The Black Mask

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The Black Mask
RafflesNovel.jpg
Author E.W. Hornung
LanguageEnglish
Series A. J. Raffles
Genre Crime fiction
Publisher Grant Richards (UK)
Scribner's (US)
Publication date
1901
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Preceded by The Amateur Cracksman  
Followed by A Thief in the Night  

The Black Mask is a 1901 short story collection by E. W. Hornung. It was published in the UK by Grant Richards, London, and in the US by Scribner's, New York under the title Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman. [1] It is the second collection of stories in Hornung's series concerning A. J. Raffles, a gentleman thief in late Victorian London.

Contents

Several of the stories were adapted for the 1977 Raffles television series.

Overview

Following the events of the final story of the preceding short story collection, the reputations of A. J. Raffles and his companion Bunny Manders are ruined. Raffles is assumed to have drowned in the Mediterranean, and Bunny has faced eighteen months in prison and is struggling to get back on his feet.

The eight stories in this collection follow their remarkable reunion, and their joint return to crime, though as hardened criminals rather than respectable gentlemen. The stories are in chronological order, yet each is mostly independent and can be read separately.

Contents

Raffles, Bunny, and the gold cup, 1906 frontispiece by F. C. Yohn Raffles (Scribner 1906) -frontispiece.png
Raffles, Bunny, and the gold cup, 1906 frontispiece by F. C. Yohn

The collection begins with a Narrator's Note, which explains that Raffles and Bunny are no longer the dapper gentlemen thieves they once were, but are now hardened, professional criminals.

  1. "No Sinecure" — Bunny, recently released from prison and struggling to survive as a writer, answers a curious advertisement seeking a male nurse of liberal education for an old, ailing man named Mr. Maturin.
  2. "A Jubilee Present" — When Raffles sets his heart on stealing a priceless gold cup from the British Museum, he and Bunny go to scope out the museum's security.
  3. "The Fate of Faustina" — Raffles tells Bunny of his time spent as a tramp in Italy for the two years after his supposed death in the Mediterranean, including the tragic tale of the beautiful woman he loved and lost.
  4. "The Last Laugh" — The Italians who Raffles antagonized while in Italy finally take their revenge against Raffles.
  5. "To Catch a Thief" — There's a new gentleman burglar in London, and Raffles suggests to Bunny that they make him their third partner.
  6. "An Old Flame" — After a woman from Raffles's past recognizes him, her unwelcome determination to rekindle their old relationship forces Raffles to take extreme measures.
  7. "The Wrong House" — From their new location in the suburbs, and in the midst of a series of their burglaries, Raffles and Bunny go out on their bicycles to burgle the vulnerable house of a stockbroker.
  8. "The Knees of the Gods" — Raffles and Bunny enlist in the British volunteer forces to fight in the Second Boer War.

Related Research Articles

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A. J. Raffles is a British fictional character – a cricketer and gentleman thief – created by E. W. Hornung. Between 1898 and 1909, Hornung wrote a series of 26 short stories, two plays, and a novel about Raffles and his fictional chronicler, Harry "Bunny" Manders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. W. Hornung</span> British writer

Ernest William Hornung was an English author and poet known for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Hornung was educated at Uppingham School; as a result of poor health he left the school in December 1883 to travel to Sydney, where he stayed for two years. He drew on his Australian experiences as a background when he began writing, initially short stories and later novels.

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<i>The Amateur Cracksman</i> 1899 short story collection by E. W. Hornung

The Amateur Cracksman is an 1899 short story collection by E. W. Hornung. It was published in the UK by Methuen & Co., London, and in the US by Scribner's, New York. Many later editions expand the title to Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman. Some editions such as Penguin Books, 1948, retitle the collection simply, Raffles.

<i>A Thief in the Night</i> (short story collection)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. J. Raffles (character)</span> Character in the works of E. W. Hornung

Arthur J. Raffles is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmes – he is a "gentleman thief", living at the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing cricket as a gentleman for the Gentlemen of England and supporting himself by carrying out ingenious burglaries. He is called the "Amateur Cracksman" and often, at first, differentiates between him and the "professors" – professional criminals from the lower classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ides of March (short story)</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"The Ides of March" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and the first appearance of the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in June 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Costume Piece</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"A Costume Piece" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in July 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentlemen and Players (short story)</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"Gentlemen and Players" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in August 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilful Murder (short story)</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"Wilful Murder" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published as the fifth part of the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899. This and "Le Premier Pas" were the two stories in the collection not published previously in magazine format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Points of the Law</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"Nine Points of the Law" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in September 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included as the six story in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Return Match</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"The Return Match" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in October 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included as the seventh story in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Sinecure</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung, published in 1901

"No Sinecure" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in Scribner's Magazine in January 1901. The story was also included as the first story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fate of Faustina</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"The Fate of Faustina" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in Scribner's Magazine in March 1901. The story was also included as the third story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Last Laugh (short story)</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"The Last Laugh" is a short story by E. W. Hornung. It features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in Scribner's Magazine in April 1901. The story was also included as the fourth story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">To Catch a Thief (short story)</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"To Catch a Thief" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in Scribner's Magazine in May 1901. The story was also included as the fifth story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">An Old Flame (short story)</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"An Old Flame" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in Scribner's Magazine in June 1901. The story was also included as the sixth story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wrong House</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"The Wrong House" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in Scribner's Magazine in September 1901. The story was also included as the seventh story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Knees of the Gods</span> Short story by E. W. Hornung

"The Knees of the Gods" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published as the eighth and final story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901. It is the only story in the collection that was not first published separately in serial format.

References

Notes
  1. Rowland, page 280.
Sources