6 h 44 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 44 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the man robbing you has such good manners that you hardly know whether to feel angry or delighted?
In E. W. Hornung’s Stingaree, a polished outlaw rides through the Australian outback, robbing the rich and following his own code of honor. Stingaree does not rant or bully. His daring comes with grace, and the police remain a step behind. These separate adventure stories turn on danger, pursuit, and the charm of a criminal who refuses to behave like an ordinary thief.
Beside him rides Howie Clarke, a loyal companion who shares the risks and long journeys. Around them stretches a hot, thinly settled country of distant stations, rough tracks, and long silences. Each tale brings its own adventure and neat turn. Read one at a time or keep going: the light, episodic storytelling leaves room for both the chase and the warmth of loyalty.
What you’ll discover
- A rogue with manners Meet an outlaw whose courtesy makes his robberies all the more disarming.
- Loyalty through every chase Follow Howie Clarke as he shares Stingaree’s risks and brings warmth to the adventures.
- The heat of the bush Travel through vast distances, rough tracks, and the long silences of the Australian outback.
- An unusual code of honor Discover the personal code that sets this polished bushranger apart from an ordinary thief.
- A fresh danger each time Enjoy separate tales with their own dangers and turns, held together by one daring rogue.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy outlaw adventures, gentleman thieves, clever disguises, and music in unlikely places will feel at home here. It suits anyone who likes short linked tales and dry humor.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An outlaw with a musical ear
- A robbery gives Hilda her chance
- A clever trap exposes its makers
- Rescue does not excuse betrayal
- A kept word carries real power
- Police rivalry gives Stingaree room
- A murder charge threatens his honor
- Admiration can become a dangerous dream
- Honor matters more than a revolver
Who’s who
- StingareeA dashing bushranger with an eyeglass and a love of music who robs with manners and almost never fires.
- Hilda BouverieA gifted singer working as a companion, who longs to be heard and finds her chance on a bandit's stage.
- HowieStingaree's bearded, rough-spoken partner, loyal and short-tempered, who guards the horses and the camp.
- Fergus CarrickA careful young Scot who helps dig a trap for the outlaw and then must redeem his own mistake.
- Superintendent CairnsA hunched, sarcastic New South Wales policeman who hunts Stingaree with a stubborn and bitter drive.
- Sub-Inspector KilbrideA proud Victorian officer who wants to take Stingaree alone and to beat the rival colony.
- Bishop MethuenA plain-spoken clergyman and former athlete who visits rough stations and earns the respect of hard men.
- CarmichaelThe swearing manager of Mulfera Station, once a school captain, who meets his match in a visiting bishop.
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Stingaree
by E. W. Hornung · 1905
A bushranger with a monocle and a love of music holds up a concert and makes a nervous singer the star.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“Hands up, every man of you!”
In short
What would you do if a stranger in spurs stood at the door while you sang alone for the first time in months? Hilda Bouverie, a companion on a lonely cattle station, faces exactly that on the first page of Stingaree.
Stingaree at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 55 min3 h 5 min fast, 4 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 55,800 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1905by 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 bushranger turns a concert into a stage
Hilda Bouverie works at a lonely cattle station as companion to the vain Mrs. Clarkson. She has a great voice, taught only by her late father, and she has not dared to sing for months. One day she sings an Italian song alone, and a dark young man with an eyeglass appears at the door. He praises her voice with real knowledge and asks her to tell no one he came. She gives her word.
Mrs. Clarkson plans a grand concert in Yallarook. She means to sing five songs for the famous musician Sir Julian Crum, while Hilda plays the piano and stays silent. On the night, the stranger strides onto the platform with a revolver in each hand. He gives his name as Stingaree and orders every man to raise his hands.
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- First published
- 1905
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Hornung, E. W. Stingaree. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/stingaree.
Hornung, E. W. (2026). Stingaree. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/stingaree (Original work published 1905)
Hornung, E. W. Stingaree. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/stingaree.
@book{hornung2026stingaree,
author = {Hornung, E. W.},
title = {Stingaree},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/stingaree},
note = {First published 1905}
}
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What is Stingaree about?
It is a set of ten linked tales about a charming bushranger in New South Wales and Victoria. He holds up concerts, banks, and mail coaches with wit and manners, and rival police, squatters, and ordinary people keep trying to catch him.
Is Stingaree a real person?
Stingaree is a fictional outlaw created by E. W. Hornung, who also wrote the Raffles stories. The Australian bush, the coaches, and the police are drawn from the real period of bushranging in the nineteenth century.
Who is Hilda Bouverie in Stingaree?
Hilda Bouverie is a young singer who works as a companion at a lonely station. Stingaree hears her sing, and the bold plan he makes at the Yallarook concert gives her the start of a great career.
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.
“Hands up, every man of you!”
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