E. Phillips Oppenheim

Edward Phillips Oppenheim (October 22, 1866 – February 3, 1946), was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers. Featured on the cover of "Time" magazine on September 12, 1927, he was the self-styled "prince of storytellers." He composed some one hundred and fifty novels, mainly of the suspense and international intrigue nature, but including romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life. He was the earliest writer of spy fiction as understood today, and invented the "Rogue Male" school of adventure thrillers that was later exploited by John Buchan and Geoffrey Household.

Undoubtedly his most renowned work was The Great Impersonation: it was filmed thrice, the last time as a strong piece of wartime propaganda. Perhaps Oppenheim's most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of "General Besserley's Puzzle Box" and "General Besserley's New Puzzle Box" (one of his last works).

Much of Oppenheim's work possesses a unique escapist charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law.

Further reading

* Autobiography, "The Pool of Memory" (1941)
* The sole biography of Oppenheim is "Prince of Storytellers: The Life of E. Phillips Oppenheim" by Robert Standish, pseudonym of Digby George Gerahty. London: Peter Davies 1957.

Bibliography

Novels

*Expiation. 1887
*The Peer and the Woman. 1895
*A Daughter of the Marionis. 1895
*False Evidence. 1896
*A Modern Prometheus. 1896
*The Mystery of Mr. Bernard Brown. 1896
*The Wooing of Fortune. 1896
*The Postmaster of Market Deighton. 1897
*The Amazing Judgment. 1897
*Mysterious Mr. Sabin. 1898
*A Daughter of Astrea. 1898
*As a Man Lives. 1898
*Mr. Marx's Secret. 1899
*The Man and His Kingdom. 1899
*The World's Great Snare. 1900
*A Millionaire of Yesterday. 1900
*The Survivor. 1901
*Enoch Strone (aka A Master of Men). 1901
*A Sleeping Memory (aka The Great Awakening). 1902
*The Traitors. 1902
*A Prince of Sinners. 1903
*The Yellow Crayon. 1903
*The Betrayal. 1904
*Anna the Adventuress. 1904
*A Maker of History. 1905
*The Master Mummer. 1905
*A Lost Leader. 1906
*The Tragedy of Andrea. 1906
*The Malefactor (aka Mr. Wingrave, Millionaire). 1906
*Berenice. 1907
*The Avenger [aka The Conspirators] . 1907
*The Great Secret [aka The Secret] . 1908
*The Governor. 1908
*The Distributors [aka Ghosts of Society] . 1908 (as Anthony Partridge)
*The Missioner. 1908
*The Kingdom of Earth [aka The Black Watcher] 1909 (as Anthony Partridge)
*Jeanne of the Marshes. 1909
*The Illustrious Prince. 1910
*Passers By. 1910 (as Anthony Partridge)
*The Lost Ambassador [aka The Missing Delora] . 1910
*The Golden Web. 1911 (as Anthony Partridge)
*The Moving Finger [aka A Falling Star] . 1911
*Havoc. 1911
*The Court of St. Simon. 1912 (as Anthony Partridge)
*The Lighted Way. 1912
*The Tempting of Tavernake. 1912
*The Mischief Maker. 1913
*The Double Life of Mr. Alfred Burton. 1913
*The Way of These Women. 1914
*A People's Man. 1914
*The Vanished Messenger. 1914
*The Black Box. 1915
*The Double Traitor. 1915
*Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo. 1915
*The Kingdom of the Blind. 1916
*The Hillman. 1917
*The Cinema Murder [aka The Other Romilly] . 1917
*The Pawns Count. 1918
*The Zeppelin's Passenger [aka Mr. Lessingham Goes Home] . 1918
*The Wicked Marquis. 1919
*The Box with Broken Seals [aka The Strange Case of Mr. Jocelyn Thew] . 1919
*The Curious Quest [aka The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss.] 1919
*The Great Impersonation. 1920
*The Devil's Paw. 1920
*The Profiteers. 1921
*Jacob's Ladder. 1921
*Nobody's Man. 1921
*The Evil Shepherd. 1922
*The Great Prince Shan. 1922
*The Mystery Road. 1923
*The Wrath to Come. 1924
*The Passionate Quest. 1924
*Stolen Idols. 1925
*Gabriel Samara, Peacemaker. 1925
*The Golden Beast. 1926
*Prodigals of Monte Carlo. 1926
*Harvey Garrard's Crime. 1926
*The Interloper [aka The Ex-Duke] . 1927
*Miss Brown of X. Y. O. 1927
*The Light Beyond. 1928
*The Fortunate Wayfarer. 1928
*Matorni's Vineyard. 1928
*The Treasure House of Martin Hews. 1929
*The Glenlitten Murder. 1929
*The Million Pound Deposit. 1930
*The Lion and the Lamb. 1930
*Gangster's Glory [aka Inspector Dickens Retires] . 1931
*Up the Ladder of Gold. 1931
*Simple Peter Cradd. 1931
*The Man from Sing Sing [aka Moran Chambers Smiled] . 1932
*The Ostrekoff Jewels. 1932
*Murder at Monte Carlo. 1933
*The Ex=Detective, 1933
*Jeremiah and the Princess. 1933
*The Gallows of Chance. 1934
*The Man without Nerves [aka The Bank Manager] . 1934
*The Stranger Boarders of Palace Crescent. 1934
*The Spy Paramount. 1934
*The Battle of Basinghall Street. 1935
*Floating Peril [aka The Bird of Paradise] . 1936
*The Magnificent Hoax [aka Judy of Bunter's Buildings] . 1936
*The Dumb Gods Speak. 1937
*Envoy Extraordinary. 1937
*The Mayor on Horseback. 1937
*The Colossus of Arcadia. 1938
*The Spymaster. 1938
*And Still I Cheat the Gallows. 1939
*Sir Adam Disappeared. 1939
*Exit a Dictator. 1939
*The Strangers' Gate. 1939
*Last Train Out. 1940

