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She Fell Among Thieves
''She Fell Among Thieves'' is a 1935 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), the fifth in his ' Chandos' thriller series. It was serialised in ''Woman's Journal'' (December 1934 to April 1935, illustrated by Forster). The title comes from a phrase in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Plot The story is set in the Pyrenees. Chandos, recently widowed, and Mansel have to rescue a drugged young woman who has been held captive at Château Jezreel by the villainous elderly matriarch Vanity Fair. Background ''She Fell Among Thieves'' was written shortly after Mercer's second marriage, to Elizabeth, and was dedicated "To Jill" – the name he always used for her. Critical reception The novel was not quite as well received as the earlier 'Chandos' books had been. Although it was accepted for UK serialisation in the ''Woman's Journal'', appearing in five parts between December 1934 and April 1935, the US '' Saturday Evening Post'' declined it, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dornford Yates
Cecil William Mercer (7 August 1885 – 5 March 1960), known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous (the ''Berry'' books), some Thriller (genre), thrillers (the ''Chandos'' books), were best-sellers during the Interwar period, Interwar Period. The pen name ''Dornford Yates'', first in print in 1910, resulted from combining the maiden names of his grandmothers – the paternal Eliza Mary Dornford, and the maternal Harriet Yates. Early life William (Bill) Mercer was born in Walmer, Kent, the son of Cecil John Mercer (1850–1921) and Helen Wall (1858–1918). His father was a solicitor whose sister, Mary Frances, married Charles Augustus Munro; their son was Saki, Hector Hugh Munro (the writer Saki); Bill Mercer is said to have idolised his elder cousin. Mercer attended St Clare preparatory school in Walmer from 1894 to 1899. The family moved from Kent to London when he joined Harrow School as a day pupil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hodder And Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union. In 1861 the firm became Jackson, Walford and Hodder; but in 1868 Jackson and Walford retired, and Thomas Wilberforce Stoughton joined the firm, creating Hodder & Stoughton. Hodder & Stoughton published both religious and secular works, and its religious list contained some progressive titles. These included George Adam Smith's ''Isaiah'' for its ''Expositor’s Bible'' series, which was one of the earliest texts to identify multiple authorship in the Book of Isaiah. There was also a sympathetic ''Life of St Francis'' by Paul Sabatier, a French Protestant pastor. Matthew Hodder made frequent visits to North America, meeting with the Moody Press and making links with Scribners and Fleming H. Revell. The s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fire Below
''Fire Below'' is a 1930 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), the fourth in his '' Chandos'' thriller series and a sequel to ''Blood Royal''. The book was published in the US under the title ''By Royal Command''. Plot Chandos and Hanbury are lured back to the fictional Principality of Riechtenburg by a forged telegram. Background In this novel, the author continued to mine ideas from Anthony Hope, specifically ''Rupert of Hentzau''. Commenting in 1958 through his character Boy Pleydell, Mercer acknowledged resemblances between his work and that of Hope, particularly mentioning ''Fire Below'' and ''Blood Royal''. Critical reception The ''Chandos'' series had made the name of Dornford Yates widely known, and ''Fire Below'' was as received as eagerly when it appeared in June 1930 as his earlier ''Chandos'' books had been. The original dustjacket included the following quotes - * Frank Swinnerton in the ''Evening News'' - "It is treme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
An Eye For A Tooth
''An Eye for a Tooth'' is a 1943 adventure novel by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), the sixth in his 'List of works by Dornford Yates, Chandos' thriller series. The events of the story immediately follow those of ''Blind Corner (novel), Blind Corner''. Plot On the way home in the car with the treasure from ''Blind Corner (novel), Blind Corner'', Mansel nearly runs over the corpse of a murdered man. He discovers the murderers, and seeks vengeance. Background The novel's denouement may have been suggested by Christopher Marlowe's play ''The Jew of Malta'' in which most of the characters die after being deposited by a pivoting floor into a vat of boiling oil. AJ Smithers, the author's biographer, commented, "Mercer dispensed with the oil, but the principle was the same." Critical reception The novel was well received, sold well, and had to be reprinted six times within a year of publication. References Bibliography * 1943 British nove ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |