Search - List of Books by Edward Phillips Oppenheim
Edward Phillips Oppenheim (October 22, 1866 — February 3, 1946), was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thriller. Featured on the cover of Time magazine on September 12, 1927, he was the self-styled "prince of storytellers." He composed some one hundred and fifty novels, mainly of the suspense and international intrigue nature, but including romances, comedies, and parables of everyday life. He was the earliest writer of spy fiction as understood today, and invented the "Rogue Male" school of adventure thrillers that was later exploited by John Buchan and Geoffrey Household.
Undoubtedly his most renowned work was The Great Impersonation: it was filmed thrice, the last time as a strong piece of wartime propaganda. Perhaps Oppenheim's most enduring creation is the character of General Besserley, the protagonist of General Besserley's Puzzle Box and General Besserley's New Puzzle Box (one of his last works).
Much of Oppenheim's work possesses a unique escapist charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law.
The sole biography of Oppenheim is Prince of Storytellers: The Life of E. Phillips Oppenheim by Robert Standish, pseudonym of Digby George Gerahty. London: Peter Davies 1957.
The Man from Sing Sing [aka Moran Chambers Smiled] (1932)
The Ostrekoff Jewels (1932)
Murder at Monte Carlo (1933)
The Ex-Detective (1933)
Jeremiah and the Princess (1933)
The Gallows of Chance (1934)
The Man without Nerves [aka The Bank Manager] (1934)
The Stranger Boarders of Palace Crescent (1934)
The Spy Paramount (1934)
The Battle of Basinghall Street (1935)
Floating Peril [aka The Bird of Paradise] (1936)
The Magnificent Hoax [aka Judy of Bunter's Buildings] (1936)
The Dumb Gods Speak (1937)
Envoy Extraordinary (1937)
The Mayor on Horseback (1937)
The Colossus of Arcadia (1938)
The Spymaster (1938)
And Still I Cheat the Gallows (1939)
Sir Adam Disappeared (1939)
Exit a Dictator (1939)
The Strangers' Gate (1939)
Last Train Out (1940)
Short story collections
Of these 37 collections of short stories, 26 of which have been issued in book form in the United States, most of the volumes are series with sustained interest in which one group of characters appear throughout the various stories.
The Long Arm of Mannister [aka The Long Arm]. 1908
Peter Ruff and the Double-Four [aka The Double Four]. 1912
For the Queen. 1912
Those Other Days. 1912
Mr. Laxworthy's Adventures. 1913
The Amazing Partnership. 1914
An Amiable Charlatan [aak The Game of Liberty]. 1915
Mysteries of the Riviera. 1916
Aaron Rodd, Diviner. 1920
Ambrose Lavendale, Diplomat. 1920
Hon. Algernon Knox, Detective. 1920
The Seven Conundrums. 1923
Michael's Evil Deeds. 1923
The Inevitable Millionaires. 1923
The Terrible Hobby of Sir Joseph Londe. 1924
The Adventures of Mr. Joseph P. Gray. 1925
The Little Gentleman from Okehampstead. 1926
The Channay Syndicate. 1927
Mr. Billingham, the Marquis and Madelon. 1927
Madame and Her Twelve Virgins. 1927
Nicholas Goade, Detective. 1927
The Exploits of Pudgy Pete. 1928
Chronicles of Melhampton. 1928
The Human Chase. 1929
Jennerton & Co. 1929
What Happened to Forester. 1929
Slane's Long Shots. 1930
Sinners Beware. 1931
Crooks in the Sunshine. 1932
The Ex-Detective. 1933
General Besserley's Puzzle Box. 1935
Advice Limited. 1936
Ask Miss Mott. 1936
Curious Happenings to the Rooke Legatees. 1937
A Pulpit in the Grill Room. 1938
General Besserley's Second Puzzle Box. 1939
The Grassleyes Mystery. 1940
Film adaptations
The Black Box (1915)
Mr Grex of Monte Carlo (1915)
The Master Mummer (1915)
The Game of Liberty, filmed as Under Suspicion (1916)
The World's Great Snare (1916)
Master of Men (1917)
The Hillman, filmed as In the Balance (1917); The Hillman (1924)
Seeing Life, filmed under its American title The Court of St Simon (1917)
The Great Awakening, filmed under its American title A Sleeping Memory (1917)
Mr Wingrave, Millionaire, filmed under its American title The Malefactor (1919)
The Illustrious Prince (1919)
The Long Arm, filmed under its American title The Long Arm of Mannister (1919)
The Other romilly, filmed under its American Title The Cinema Murder (1920)
The Plunderers, filmed under its American title The Golden Web (1920); and again as The Golden Web (1926)
The Mystery of Mr Bernard Brown (1921)
The Mystery Road (1921)
Jeanne of the Marshes, filmed as Behind the Mask - Silent 1921, Behind the Masks Sound 1931
The Great Impersonation - Silent Movie 1921; Sound Movie (1935); Sound Movie (1942)
A lost leader (1922)
The Missioner (1922)
Expiation (1922)
False Evidence (1922)
The Great Prince Shan (1924)
The Ex-Duke, filmed as The Prince of Tempters (1926)
The Inevitable Millionaires, filmed as Millionaires (1926)
The Passionate Quest (1926)
The Temptation of Tavernake, filmed as Sisters of Eve (1926)
The Lion and the Lamb (1931)
The Strange Boarders of Palace Crescent, filmed as Strange Boarders (1936)
The Amazing Quest of Mr Ernest Bliss, filmed as Amazing Adventure (1937) also released as Romance and Riches, and Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (starring Cary Grant)
