Canadian-born Grant Allen is probably best known today for his fiction, including over 30 novels and dozens of short stories. His tale of "The Great Ruby Robbery" still appears regularly in mystery anthologies. Allen often wrote about strong, emancipated female heroines (and female detectives). He was also noted as an early author of science fiction, as can be seen in his tale of "The Thames Valley Catastrophe." His stories and novels often mixed humor with a strong dose of social commentary. Allen was also a scientist and naturalist, and you'll find several of his nature series in our Nature section.

Short Stories

A Deadly Dilemma (The Strand, 1891A)

Jerry Stokes (The Strand, 1891A)

The Prisoner of Assiout (The Strand, 1891B)

The Conscientious Burglar (The Strand, 1892A)

The Great Ruby Robbery: A Detective Story (The Strand, 1892B)

Dr. Wardroper's Lie (The Strand, 1894B)

The Dynamiter's Sweetheart (The Strand, 1894B)

The Great Californian Heiress (The Strand, 1895B)

The Thames Valley Catastrophe (The Strand, 1897B)

The Pirate of Cliveden Reach (Windsor Magazine, 1898A)

An African Millionaire

Sir Charles Vandrift is confronted with a mysterious adversary, who, through a succession of cunning schemes, seems determined to separate him from his fortune.

I: The Episode of the Mexican Seer (The Strand, 1896A)

II: The Episode of the Diamond Links (The Strand, 1896B)

III: The Episode of the Old Master (The Strand, 1896B)

IV: The Episode of the Tyrolean Castle (The Strand, 1896B)

V: The Episode of the Brawn Game (The Strand, 1896B)

VI: The Episode of the German Professor (The Strand, 1896B)

VII: The Episode of the Arrest of the Colonel (The Strand, 1896B)

VIII: The Episode of the Seldon Gold-Mine (The Strand, 1897A)

IX: The Episode of the Japanned Dispatch-Box (The Strand, 1897A)

X: The Episode of the Game of Poker (The Strand, 1897A)

XI: The Episode of the Bertillon Method (The Strand, 1897A)

XII: The Episode of the Old Bailey (The Strand, 1897A)

Hilda Wade

The adventures of a professional nurse.

I: The Episode of the Patient Who Disappointed Her Doctor (The Strand, 1899A)

II: The Episode of the Gentleman Who Had Failed for Everything (The Strand, 1899A)

III: The Episode of the Wife Who Did Her Duty (The Strand, 1899A)

IV: The Episode of the Man Who Would Not Commit Suicide (The Strand, 1899A)

V: The Episode of the Needle That Did Not Match (The Strand, 1899B)

VI: The Episode of the Letter with the Basingstoke Postmark (The Strand, 1899B)

VII: The Episode of the Stone that Looked About It (The Strand, 1899B)

VIII: The Episode of the European with the Kaffir Heart (The Strand, 1899B)

IX: The Episode of the Lady Who Was Very Exclusive (The Strand, 1899B)

X: The Episode of the Guide Who Knew the Country (The Strand, 1899B)

XI: The Episode of the Officer Who Understood Perfectly (The Strand, 1900A)

XII: The Episode of the Dead Man Who Spoke (The Strand, 1900A)

Miss Cayley's Adventures

Miss Cayley begins her narrative with the statement, "On the day I found myself with twopence in my pocket, I naturally made up my mind to go round the world." Soon she finds herself determined to find her own life in her own way - and demonstrates to the reader that "women's lib" was hardly a 20th-century invention!

I: The Adventure of the Cantankerous Old Lady (The Strand, 1898A)

II: The Adventure of the Supercilious Attaché (The Strand, 1898A)

III: The Adventure of the Inquisitive American (The Strand, 1898A)

IV: The Adventure of the Amateur Commission Agent (The Strand, 1898A)

V: The Adventure of the Impromptu Mountaineer (The Strand, 1898B)

VI: The Adventure of the Urbane Old Gentleman (The Strand, 1898B)

VII: The Adventure of the Unobtrusive Oasis (The Strand, 1898B)

VIII: The Adventure of the Pea-Green Patrician (The Strand, 1898B)

IX: The Adventure of the Magnificent Maharajah (The Strand, 1898B)

X: The Adventure of the Cross-Eyed Q.C. (The Strand, 1898B)

XI: The Adventure of the Oriental Attendant (The Strand, 1899A)

XII: The Adventure of the Unprofessional Detective (The Strand, 1899A)

• See also Grant Allen's Nature Series for examples of Allen's nonfiction work.