Wanted for Murder
Encyclopedia
Wanted for Murder is the title of a collection of six mystery novella
s by Leslie Charteris
which was first published in the United States
in 1931.
This book was part of an ongoing series of novels and novellas by Charteris featuring the adventures of his Robin Hood
-inspired crimefighter, Simon Templar
, alias The Saint.
Wanted for Murder holds an unusual place in the Charteris canon as this book featured the first American publication of the stories contained within the books Featuring the Saint
and Alias the Saint
, which were published in the United Kingdom
earlier in 1931 by Hodder and Stoughton. In most cases, The Crime Club
, an imprint
of Doubleday, simply published American editions of the Saint books (occasionally retitled), but this was the first — and only — occasion on which The Crime Club chose not to publish two of Charteris' books, instead deciding to combine them into an American-only omnibus release.
The book was later republished by Sun Dial Press in 1943 and retitled The Saint – Wanted for Murder; Avon Books also published a pulp paperback edition. In the 1950s, an American edition of Alias the Saint appeared in paperback, however this book (subtitled "excerpts from Wanted for Murder") contained only two stories -- one from Alias the Saint and one from Featuring the Saint. Complete US editions of the two books did not appear until the early 1960s; once again, these books were promoted as featuring "excerpts from Wanted for Murder".
From Featuring the Saint
:
From Alias the Saint
:
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...
which was first published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1931.
This book was part of an ongoing series of novels and novellas by Charteris featuring the adventures of his Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
-inspired crimefighter, 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.
Wanted for Murder holds an unusual place in the Charteris canon as this book featured the first American publication of the stories contained within the books Featuring the Saint
Featuring the Saint
Featuring 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 fifth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". It was the first novella collection to be published since...
and 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"...
, which were 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...
earlier in 1931 by Hodder and Stoughton. In most cases, The Crime Club
The Crime Club
The Crime Club was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series.Many classic and popular works of detective and mystery fiction had their first U.S. editions published via the Crime Club, including all 50 books of The Saint by Leslie Charteris...
, an imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of Doubleday, simply published American editions of the Saint books (occasionally retitled), but this was the first — and only — occasion on which The Crime Club chose not to publish two of Charteris' books, instead deciding to combine them into an American-only omnibus release.
The book was later republished by Sun Dial Press in 1943 and retitled The Saint – Wanted for Murder; Avon Books also published a pulp paperback edition. In the 1950s, an American edition of Alias the Saint appeared in paperback, however this book (subtitled "excerpts from Wanted for Murder") contained only two stories -- one from Alias the Saint and one from Featuring the Saint. Complete US editions of the two books did not appear until the early 1960s; once again, these books were promoted as featuring "excerpts from Wanted for Murder".
Stories
Wanted for Murder contains the following stories:From Featuring the Saint
Featuring the Saint
Featuring 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 fifth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". It was the first novella collection to be published since...
:
- The Logical Adventure
- The Wonderful War
- The Man Who Could Not Die
From 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"...
:
- The Story of a Dead Man
- The Impossible Crime
- The National Debt