This early work by Edgar Wallace was originally published in 1928 and we
are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The
Orator' is a collection of short stories that include 'The
Mind-Readers', 'The Sirius Man', 'The Couper Buckle', and many more.
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was born in London, England in 1875. He
received his early education at St. Peter's School and the Board School,
but after a frenetic teens involving a rash engagement and frequently
changing employment circumstances, Wallace went into the military. He
served in the Royal West Kent Regiment in England and then as part of
the Medical Staff Corps stationed in South Africa. Whilst in the Balkans
covering the Russo-Japanese War, Wallace found the inspiration for The
Four Just Men, published in 1905. Over the rest of his life, Wallace
produced some 173 books and wrote 17 plays. These were largely adventure
narratives with elements of crime or mystery, and usually combined a
bombastic sensationalism with hammy violence.