''The Nelson Lee Library'' was a

story paper A story paper is a periodical publication similar to a literary magazine, but featuring illustrations and text stories, and aimed towards children and teenagers. Also known in Britain as "boys' weeklies", story papers were phenomenally popula ...

of the first third of the 20th century, published by

Amalgamated Press The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...

. It featured the adventures of private detective

Nelson Lee Nelson Lee (born October 16, 1975; Chinese name: 李志傑) is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. He is best known for portraying Senator Hamato Xiono in ''Ahsoka'', and Dragon King in '' Stargirl''. Life and career Lee was born in Taipei, Taiwan on O ...

and his boy assistant Nipper.

Overview

was created by

John William Staniforth John William Staniforth (14 November 1863 – 3 January 1927) was a British writer who wrote under the pen-names Stain Cortley, John Andrews and Maxwell Scott. He wrote primarily adventure and detective fiction. His most popular creation was ...

, writing under the name Maxwell Scott, in 1894. Lee made his debut in ''A Dead Man’s Secret'' in The Halfpenny Marvel #46. The detective was an immediate sensation and continued to feature in many of the

papers over the next twenty years. In 1915 the Amalgamated Press acquired the exclusive right to use the name Nelson Lee from Staniforth for £50. That same year it launched ''The Nelson Lee Library'', a weekly paper devoted to stories about Nelson Lee and Nipper. Despite wartime restrictions, the paper achieved a circulation of 70,000 within its first three months. The first issue of ''The Nelson Lee Library'' was published on 12 June 1915, entitled ''The Mystery of Limehouse Reach'' and written by Sexton Blake writer A. C. Murray. Many other popular Blake writers would pen Lee tales including

William Murray Graydon William Murray Graydon (February 4, 1864 – April 5, 1946) was an extremely prolific American writer who also wrote under the pen-names Alfred Armitage, William Murray, and Tom Olliver. He wrote adventure, historical fiction and Sexton Blake ...

, William J. Bayfield,

George Hamilton Teed George Hamilton Teed (9 December 1886 – 24 December 1938) was a Canadian author who also wrote under the pen-names G. H. Teed, Hamilton Teed, Louis Brittany, Peter Kingsland, and Desmond Reid. Teed was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick. He spec ...

, Norman Goddard, and

Edwy Searles Brooks Edwy Searles Brooks (11 November 1889 – 2 December 1965) was a British novelist who also wrote under the pen-names Berkeley Gray, Victor Gunn, Rex Madison, Reginald Browne, and Carlton Ross. Brooks was born in Hackney, London. He is believed ...

. Series 1 ran from 12 June 1915 until 24 April 1926, a total of 568 issues. Series 2 ran from 1 May 1926 until 18 January 1930, a total of 194 issues. Series 3 ran from 25 January 1930 until 18 February 1933, a total of 161 issues. Series 4 ran from 25 February 1933 until 12 August 1933. ''The Nelson Lee Library'' then merged with ''

The Gem ''The Gem'' (1907–1939) was a story paper published in Great Britain by Amalgamated Press in the early 20th century, predominantly featuring the activities of boys at the fictional school St. Jim's. These stories were all written using the pe ...

''.

A few issues of note

Maxwell Scott wrote just four adventures for the paper that bore his greatest creation's name, ''A Miscarriage of Justice'' (1915), ''The Convict's Dilemma'' (1915), ''In Borrowed Plumes'' (1915), and ''When Rogues Fall Out'' (1916). ''The Spendthrift'' was

's first Nelson Lee tale. It was followed by ''Twenty Fathoms Deep''

debut Lee tale. Teed following on the wild success of his Sexton Blake creation Yvonne Cartier, gave Nelson Lee his first female foe: The Black Wolf, a cross-dressing martial arts aristocrat. She would match wits with Lee and Nipper in various locations around the world. Not to be outdone, Brooks introduced Eileen Dare the female detective in ''Nelson Lee's Lady Assistant'' (1916). She appeared with Lee in 14 adventures. Brooks was instrumental in launching the second phase of Lee's career. In "Nipper at St. Frank's" (''Nelson Lee Library'' #112, 28 July 1917,) Lee and Nipper while fleeing from a Chinese Triad hide out at St. Frank's, a "venerable public school" in the Bellton area of Sussex. When the case at last was solved, Lee joined the faculty as headmaster and Nipper enrolled as a student. The two remained there for the next sixteen years solving mysteries and having adventures around the world, often with friends and Nipper's classmates. John James Brearley Garbutt introduced Nighthawk, a superhero that began appearing as a backup feature in ''The Nelson Lee Library'' (New Series) No. 11, April 5, 1930 in a self-titled story. The hero was rich scientist Thurston Kyle who built an armored, winged flying suit to fight crime. He is considered one of the earliest examples of a flying armored superhero.

Howard Baker Collections

* The Barring-Out at St. Frank's! by

* Expelled Incorporating The Secret Societies of St. Frank's & The 'Death' of Walter Church by

* The Haunted School Incorporating the entire Ezra Quirke series by

New Collections

* Nelson Lee: The Black Wolf Files (2020) by

References

External links