hort story collections

Of these 37 collections of short stories, 26 of which have been issued in book form in the United States, most of the volumes are series with sustained interest in which one group of characters appear throughout the various stories.

*The Long Arm of Mannister [aka The Long Arm] . 1908
*Peter Ruff and the Double-Four [aka The Double Four] . 1912
*For the Queen. 1912
*Those Other Days. 1912
*Mr. Laxworthy's Adventures. 1913
*The Amazing Partnership. 1914
*An Amiable Charlatan [aak The Game of Liberty] . 1915
*Mysteries of the Riviera. 1916
*Aaron Rodd, Diviner. 1920
*Ambrose Lavendale, Diplomat. 1920
*Hon. Algernon Knox, Detective. 1920
*The Seven Conundrums. 1923
*Michael's Evil Deeds. 1923
*The Inevitable Millionaires. 1923
*The Terrible Hobby of Sir Joseph Londe. 1924
*The Adventures of Mr. Joseph P. Gray. 1925
*The Little Gentleman from Okehampstead. 1926
*The Channay Syndicate. 1927
*Mr. Billingham, the Marquis and Madelon. 1927
*Madame and Her Twelve Virgins. 1927
*Nicholas Goade, Detective. 1927
*The Exploits of Pudgy Pete. 1928
*Chronicles of Melhampton. 1928
*The Human Chase. 1929
*Jennerton & Co. 1929
*What Happened to Forester. 1929
*Slane's Long Shots. 1930
*Sinners Beware. 1931
*Crooks in the Sunshine. 1932
*The Ex-Detective. 1933
*General Besserley's Puzzle Box. 1935
*Advice Limited. 1936
*Ask Miss Mott. 1936
*Curious Happenings to the Rooke Legatees. 1937
*A Pulpit in the Grill Room. 1938
*General Besserley's Second Puzzle Box. 1939
*The Grassleyes Mystery. 1940

Film adaptations

* The Black Box (1915)
* Mr Grex of Monte Carlo (1915)
* The Master Mummer (1915)
* The Game of Liberty, filmed as Under Suspicion (1916)
* The World's Great Snare (1916)
* Master of Men (1917)
* The Hillman, filmed as In the Balance (1917); The Hillman (1924)
* Seeing Life, filmed under its American title The Court of St Simon (1917)
* The Great Awakening, filmed under its American title A Sleeping Memory (1917)
* Mr Wingrave, Millionaire, filmed under its American title The Malefactor (1919)
* The Illustrious Prince (1919)
* The Long Arm, filmed under its American title The Long Arm of Mannister (1919)
* The Other romilly, filmed under its American Title The Cinema Murder (1920)
* The Plunderers, filmed under its American title The Golden Web (1920); and again as The Golden Web (1926)
* The Mystery of Mr Bernard Brown (1921)
* The Mystery Road (1921)
* Jeanne of the Marshes, filmed as Behind the Mask - Silent 1921, Behind the Masks Sound 1931
* The Great Impersonation - Silent Movie 1921; Sound Movie (1935); Sound Movie (1942)
* A lost leader (1922)
* The Missioner (1922)
* Expiation (1922)
* False Evidence (1922)
* The Great Prince Shan (1924)
* The Ex-Duke, filmed as The Prince of Tempters (1926)
* The Inevitable Millionaires, filmed as Millionaires (1926)
* The Passionate Quest (1926)
* The Temptation of Tavernake, filmed as Sisters of Eve (1926)
* The Lion and the Lamb (1931)
* The Strange Boarders of Palace Crescent, filmed as Strange Boarders (1936)
* The Amazing Quest of Mr Ernest Bliss, filmed as Amazing Adventure (1937) also released as Romance and Riches, and Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (starring Cary Grant)

External links

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* [http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101270912,00.html 1927 "Time" cover featuring Oppenheim]
* [http://www.geocities.com/ephillipsoppenheim/ E. Phillips Oppenheim, Prince of Story Tellers] Contains extensive lists of writings by Oppenheim.
* [http://oppenheim.thefreelibrary.com/ The Free Library]
* [http://www.ebooktakeaway.com/edward_phillips_oppenheim_1866_1946 full text downloads in HTML, PDF, text formats] at ebooktakeaway.com
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