List of works by Leslie Charteris

Last updated

Leslie Charteris
bibliography
Novels 19
Collections 14
Scripts 8
Translations 1
Novellas 11
Non-fiction 2
Introduction 1
References and footnotes

Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer Yin; 1907–1993) was a British-American writer best known for his series on stories featuring Simon Templar, also known as The Saint. [1] Born in Singapore to a Chinese father, Suat Yin Chwan, and his English wife, Lydia ( née Bowyer), Charteris travelled extensively with his family until beginning his education in England in 1919. [2] [3] In 1925 he enrolled at King's College, Cambridge, but left after a year in order to become a writer; [4] to support himself, he worked as a goldminer, bartender, professional bridge player and temporary policeman. In October 1926 he changed his name by deed poll to Leslie Charles Bowyer Charteris-Ian, and professionally used the shorter version, Leslie Charteris. [1]

Contents

Charteris's first five novels were published by Ward Lock & Co; he also had a story The Red River published in their Windsor Magazine in May 1927. The first novel, X Esquire, which he later described as "an appallingly bad book", was published in 1927; [5] his second novel—The White Rider, published in 1928—is "overwritten and poorly constructed", according to his biographer Joan DelFattore. [5] In his third novel, Meet the Tiger (1928), he introduced the character of Simon Templar, a debonair gentleman crook who goes by the nom de guerre , The Saint. [6]

Charteris continued writing Saint books and the series gained in popularity because of its "mix of light humour, sophisticated settings, and story-line emphasising the role of a crusader tackling the forces of evil", which had "special appeal in the depression". [1] Charteris moved to the United States in 1932 and soon began writing screenplays, the first of which resulted in Midnight Club , released in 1933. [7] [8]

In the June 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Charteris published Fish Story. [9] According to the editors, it was written during (or inspired by) a leisure trip to Florida.

From the late 1960s to 1983, Charteris served in an editorial capacity for a continuation series of Saint books consisting of a mixture of novella- and novel-length adaptations of episodes of The Saint and Return of the Saint TV series, comic strip stories, as well as a few original stories. On some editions, Charteris is the cover author, with the actual writers credited within. Listed below are Saint books from this period for which Charteris is believed to have had a more active role than editor.

Charteris also worked on three books of non-fiction and an introduction to the 1980 re-issue of The Saint Meets the Tiger. The works consisted of a translation from Spanish to English of the autobiography of the bullfighter Juan Belmonte, a language guide to Spanish, and a guide to Paleneo, a wordless, pictorial sign language invented by Charteris. [10] He died in Windsor, Berkshire, in April 1993. [1]

Novels and story collections

"You might have seen something of the Indian, too, in the intent lines of his tanned reckless face; but that would have been an easy illusion. The same lines would have fitted as naturally into the picture of a conquistador ... or of d'Artagnan mocking the courts of France: they were only the heraldry of a character that would have been the same in any age or place, the timeless brand of the born buccaneer."

Charteris's description of Simon Templar in The Saint Goes West . [11]
The books of Leslie Charteris
Title [12] [13] [14] Year of first
publication
First edition publisher Simon Templar book?FormatRef.
X Esquire1927 Ward Lock & Co, LondonRed x.svgNovel [15]
The White Rider1928 Ward Lock & Co, LondonRed x.svgNovel [16]
Meet the Tiger 1928 Ward Lock & Co, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [17]
The Bandit1929 Ward Lock & Co, LondonRed x.svgNovel [18]
Daredevil1929 Ward Lock & Co, LondonRed x.svg [19] Novel [20]
Enter the Saint 1930 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [21]
The Last Hero 1930 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [22]
Knight Templar 1930 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [23]
Featuring the Saint 1931 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [24]
Alias the Saint 1931 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [25]
She Was a Lady 1931 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [26]
The Holy Terror 1932 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [27]
Getaway 1932 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [28]
Once More the Saint 1933 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [29]
The Brighter Buccaneer 1933 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgShort story collection [30]
The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal 1934 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [31]
Boodle 1934 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgShort story collection [32]
The Saint Goes On 1934 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [33]
The Saint in New York 1935 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [34]
Saint Overboard 1936 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [35]
The Ace of Knaves 1937 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [36]
Thieves' Picnic 1937 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [37]
Prelude for War 1938 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovel [38]
Follow the Saint 1938 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovellas [39]
The Happy Highwayman 1939 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgShort story collection [40]
The Saint in Miami 1940 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovel [41]
The Saint Goes West 1942 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [42]
The Saint Steps In 1942 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovel [43]
The Saint on Guard 1944 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovellas [44]
Lady on a Train1945Shaw Press, Los Angeles, CARed x.svgNovelisation [a] [8]
The Saint Sees it Through 1946 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovel [45]
Call for the Saint 1948 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonGreen check.svgNovellas [46]
Saint Errant 1948 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [47]
The Saint in Europe 1953 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [48]
The Saint on the Spanish Main 1955 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [49]
The Saint Around the World 1956 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [50]
Thanks to the Saint 1957 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [51]
Señor Saint 1958 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [52]
The Saint to the Rescue 1959 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [53]
Trust the Saint 1962 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [54]
The Saint in the Sun 1963 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgShort story collection [55]
Vendetta for the Saint [b] 1964 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovel [57]
The Saint in Pursuit [c] 1970 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovel [59]
The Saint and the People Importers [d] 1970 Doubleday, Garden City, NYGreen check.svgNovel [61]

