Edgar Wallace was born Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace in Greenwich, England, in 1875. Raised in modest circumstances by foster parents, he left school at an early age and worked at several jobs before joining the British Army. While stationed in South Africa, he began writing poetry and journalism and later became a correspondent covering the Second Boer War. These experiences helped launch a remarkably prolific literary career.Wallace became one of the most successful popular writers of the early twentieth century, producing crime novels, thrillers, adventure stories, plays, short fiction, and screenplays at an extraordinary pace. His best-known works include The Four Just Men, The Ringer, The Green Archer, The Crimson Circle, and the Sanders of the River stories. His fiction is characterized by rapid plotting, memorable villains, hidden identities, criminal conspiracies, and dramatic [...] addition to his novels and plays, Wallace worked in the developing motion-picture industry and helped create the original story for King Kong. He died in Hollywood in 1932 while working on film projects. His books sold in enormous numbers during his lifetime, and his influence remains visible in British crime fiction, international thrillers, and popular cinema.