H. C. Bailey
H. C. Bailey in 1900
H. C. Bailey in 1900
BornHenry Christopher Bailey
(1878-02-01)1 February 1878
London, England
Died24 March 1961(1961-03-24) (aged 83)
Llanfairfechan, Wales
Occupation
Genre
Literary movementGolden Age of Detective Fiction
Notable worksCreation of characters Reggie Fortune and Joshua Clunk
Spouses
Lydia Guest
​
(m. 1908)​
Children2

Henry Christopher Bailey (1 February 1878 – 24 March 1961) was an English author of detective fiction.

Life

Bailey was born in London. He studied Classics at Oxford University, earning a B.A. in 1901.[1] Bailey began working as a journalist for The Daily Telegraph, writing war journalism, drama reviews, and editorials for the newspaper.

In 1908, Bailey married Lydia Haden Janet Guest (d. 1971). They had two daughters, Betty Lydia Bennett (nee Bailey; d. 1972) and Mary Dorothy Bailey.[2]

Bailey retired from writing in 1950, and spent the last years of his life living in North Wales.[1] He died on 24 March 1961, aged 83, in Llanfairfechan. His estate was valued at £14991 7s. 7d.,[3] and his widow was the sole heir.

Fiction

Bailey wrote mainly short stories featuring a medically qualified detective called Reggie Fortune (a surgeon, hence he is known as 'Mr Fortune'). Fortune's mannerisms and speech put him into the same class as Lord Peter Wimsey but the stories are much darker, and often involve murderous obsession, police corruption, financial skulduggery, child abuse and miscarriages of justice.[1] Although Mr Fortune is seen at his best in short stories, he also appears in several novels.

A second series character, Joshua Clunk, is a sanctimonious lawyer who exposes corruption and blackmail in local politics, and who manages to profit from the crimes. He appears in eleven novels published between 1930 and 1950, including The Sullen Sky Mystery (1935), widely regarded as Bailey's magnum opus.

Bailey also wrote historical fiction. His first historical novel, My Lady of Orange (1901) revolves around William the Silent, and his involvement in the Dutch Revolt.[4]

Bailey's works were published in a number of magazines, primarily The Windsor Magazine and Adventure[5] and reprinted in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

Works

Bailey's "The Woman in the Veil" was the cover story in the May 1912 issue of Adventure

