Raffles (character)

In Germany, the original series published by Verlag Gustav Müller & Co in Berlin, trying to cash in on the popularity of A. J. Raffles with a similar character, ran for 110 weekly issues and ended with the marriage of Lord Lister in 1910.

"Cheritera Kechurian Lima Million Ringgit" ("The Story of the Theft of Five Million Ringgit"), written by Muhammad bin Muhammad Said, is considered the first Malaysian detective novel and features as foil for Nick Carter the famous heroic English thief John C. Sinclair (see France section, above), as well as his arch enemy Baxter.

This infuriated Felix Hageman and, after having kept his identity as Lord Lister author a secret for almost a quarter of a century, as he was not very proud about this part of his penmanship, he made his identity public in a reaction to De Groene Amsterdammer to strengthen his claim that Lord Lister would never wear a cape with a red lining, but would as a gentleman always wear a cape with a white silk lining.

A Belgian re-edition in French language has been published by Claude Lefrancq Editeur (Brussels) in 1995 (Vol.I) and 1996 (Vol.II), with editor Yves Varende authoring an erudite introduction and foreword about the topic.

The Spanish edition, "Lord Lister conocido por Raffles el Rey de los Ladrones" was published by Editorial Atlante, Barcelona, in 1910, and ran for 68 issues.

A new series, "Nuevas Proeza de John C. Raffles" was published by Ediciones Marco, circa 1930, and ran for at least 31 issues.

The first issue of the original German series reveals that the notorious thief John C. Raffles is really Lord Edward Lister.

A number of different, somewhat conflicting origin stories exist to explain why a genuine Lord would become a thief, involving having been robbed from his inheritance, poverty in childhood, boredom or overindulgence in charity.

With his secret identity exposed Raffles is forced to create and maintain a large number of false ones, of which the main one is Lord William Aberdeen.

The character, though originally a sort of a hero villain, grew more and more into a heroic character, a thief, certainly, but a thief like Robin Hood, embodiment of the ideals of the nobility, protecting the weak, punishing and reforming the bad guys (by theft), supporting the poor and often curing the ill. Raffles is a medical doctor, a chemist, an engineer and an inventor.

Sidekicks to Raffles are the giant James Henderson, his driver and servant, and Charles Brand, his secretary, financial manager and friend.