Screenplays

Roger Moore (left) played the television incarnation in The Saint. Roger Moore The Saint 1969.JPG
Roger Moore (left) played the television incarnation in The Saint .
The screenplays of Leslie Charteris
Title [62] YearCo-writer(s)StudioRef.
Midnight Club 1933 Seton I. Miller Paramount Pictures [63]
The Saint's Double Trouble 1940 Ben Holmes RKO Radio Pictures [64]
The Saint's Vacation 1941 Jeffrey Dell RKO Radio Pictures [65]
The Saint in Palm Springs 1941 Jerome Cady RKO Radio Pictures [66]
Lady on a Train 1945 Universal [67]
River Gang1945 Universal [68]
Two Smart People 1946Ethel Hill Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [69]
Tarzan and the Huntress 1947Jerry Gruskin, Rowland Leigh RKO Radio Pictures [70]

Non-fiction

Juan Belmonte, whose autobiography Charteris translated into English in 1937 Torero Belmonte.JPG
Juan Belmonte, whose autobiography Charteris translated into English in 1937
Other works of Charteris
TitleYear of first
publication
First edition publisherCategoryNotesRef.
Juan Belmonte, Killer of Bulls: The Autobiography of a Matador1937 Heinemann, LondonAutobiographyCharteris undertook the translation from Spanish to English [8]
Spanish for Fun1964 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonLanguage guide [71]
Paleneo: A Universal Sign Language1972 Hodder & Stoughton, LondonSign language guidePaleneo, a wordless, pictorial sign language, was invented by Charteris [72]
The Saint Meets the Tiger1980 Charter Communications, Indianapolis, INSaint novelIntroduction only [62]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. Novelisation of the film of the same name, for which Charteris also wrote the script. [8]
  2. by Harry Harrison, Leslie Charteris. [56]
  3. by Fleming Lee, Leslie Charteris; novelisation of a comic strip. [58]
  4. by Fleming Lee, Leslie Charteris; novelisation of a television script. [60]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lycett 2004.
  2. Lofts & Adley 1985, pp. 4–5.
  3. "Dr. S. C. Yin (Son created 'The Saint') dies at 82". Singapore Free Press . 3 April 1958. p. 1.
  4. Wright 1997, p. 76.
  5. 1 2 DelFattore 1989, p. 61.
  6. Lofts & Adley 1985, p. 6.
  7. DelFattore 1989, p. 62.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Leslie Charteris". Contemporary Authors . Gale . Retrieved 3 January 2014.(subscription required)
  9. "Publication: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June 1954". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  10. DelFattore 1989, p. 66–67.
  11. Charteris 2013, p. 4.
  12. DelFattore 1989, pp. 58–59.
  13. Lofts & Adley 1985, pp. 11–12.
  14. Wright 1997, pp. 47–50.
  15. "X Esquire". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  16. "The White Rider". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  17. "Meet the Tiger". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  18. "The Bandit". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  19. Although not considered a Saint book, this novel did introduce the character of Insp. Claude Eustace Teal, who became a recurring figure in the Saint series.
  20. "Daredevil". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  21. "Enter the Saint". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  22. "The Last Hero". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  23. "Knight Templar". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  24. "Featuring the Saint". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  25. "Alias the Saint". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  26. "She Was a Lady". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  27. "Holy Terror". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  28. "Getaway. A "Saint" novel". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  29. "Once More the Saint". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  30. "The Brighter Buccaneer. More "Saint" stories". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  31. "Misfortunes of Mr. Teal". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  32. "Boodle. Stories of "The Saint."". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  33. "Saint Goes On". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  34. "The Saint in New York". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  35. "Saint Overboard". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  36. "The Ace of Knaves". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  37. "Thieves' Picnic". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  38. "Prelude for War". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  39. "Follow the Saint". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  40. "The Happy Highwayman". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  41. "The Saint in Miami". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  42. "The Saint Goes West". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  43. "The Saint Steps In". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  44. "The Saint on Guard". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  45. "The Saint Sees it Through". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  46. "Call for the Saint". British Library Catalogue. London: British Library . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  47. "Saint Errant". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  48. "The Saint in Europe". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  49. "The Saint on the Spanish Main". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  50. "The Saint Around the World". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  51. "Thanks to the Saint". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  52. "The Señor Saint". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  53. The Saint to the Rescue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  54. Trust the Saint. A Crime Club selection. Washington: Library of Congress. 1962. Retrieved 10 June 2014.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  55. "The Saint in the Sun". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  56. Barer 2003, pp. 113–14.
  57. "Vendetta for the Saint". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  58. Barer 2003, p. 174.
  59. The Saint in Pursuit. Washington: Library of Congress. 1970. Retrieved 10 June 2014.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  60. Barer 2003, pp. 176–77.
  61. "The Saint and the People Importers". Library of Congress Catalogue. Washington: Library of Congress . Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  62. 1 2 DelFattore 1989, p. 60.
  63. "Midnight Club". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  64. "The Saint's Double Trouble". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  65. "The Saint's Vacation". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  66. "The Saint in Palm Springs". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  67. "Lady on a Train". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  68. "River Gang". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  69. "Two Smart People". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  70. "Tarzan and the Huntress". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  71. Wright 1997, p. 86.
  72. DelFattore 1989, p. 67.

Sources