Romantic and historic fiction

Detective fiction

  • "The Archduke's Tea" (Boston Tribune, 15 May 1921)
  • "The Sleeping Companion" (Boston Tribune, 22 May 1921)
  • "The Nice Girl" (Boston Tribune, 29 May 1921)
  • "The Efficient Assassin" (Boston Tribune, 5 June 1921)
  • "The Hottentot Venus" (Boston Tribune, 12 June 1921)
  • "The Business Minister" (Boston Tribune, 19 and 26 June 1921)
  • "The Ascot Tragedy" (People's Magazine, 1 May 1923)
  • "The President of San Jacinto" (People's Magazine, 1 February 1923, as 'The President of San Isidro')
  • "The Young Doctor"
  • "The Magic Stone" (People's Magazine, 1 January 1923)
  • "The Snowball Burglary" (People's Magazine, 15 January 1923)
  • "The Leading Lady" (People's Magazine, 1 April 1923, as 'The Vanishing Lady')
  • "The Unknown Murderer" (People's Magazine, 1 March 1923)
  • "The Young God" (London Magazine, August 1924; Washington Star, 1 August 1926)
  • "The Only Son" (London Magazine, November 1924; Flynn's, 7 March 1925)
  • "The Furnished Cottage" (London Magazine, December 1924; Flynn's, 21 March 1925)
  • "The Hermit Crab" (London Magazine, October 1924; Flynn's, 21 February 1925)
  • "The Long Barrow" (London Magazine, January 1925; Washington Star, 19 September 1926)
  • "The Profiteers" (London Magazine, September 1924; Washington Star, 3 October 1926)
  • "The Missing Husband" (Flynn's Weekly, 18 September 1926)
  • "The Cat Burglar" (Flynn's Weekly, 6 November 1926)
  • "The Lion Party" (Flynn's Weekly, 2 October 1926)
  • "The Violet Farm" (Flynn's Weekly, 22 January 1927)
  • "The Quiet Lady" (Flynn's Weekly, 16 October 1926)
  • "The Little House" (Flynn's Weekly, 9 October 1926)
  • "Zodiacs" (Flynn's Weekly Detective Fiction, 19 November 1927, as 'Zodiacs'; Windsor Magazine, May 1928)
  • "The Cat's Milk"
  • "The Pink Macaw" (Flynn's Weekly Detective Fiction, 4 February 1928)
  • "The Hazel Ice" (Flynn's Weekly Detective Fiction, 10 December 1927)
  • "The Painted Pebbles" (Flynn's Weekly Detective Fiction, 26 November 1927; Windsor Magazine, June 1928)
  • "The Woman in Wood" (Flynn's Weekly Detective Fiction, 17 March 1928)
  • "The German Song"
  • "The Lion Fish" (Flynn's Weekly Detective Fiction, 12 November 1927; Windsor Magazine, April 1928)
  • "The Picnic"
  • "The Little Milliner"
  • "The Wedding Ring" (Windsor Magazine, February 1930)
  • "The Football Photograph" (The Delineator, 1 July 1929)
  • "The Rock Garden" (The Delineator, January 1930; Windsor Magazine, January 1930)
  • "The Silver Cross" (The Delineator, February 1930)
  • "The Bicycle Lamp"
  • "The Face in the Picture"
  • "The Greek Play" (Winnipeg Tribune, 27 September 1930; Windsor Magazine, October 1931)
  • "The Mountain Meadow" (Windsor Magazine, January 1932)
  • "The Pair of Spectacles" (Windsor Magazine, September 1931)
  • "A Bunch of Grapes" (The Delineator, November 1931; Windsor Magazine, November 1931)
  • "The Sported Oak" (Windsor Magazine, April 1932)
  • "The Oak Gall" (Windsor Magazine, May 1932)
  • "The Little Dog" (Windsor Magazine, March 1932 as "The Small Dog")
  • "The Walrus Ivory" (The Delineator, February 1932; Windsor Magazine, February 1932)
  • "The Cigarette Case" (The Delineator, May 1933, as 'The Mystery of the Missing Cigarettes; Windsor Magazine, May 1933)
  • "The Yellow Diamonds" (Windsor Magazine, June 1933)
  • "The Lilies of St. Gabriel's" (Windsor Magazine, August 1933)
  • "The Gipsy Moth" (The Delineator, October 1933; Windsor Magazine, October 1933)
  • "The Fairy Cycle" (Windsor Magazine, November 1933)
  • "The Oleander Flowers" (Windsor Magazine, December 1933)
  • "The Love Bird" (Windsor Magazine, September 1933)
  • "The Old Bible" (The Delineator, July 1933; Windsor Magazine, July 1933)
  • "The Broken Toad" (Windsor Magazine, October 1934)
  • "The Angel's Eye" (Windsor Magazine, November 1934)
  • "The Little Finger" (Windsor Magazine, December 1934)
  • "The Three Bears" (Windsor Magazine, February 1935)
  • "The Long Dinner" (Windsor Magazine, January 1935)
  • "The Yellow Slugs" (Windsor Magazine, March 1935)
  • "The Torn Stocking"
  • "The Swimming Pool" (Windsor Magazine, April 1936)
  • "The Hole in the Parchment" (Windsor Magazine, May 1936)
  • "The Holy Well" (Windsor Magazine, June 1936)
  • "The Wistful Goddess" (Windsor Magazine, August 1936)
  • "The Dead Leaves" (Windsor Magazine, July 1936)
  • "The Yellow Cloth" (Windsor Magazine, April 1938)
  • "The Children's Home" (Windsor Magazine, August 1938)
  • "The Lizard's Tail" (Windsor Magazine, May 1938)
  • "The Cowslip Ball" (Windsor Magazine, June 1938)
  • "The Burnt Tout" (Windsor Magazine, July 1938)
  • "The Key of the Door" (Windsor Magazine, September 1938)
  • "The Bottle Party" (Strand Magazine, October 1939)
  • "The Primrose Petals" (Strand Magazine, April 1940)
  • "The Spider's Web" (Strand Magazine, November 1939)
  • "The Fight for the Crown"
  • "The Point of the Knife" (Strand Magazine, March 1940)
  • "The Gilded Girls"
  • "The Brown Paper"
  • "The Blue Paint" (Strand Magazine, February 1940)
  • "The Bird in the Cellar"

Other books

Other Mr Fortune short stories

See Radio plays and talks also

Uncollected non-series short stories

Poetry

Theatre plays

Radio plays and talks

Uncollected non-fiction and journalism

Letters to the press

References

  1. ^ a b c William L. DeAndrea, Encyclopedia Mysteriosa : a comprehensive guide to the art of detection in print, film, radio, and television. New York, Prentice Hall General Reference, 1994. ISBN 9780028616780 (pp 15-16)
  2. ^ "The WATCH File: Writers, Artists and Their Copyright Holders".
  3. ^ "Find a will | GOV.UK". probatesearch.service.gov.uk.
  4. ^ Jonathan Nield, A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales. London, E. Mathews & Marrot, 1929 (p.51).
  5. ^ "Forgotten Giant: Hoffman’s Adventure" by Richard Bleiler. Purple Prose Magazine, November 1998, pp. 3–12.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "In "The Fool" ,(Methuen and Co.) Mr. H. C. Bailey has presented to his readers a wonderfully fine portrait of England in the confusion of the twelfth century, when Stephen and Henry of Anjou fought for supremacy, and, later, during the rule of Henry." "Review of The Fool by H.C. Bailey". The Queenslander, 4 Feb 1922 (p.3)
  8. ^ "Mr. Bailey has written a wide variety of stories, including several detective yarns far above the average. This time he has given us a romance of chivalry, set in an age when chivalry was passing away....The background of the story is the richly-colored, turbulent life of the Court of Charles VIII." "Review of Knight At Arms". The World's News 18 Oct 1924 (p.12)

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