Nelson Lee is a fictional detective who featured in the Amalgamated Press papers over a 40-year run. Created in 1894 by Maxwell Scott (the pseudonym of Dr. John Staniforth 1863-1927), he appeared in various publications including The Halfpenny Marvel, Pluck, The Boys’ Friend, Boy’s Realm, The Boys’ Herald and the Union Jack. In 1915 he was given his own story-paper series, The Nelson Lee Library, which ran until 1933. In all, Lee appeared in over 2500 tales set in every corner of the globe, making him one of the most published fictional detectives of all time. Nelson Lee made his debut in “A Dead Man’s Secret” in The Halfpenny Marvel #46, on 19 September 1894: “Nelson Lee, the famous detective, sat in his room in Gray’s Inn Road, dealing with his morning’s correspondence. So great was the demand for his advice and help that nine-tenths of his replies were to the effect that ‘Mr. Lee regrets that, owing to the number of cases he already has on hand, he is unable to deal with Mr. So-and-so’s case.’ He had already replied in this strain to an earl whose family jewels had been stolen, a banker whose clerk had absconded, and a well-known member of the Jockey Club whose favourite race-horse had been poisoned, when he was interrupted by the entrance of his landlady, who handed him a card…” Lee’s associates included the French detective Jean Moreau, “girl detective” Eileen Dare, bloodhounds named Rajah and (later) Wolf, Lord Dorrimore (or Dorrie), and Umlosi, a mighty African warrior. Nelson Lee collaborated with Sexton Blake on a number of occasions. He had a fine rogues gallery of supervillains. Some of the most famous included: Jim the Penman, Professor Cyrus Zingrave, the Monster of Moat Hollow, a Napoleon of Crime, The Black Wolf, Dr. Mortimer Crane, the League of the Green Triangle, the Circle of Terror, the Fu Chang Tong, and legendary Sexton Blake foes Zenith the Albino, Dr. Huxton Rymer, the deadly duo Count Ivor Carlac and Professor Francis Kew.
Creators/Key Contributors Dr. John Staniforth aka Maxwell Scott
First Appearance “A Dead Man’s Secret” in The Halfpenny Marvel #46 (19 September 1894)
First Publisher Alfred Harmsworth
Appearance List 2500+ stories in The Halfpenny Marvel, Union Jack Library, Illustrated Chips, Pluck, The Marvel Library, The Boy’s Friend, The Jester, The Boy’s Realm, The Marvel, The Penny Pictorial, The Union Jack, Answers Weekly, The Boys’ Friend Library, The Boys’ Herald, etc. 948 issues of The Nelson Lee Library in four runs, between 12th June 1915 and 12th August 1933. See Blakiana: The Sexton Blake Resource for an extensive, incomplete list.
Description Nelson Lee is a fictional detective who featured in the Amalgamated Press papers over a 40-year run. Created in 1894 by Maxwell Scott (the pseudonym of Dr. John Staniforth 1863-1927), he appeared in various publications including The Halfpenny Marvel, Pluck, The Boys’ Friend, Boy’s Realm, The Boys’ Herald and the Union Jack. In 1915 he was given his own story-paper series, The Nelson Lee Library, which ran until 1933. In all, Lee appeared in over 2500 tales set in every corner of the globe, making him one of the most published fictional detectives of all time. Nelson Lee made his debut in “A Dead Man’s Secret” in The Halfpenny Marvel #46, on 19 September 1894: “Nelson Lee, the famous detective, sat in his room in Gray’s Inn Road, dealing with his morning’s correspondence. So great was the demand for his advice and help that nine-tenths of his replies were to the effect that ‘Mr. Lee regrets that, owing to the number of cases he already has on hand, he is unable to deal with Mr. So-and-so’s case.’ He had already replied in this strain to an earl whose family jewels had been stolen, a banker whose clerk had absconded, and a well-known member of the Jockey Club whose favourite race-horse had been poisoned, when he was interrupted by the entrance of his landlady, who handed him a card…” Lee’s associates included the French detective Jean Moreau, “girl detective” Eileen Dare, bloodhounds named Rajah and (later) Wolf, Lord Dorrimore (or Dorrie), and Umlosi, a mighty African warrior. Nelson Lee collaborated with Sexton Blake on a number of occasions. He had a fine rogues gallery of supervillains. Some of the most famous included: Jim the Penman, Professor Cyrus Zingrave, the Monster of Moat Hollow, a Napoleon of Crime, The Black Wolf, Dr. Mortimer Crane, the League of the Green Triangle, the Circle of Terror, the Fu Chang Tong, and legendary Sexton Blake foes Zenith the Albino, Dr. Huxton Rymer, the deadly duo Count Ivor Carlac and Professor Francis Kew.
, 