the only way one could get into the nobility at the time. Be born in, or marry in: but no life peerages for millionaires--not yet.
Raffles is a gentleman by definition, but he's not rich. And while we're accustomed to think that an 'amateur' is unskilled and a 'professional' skilled, this is not the original meaning. Raffles could come up with many ways to meet his debts. He becomes a thief for the love of the game: the original derivation of the term 'amateur'.
The stories are told by Raffles' adoring former roommate and current henchman, Bunny. Bunny was Raffles' 'fag' in public school. This term originally meant a sort of live-in servant--a sort of 'gofer'; a junior member of one's own class. Maybe the best term would be something like 'squire' or 'page'. The implications of homosexuality were generally tacit. Bunny makes no secret of his love for Raffles, but questions of a sexual relationship are left deliberately vague.
Raffles takes the cut-and-dried moralism of his society and everts it in many ways. It's an indication of how ambivalent many of his contemporaries were that they took him very much to heart--as have many since.
In this hothouse and double-walled-garden world where many houses of the nobility are barely converted castles (note a scandal from our time in which MPs in the Commons were found to be using government funds to maintain their moats), and where many people believed that their society was either permanent or would change gradually if at all, Raffles is a 'gentleman' by inheritance, which was really the only way one could get into the nobility at the time. Be born in, or marry in: but no life peerages for millionaires--not yet.
Raffles is a gentleman by definition, but he's not rich. And while we're accustomed to think that an 'amateur' is unskilled and a 'professional' skilled, this is not the original meaning. Raffles could come up with many ways to meet his debts. He becomes a thief for the love of the game: the original derivation of the term 'amateur'.
The stories are told by Raffles' adoring former roommate and current henchman, Bunny. Bunny was Raffles' 'fag' in public school. This term originally meant a sort of live-in servant--a sort of 'gofer'; a junior member of one's own class. Maybe the best term would be something like 'squire' or 'page'. The implications of homosexuality were generally tacit. Bunny makes no secret of his love for Raffles, but questions of a sexual relationship are left deliberately vague.
Raffles takes the cut-and-dried moralism of his society and everts it in many ways. It's an indication of how ambivalent many of his contemporaries were that they took him very much to heart--as have many since.
January 25, 2013
After reading the hoopla about this writer and character, I thought this book would be a perfect match for me. It was not! The narrator, Bunny- is ineffectual and basically tells you how wonderful Raffles is but you never see what Raffles does. He is supposed to be charming, but I don't see him being charming.
The stories tend to be very talky and little action seen. The narrator/Bunny is ineffectual. I wonder if the popularity of these stories was due to this style of writing being popular at the time. But for me... the take-offs of the amateur or "gentleman' thief has been done better by others.
The stories tend to be very talky and little action seen. The narrator/Bunny is ineffectual. I wonder if the popularity of these stories was due to this style of writing being popular at the time. But for me... the take-offs of the amateur or "gentleman' thief has been done better by others.
December 19, 2015
Short stories about Raffles, a "gentleman criminal." He also has a chronicler, Bunny, who also participates in the exploits. They are on the wrong side of the law and could perhaps be counterparts to Sherlock and Watson (note that the author married Doyle's sister and Doyle loved the Raffles stories). Cricket is an important facet of these stories.
Each crime is seen as a challenge or an artistic endeavour. Raffles has his own set of ethics and honor and anybody who has watched the series "Firefly" will recognize Mal Reynolds.
At the beginning is an essay by Orwell contrasting the various sorts of crime novels and pointing out the many positive aspects of the Raffles stories.
Each crime is seen as a challenge or an artistic endeavour. Raffles has his own set of ethics and honor and anybody who has watched the series "Firefly" will recognize Mal Reynolds.
At the beginning is an essay by Orwell contrasting the various sorts of crime novels and pointing out the many positive aspects of the Raffles stories.
August 9, 2011
Every fan of Sherlock Holmes should spend a little time with Raffles, the gentleman thief. From the same period, with many of the same strengths and weaknesses, Raffles brings to life an era when a gentleman going to the dogs was a shocking event, one that ripped a little hole in the fabric of space and time. These stories are marvelous, until the end, when the last section's distasteful racism mars the experience. Read the first 3 books of the 4, and skip the last one, and you'll have a better opinion of Raffles and the author.
November 14, 2014
Another time, another place and a completely enjoyable world in which to become immersed. Cricketer, socialite and gentleman-thief, A J Raffles teams up with his old school friend, Bunny Manders in a series of enjoyable scrapes and capers in Victorian England.
The splendidly name author Ernest Hornung (or E W Hornung as he was always styled) creates a nicer version of the London underworld than its reality, but still manages to inject some menace, along with humour, into its characters.
There are so many fine tales in this book that it is a complete joy to escape into it.
The splendidly name author Ernest Hornung (or E W Hornung as he was always styled) creates a nicer version of the London underworld than its reality, but still manages to inject some menace, along with humour, into its characters.
There are so many fine tales in this book that it is a complete joy to escape into it.
December 15, 2008
Dated stories of early twentieth century England, the club and cricket world and the difference between class and money. Raffles is a gentleman who resorts to thieving to live his accustomed life. Wodehouse is muuuuch better, but Raffles had his following years ago.
June 20, 2022
Pretty good! With only a little racism! Still, I stopped at the end of the first book because honestly I wanted more unhealthy fixations on shiny baubles and less standing around desperately attempting to maintain the facade of one's class status. But that's just me.
Want to read
August 3, 2010Edition irrelevant.2007-03-09
January 3, 2013
I loved this book. Well written and engrossing stories.
August 14, 2013
More style and less of substance , i feel the characters namely Raffles don't honor the hoopla .....
March 18, 2019
Took some time to warm up but then POW the most romantic stories I’ve ever read!!!! I laughed! I cried!! I loved these!!!!
January 30, 2024
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I loved these short stories of Raffles & Bunny and their many adventures. So very Golden Age
I loved these short stories of Raffles & Bunny and their many adventures. So very Golden Age
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