6 h 16 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 16 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Wit, daring, and elegant crime: the gentleman thief returns, with respectability no promise of innocence.
In Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman, E. W. Hornung brings back his gentleman thief for eight tales. Crime sits at the heart of this collection, but its invitation is more playful: come for the daring, stay for the wit, and meet Raffles through his further adventures.
First published in 1901, these mystery and crime stories put the amateur cracksman at their centre. The appeal lies in that striking contrast: a gentleman whose adventures belong to the world of crime. Each tale offers another way into a collection defined by wit, daring, and an elegant criminal figure.
What you’ll discover
- The gentleman thief Meet Raffles, whose very description brings elegance and crime into the same frame.
- Eight further adventures Explore eight tales that bring the amateur cracksman back into the spotlight.
- Wit alongside daring Discover crime stories whose promise includes wit as well as bold adventure.
- Elegance meets crime Follow the contrast at the heart of Hornung's gentleman thief.
- A short-story invitation Begin with one tale and discover the appeal of Raffles's further adventures.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who like clever heists, gentleman rogues and Victorian London by gaslight. If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes and narrow escapes over rooftops, Raffles and Bunny will keep you company.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A hidden friend returns to life
- The victim helps build the trick
- Beauty tempts Raffles beyond his plan
- An old song unsettles his disguise
- Recognition defeats a careful disguise
- Bunny becomes the rescuer
- War offers a different kind of purpose
- Loyalty carries a moral price
- Courage grows beneath the disguises
Who’s who
- A. J. RafflesA famous cricketer and gentleman burglar who has faked his death and now lives in hiding, still hungry for daring jobs and for beauty.
- BunnyRaffles's loyal friend and the writer who tells the tales, a former prisoner who is nervous and often puzzled but fiercely devoted.
- Dr. TheobaldA young, ambitious doctor who earns guineas from the supposed invalid Mr. Maturin and sees only the patient he is shown.
- Lord Ernest BelvilleA crusader for Rational Drink who also happens to be a society thief, with a taste for hiding loot in unusual places.
- Jacques SaillardA strong-willed painter who works under a man's name and once loved Raffles, and who wants him back at any cost.
- Count CorbucciA fat, polite Neapolitan vineyard owner with a cruel streak and ties to the Camorra, who holds a grudge against Raffles.
- Corporal ConnalA bullying corporal in the irregular horse regiment, who torments Bunny and hides a dangerous secret from his officers.
- Captain BellinghamA cricketing infantry officer from the old days who recognizes Raffles at the Front and must decide what to do about it.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman
by E. W. Hornung · 1901
A dead man in a sickbed summons his old partner and sets out to rob London again from a flat in Earl's Court.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you do if a telegram from a relative who despises you pointed you to a job as a sick man's nurse? Bunny takes it, and in a dark flat in Earl's Court he finds his old partner in crime, white haired and propped on pillows.
Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 40 min2 h 55 min fast, 4 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 52,900 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1901by E. W. Hornung
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A dead man hides as a sick Australian
A telegram reaches Bunny in his Holloway attic on the morning of May 11, 1897. It points him to an advertisement for a male nurse, and it carries the initials of the relative who has just thrown him out. Bunny has barely a shilling, so he hurries to a flat in Earl's Court.
A young doctor named Theobald tells him he is applicant number thirty-nine. Inside a dark room that reeks of drugs, a gaunt old man called Mr. Maturin snaps orders at him. Then the old man sends Bunny to find cigarettes hidden behind a print of the Madonna. He blows a perfect smoke ring, and Bunny knows that ring at once. The invalid is Raffles, white haired and thinner, with the same steel-gray eyes.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1901
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Hornung, E. W. Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/raffles-further-adventures-of-the-amateur-cracksman.
Hornung, E. W. (2026). Raffles: Further adventures of the amateur cracksman. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/raffles-further-adventures-of-the-amateur-cracksman (Original work published 1901)
Hornung, E. W. Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/raffles-further-adventures-of-the-amateur-cracksman.
@book{hornung2026raffles,
author = {Hornung, E. W.},
title = {Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/raffles-further-adventures-of-the-amateur-cracksman},
note = {First published 1901}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman about?
It is a set of eight linked tales. A. J. Raffles, a gentleman thief everyone thinks is drowned, returns to London in disguise and reunites with Bunny, while old enemies, a rival thief and a war close in.
Who are Raffles and Bunny?
Raffles is a famous cricketer and burglar with a code of honor and a taste for beauty. Bunny is his devoted friend and partner, a nervous writer and former prisoner who tells each story in his own rueful voice.
What does cracksman mean in the title?
Cracksman is an old slang word for a burglar, especially one who cracks safes or breaks into houses. Amateur is Hornung's joke, since Raffles is a gentleman who steals for sport and excitement as well as for money.
The author
E. W. Hornung
1866–1921 · English crime novelist
Ernest William Hornung (1866–1921) was a British writer born in Middlesbrough, England. He lived in Australia from 1884 to 1886 before returning to England. He wrote the Raffles stories, including The Amateur Cracksman (1899) and A Thief in the Night (1905). He died in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France.
More by E. W. Hornung
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in mystery and crime
See all
