Featuring the Saint
Encyclopedia
Featuring the Saint is a collection of three mystery novella
s by Leslie Charteris
, first published in the United Kingdom
in 1931 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the fifth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
, alias "The Saint". It was the first novella collection to be published since Enter the Saint
a year earlier. The three stories had previously been published in magazines.
The first American
publication of Featuring the Saint occurred in 1931 as part of the compilation Wanted for Murder
, which also included the contents of the following book, Alias the Saint
. One story from this collection, "The Man Who Could Not Die", was included in a 1950s American edition of Alias the Saint; a complete US edition of the original Featuring the Saint was first published in the early 1960s.
Later editions published in the 1960s (such as the TV tie-in edition
by Fiction Book Company, included a new foreword by Charteris apologizing for the by-then "outdated" nature of the stories.
and first broadcast during the show's second season on January 2, 1964. The TV version of the story followed the basic plot of the original fairly closely, with the major change being the location of the story changing to a fictional Middle Eastern country, Sayeda, located between Kuwait
and Iraq
.
"The Man Who Could Not Die" was adapted by the same series for its fourth season and first aired on August 5, 1965.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
s by Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
, first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1931 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the fifth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
, alias "The Saint". It was the first novella collection to be published since Enter the Saint
Enter the Saint
Enter the Saint is a collection of three interconnected adventure novellas by Leslie Charteris first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1930, followed by an American edition by The Crime Club in 1931....
a year earlier. The three stories had previously been published in magazines.
The first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publication of Featuring the Saint occurred in 1931 as part of the compilation Wanted for Murder
Wanted for Murder
Wanted for Murder is the title of a collection of six mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris which was first published in the United States in 1931....
, which also included the contents of the following book, Alias the Saint
Alias the Saint
Alias the Saint is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in 1931 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the sixth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint"...
. One story from this collection, "The Man Who Could Not Die", was included in a 1950s American edition of Alias the Saint; a complete US edition of the original Featuring the Saint was first published in the early 1960s.
Later editions published in the 1960s (such as the TV tie-in edition
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
by Fiction Book Company, included a new foreword by Charteris apologizing for the by-then "outdated" nature of the stories.
Stories
The book consisted of the following stories:- The Logical Adventure: Templar pursues a famous aviator involved in an international drug-smuggling and flesh-peddling ring. A small portion of the story takes place in mainland Europe.
- The Wonderful War: The Saint travels to the fictional Central AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n nation of Pasala where he seeks to avenge the murder of an oil prospector and spark a revolution. This was the first story to feature Templar's agent Archie Sheridan, and the first to take place exclusively outside the United Kingdom. Set in an exotic location, it could also be seen as a prototype for the many "travelogueTravel literatureTravel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
"-style Saint adventures that would follow in future years. - The Man Who Could Not Die. Miles Hallin claims to be able to cheat death, but he puts this ability to the test when he kills one of Templar's friends as part of a mining scam.
Television adaptations
"The Wonderful War" was adapted as an episode of The SaintThe Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
and first broadcast during the show's second season on January 2, 1964. The TV version of the story followed the basic plot of the original fairly closely, with the major change being the location of the story changing to a fictional Middle Eastern country, Sayeda, located between Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
"The Man Who Could Not Die" was adapted by the same series for its fourth season and first aired on August 5, 1965.
External links
- Book review page including a review of "The Logical Adventure"