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.
E. W. Hornung
View of the Old School of Uppingham School, Rutland, where Hornung developed his love of cricket
The first Raffles story was in the June 1898 issue of Cassell's Magazine.
A. J. Raffles, introduced in 1898
A. J. Raffles (character)
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.
Raffles (right) lock-picking with Bunny's assistance, by John H. Bacon (1898)
Raffles (right) with Bunny after returning from Italy, by F. C. Yohn (1901)
Raffles using his rope-ladder, by Cyrus Cuneo (1905)
Kyrle Bellew in the Broadway production of Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1903)