Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmes – he is a “gentleman thief”, living at the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing cricket as a gentleman (or “amateur”) for the Gentlemen of England and supporting himself by carrying out ingenious burglaries. He is called the “Amateur Cracksman” and often, at first, differentiates between him and the “professors” – professional criminals from the lower classes. As Holmes has Dr. Watson to chronicle his adventures, Raffles has Harry “Bunny” Manders – a former schoolmate saved from disgrace by Raffles, whom Raffles persuaded to accompany him on a burglary. Raffles is an expert thief and like Holmes, he is a master of disguise.
First Appearance “The Ides of March” (also published as “In the Chains of Crime”) in Cassell’s Magazine (June 1898)
First Publisher Eyre And Spottiswoode
Appearance List Collections: The Amateur Cracksman (1899, 8 short stories), The Black Mask (1901, 8 short stories), A Thief in the Night (1905, 10 short stories), Mr. Justice Raffles (1909 novel). Theatre: Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1903), The Burglar and the Lady (1906), A Visit from Raffles (1909). Film: Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1905), three short films released in Denmark in 1908, The Van Nostrand Tiara (1913), The Burglar and the Lady (1914), Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1917), Mr. Justice Raffles (1921), Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1925), Raffles (1930), etc. Radio: Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1934), adaptation of “The Ides of March” broadcast on 9 December 1941 on the BBC Forces Programme.
Description Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmes – he is a “gentleman thief”, living at the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing cricket as a gentleman (or “amateur”) for the Gentlemen of England and supporting himself by carrying out ingenious burglaries. He is called the “Amateur Cracksman” and often, at first, differentiates between him and the “professors” – professional criminals from the lower classes. As Holmes has Dr. Watson to chronicle his adventures, Raffles has Harry “Bunny” Manders – a former schoolmate saved from disgrace by Raffles, whom Raffles persuaded to accompany him on a burglary. Raffles is an expert thief and like Holmes, he is a master of disguise.
