Jump to content

Percy James Brebner

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Percy James Brebner
BornPercy James Brebner
March 24, 1864
Islington
DiedJuly 31, 1922(1922-07-31) (aged 58)
London
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
SubjectAdventure fiction, detective fiction

Percy James Brebner (March 24, 1864 – July 31, 1922) was a British writer of adventure and detective fiction.

Early life and career

[edit]

He was the eldest son of James Brebner, manager of the National Provincial Bank of England, Piccadilly. He was educated at King's College School and worked in the Share & Loan Department of the Stock Exchange before he began his writing career.[1] He published his early novels under the name Christian Lys.

Writing career

[edit]

Mystery fiction

[edit]

One of Brebner's most popular creations was Professor Christopher Quarles, a master detective of the Sherlock Holmes variety.[2] Quarles is an elderly professor of philosophy with a keen deductive mind. He is aided by Murray Wigan, a young policeman who narrates the adventures akin to Dr. Watson from the Holmes stories.

Adventure fare

[edit]

Brebner also wrote several historical novels.[3] His Lost World title The Fortress of Yadasara also known as The Knight of the Silver Star was described as "a highly romantic lost-race adventure in the mode of the contemporary historical novel.".[4] It was serialized in Italian[5] and Spanish[6] pulp adventure journals in the early 20th century and was listed in 333: A Bibliography of the Science-Fantasy Novel a collection of the best efforts in Science-Fantasy up to and including 1950.

Additionally, he wrote for various British and American newspapers and magazines including the Weekly Tale Teller[7] and The Sunday Star and publications like The Ilfracombe Chronicle War Supplement during the First World War.[8]

Works

[edit]
  • The Crucible Of Circumstance, 1906
  • Princess Maritza, 1906
  • The Knight Of The Silver Star, 1907 (American edition of The Fortress Of Yadasara, published under the name Percy Brebner)
  • Vayenne, 1908
  • A Royal Ward, 1909 Novel set during the Regency era[3]
  • The Testing of Olive Vaughan, 1909
  • A Gentleman of Virginia, 1910 Novel set during the French Revolution and featuring as Lafayette a character[3]
  • The Brown Mask, 1910 Novel about Monmouth's Rebellion[3]
  • The Light That Lures, 1911
  • The White Gauntlet, 1912 Novel about the First Duke of Marlborough and Queen Anne[3]
  • The Little Gray Schoe, 1913
  • The Turbulent Duchess, 1915
  • A Gallant Lady, 1919
  • The Ivory Disc, 1920
  • The Gate of Temptation, 1920

Christopher Quarles mysteries

  • Christopher Quarles: College Professor and Master Detective, 1914
  • The Master Detective: Being Some Further Investigations of Christopher Quarles, 1916

Written as Christian Lys

[edit]
  • Suspicion, 1889
  • A London Cobweb, 1892
  • The Doctor's Idol, 1894
  • The Dunthorpes of Westleigh, 1896
  • The Hepsworth Millions, 1898
  • The Fortress Of Yadasara, 1899
  • The Black Card, 1899
  • The Mystery of Ladyplace, 1900

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Who Was Who in Literature 1906-1934, Gale Research Company, 1979
  2. ^ The Edwardian Detectives: Literary Sleuths of the Edwardian Era, Resurrected Press, 2012
  3. ^ a b c d e Baker, Ernest A., A Guide to Historical Fiction. London : G. Routledge and Sons, 1914.(pgs. 144, 281)
  4. ^ Science-fiction, the Early Years, By Everett Franklin Bleiler, The Kent State University Press (March 1, 1991
  5. ^ La fortezza di Yadasara, Il romanzo mensile Issues 1-9, 1903
  6. ^ La Fortaleza de Yadasara en revista Zig-Zag,(4 nov. 1906)
  7. ^ Weekly Tale Teller, No 188, December 7, 1912
  8. ^ Patriotism and Propaganda in First World War Britain, David Monger, Liverpool University Press, 2012
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Percy_James_Brebner&oldid=1258843747"