Charles Warren Adams (1833–1903) was an English lawyer, publisher and anti-vivisectionist, now known from documentary evidence to have been the author of ''

The Notting Hill Mystery ''The Notting Hill Mystery'' is an English-language detective novel written and serialised under the pseudonym Charles Felix from 1862 to 1863 and published in book form in 1865, with illustrations by George du Maurier. The author's identity w ...

''. This is often taken to be the first full-length detective novel in English.

Novels

As a lawyer Adams became involved in bailing out the once famous London publishing firm of Saunders, Otley & Co. after the two proprietors had died. The effort was unsuccessful and liquidation ensued in 1869, but in the meantime the firm had published at least two works of Adams's own, written under the pseudonym Charles Felix. One was a crime novel entitled ''Velvet Lawn'' (1864), and the other ''The Notting Hill Mystery'' (1865 in book form), which is thought to have been the first detective story of novel length. ''The Notting Hill Mystery'' had already appeared as a serial in '' Once A Week'' in 1862–1863, illustrated by

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and a Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Trilby (novel), Trilby'', featuring the char ...

(1834–1896), author of ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

''. Mike Ashly: "Introduction. Seeking the Evidence" In: ''The Notting Hill Mystery'' (London: The British Library, 2012.) . This facsimile edition is interleaved with the du Maurier illustrations done for the original serial publication. The du Maurier illustrations also feature in the recent first Italian translation of the book and the first German translation of the book, by Boris Greff and Matthias Marx, which was published in 2014.

Life and libels

Adams first married in 1861 Georgina Alethe Polson (b. 1838), daughter of the Rev. Hugh Polson and Georgiana, only child of Charlotte Yonge and her first husband Captain George Crawley. His wife died in 1880. Adams was the secretary of the Anti-Vivisection Society, on whose committee was Mildred Coleridge, great-grand niece of the poet

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

, and daughter of John Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge (1820–1894), who became Solicitor-General in 1868,

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

in 1871,

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the common pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench, which was the second-highest common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body ...

in 1873, and Lord Chief Justice in 1880. When she left home to live with Adams, there was consternation in her family. Her brother Bernard Coleridge wrote her a long letter attacking Adams. This led to acrimonious libel actions in 1884 and 1886, which Adams won. The couple were married on 24 June 1885.ODNB entry on Coleridge, John Duke, first Baron Coleridge by David Pugsley
Retrieved 16 December 2012. Pay-walled.
/ref> They remained together until Adams's death in July 1903. His widow died in January 1929.

References

External links

* * * *''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' published a lengthy article by Paul Collins on the book and the discovery of its authorship in its Sunday Book Review on 7 January 2011
Retrieved 25 June 2014.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Charles Warren 1833 births 1903 deaths 19th-century English novelists English anti-vivisectionists English crime fiction writers Victorian novelists 19th-century pseudonymous writers English detective fiction writers English mystery writers Coleridge family English barristers English male novelists English publishers (people)