Charles Warren Adams (1833–1903) was an English lawyer, publisher and anti-vivisectionist, now known from documentary evidence to have been the author of '' The Notting Hill Mystery''. This is often taken to be the first full-length detective novel in English.

Novels

As a lawyer Adams became involved in bailing out the once famous London publishing firm of Saunders, Otley & Co. after the two proprietors had died. The effort was unsuccessful and liquidation ensued in 1869, but in the meantime the firm had published at least two works of Adams's own, written under the pseudonym Charles Felix. One was a crime novel entitled ''Velvet Lawn'' (1864), and the other ''The Notting Hill Mystery'' (1865 in book form), which is thought to have been the first detective story of novel length. ''The Notting Hill Mystery'' had already appeared as a serial in '' Once A Week'' in 1862–1863, illustrated by

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch'' and a Gothic novel ''Trilby'', featuring the character Svengali. His son was the actor Sir Gerald ...

(1834–1896), author of ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...

''. Mike Ashly: "Introduction. Seeking the Evidence" In: ''The Notting Hill Mystery'' (London: The British Library, 2012.) . This facsimile edition is interleaved with the du Maurier illustrations done for the original serial publication. The du Maurier illustrations also feature in the recent first Italian translation of the book and the first German translation of the book, by Boris Greff and Matthias Marx, which was published in 2014.

Life and libels

Adams first married in 1861 Georgina Alethe Polson (b. 1838), daughter of the Rev. Hugh Polson and Georgiana, only child of Charlotte Yonge and her first husband Captain George Crawley. His wife died in 1880. Adams was the secretary of the

Anti-Vivisection Society The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) is an international not-for-profit animal protection group, based in London, working to end animal testing, and focused on the replacement of animals in research with advanced, scientific techniques. S ...

, on whose committee was Mildred Coleridge, great-grand niece of the poet

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lak ...

, and daughter of

John Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge John Duke Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge, PC (3 December 1820 – 14 June 1894) was an English lawyer, judge and Liberal politician. He held the posts, in turn, of Solicitor General for England and Wales, Attorney General for England and Wales, ...

(1820–1894), who became Solicitor-General in 1868,

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

in 1871,

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, which was the second-highest common law court in the English legal system until 1875, when it, along with the othe ...

in 1873, and

Lord Chief Justice Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

in 1880. When she left home to live with Adams, there was consternation in her family. Her brother Bernard Coleridge wrote her a long letter attacking Adams. This led to acrimonious libel actions in 1884 and 1886, which Adams won. The couple were married on 24 June 1885.ODNB entry on Coleridge, John Duke, first Baron Coleridge by David Pugsley
Retrieved 16 December 2012. Pay-walled.
/ref> They remained together until Adams's death in July 1903. His widow died in January 1929.

References

External links

* * * *''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' published a lengthy article by Paul Collins on the book and the discovery of its authorship in its Sunday Book Review on 7 January 2011
Retrieved 25 June 2014.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Charles Warren 1833 births 1903 deaths 19th-century English novelists Anti-vivisectionists English crime fiction writers