William Russell (1806–1876) was an English writer in the 19th century, producing works of fiction. He is considered among the first and most prolific authors to write 'police memoirs' or detective stories (some published under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

'Waters' or 'Thomas Waters'). He also wrote nautical adventures (under the pseudonym 'Lieutenant Warneford, R. N.'), and legal stories. He, or his publishers, may have capitalised upon the similarity of his name to his contemporary, ''Times'' journalist William Howard Russell. Russell is thought to have been born in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in 1806, and in the late 1840s started contributing an irregular series of stories to '' Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' between 1849 and 1852. He also contributed to '' The London Journal'', ''St. James's Magazine'', and ''The Sixpenny Magazine''. Ten of Russell's ''Chambers'' detective stories were subsequently published in unauthorised editions in

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in 1852 and 1853, entitled ''The Recollections of a Policeman''. The same ten, plus two additional stories, were then collated into a volume entitled ''Recollections of a Detective Police-Officer'', published in London in 1856 (also reprinted with slightly different titles). A further volume with eight additional stories followed in 1859. A collection of his sea stories appeared in ''Tales of the Coast Guard'' (also 1856), and ''Leaves from the Diary of a Law Clerk'' was published in 1857. Among other works, ''Autobiography of an English Detective'' was published in two volumes in 1863. Married to Eliza, he lived at various times in

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

, Hackney and

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, and may also have returned to live in Southampton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, William 1806 births 1876 deaths English crime fiction writers