Richard Marsh (author) facts for kids

Richard Marsh (born Richard Bernard Heldmann; 12 October 1857 – 9 August 1915) was a popular English writer. He wrote many books and stories in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Marsh is most famous for his exciting supernatural thriller novel, The Beetle. This book came out in 1897, the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula. Surprisingly, The Beetle was even more popular at first, selling six times more copies than Dracula! Many of Marsh's books have been printed again recently.

A Writer's Journey

The exciting cover of The Beetle

Richard Bernard Heldmann was born in North London, England, on 12 October 1857. His father, Joseph Heldmann, was a lace merchant. His mother, Emma Marsh, was the daughter of a lace maker.

Richard started writing stories in 1880. He wrote adventure tales for boys' magazines. One important magazine was Union Jack. Famous writers like G. A. Henty also wrote for it. Richard even became a co-editor there in 1882.

However, his time with the magazine ended in 1883. After this, he stopped using the name Bernard Heldmann for his stories. A few years later, he began using the pen name "Richard Marsh." This name combined his own first name with his mother's maiden name.

After facing some personal challenges, Richard Marsh started publishing new stories in 1888. He wrote many books in the 1890s and early 1900s. He passed away from heart disease on 9 August 1915. Some of his novels were even published after his death.

Amazing Stories and Novels

The Beetle: A Mystery

Richard Marsh's biggest hit was The Beetle, published in 1897. This book tells the story of a mysterious person from the East. This person chases a British politician to London. They cause a lot of trouble using hypnosis and shape-shifting powers.

The Beetle is similar to other famous books from that time. These include Dracula and Trilby. Like Dracula, The Beetle is told from the viewpoints of several different characters. This way of telling a story builds lots of suspense.

The book also explores ideas popular in the late 1800s. These include new roles for women and life in big cities. The Beetle sold out quickly when it first came out. It stayed popular for many years. In 1919, it was even made into a film. Later, in 1928, it became a play in London.

The first edition of The Beetle had four cool drawings by John Williamson. These pictures showed the spooky, mysterious, and romantic parts of the story. You can see them below.

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Other Exciting Novels

Besides The Beetle, Marsh wrote other successful horror novels. One is The Goddess: A Demon (1900). In this book, an old Indian statue comes to life and starts killing people. Another is The Joss: A Reversion (1901). Here, an Englishman changes into a scary Eastern idol.

Many of Marsh's novels involve solving mysteries. Several of his books are about crime and how detectives solve them. In Philip Bennion's Death (1897), a man is found dead after talking about murder as an art. His friend then tries to solve the mystery. In The Datchet Diamonds (1898), a young man accidentally swaps bags with a diamond thief. He then finds himself chased by both criminals and the police!

Marsh also mixed crime with science fiction. In A Spoiler of Men (1905), a villain uses a special chemical injection. This chemical makes people do whatever he wants. Even though he wrote popular stories, Marsh also wanted to write serious literature. His novel A Second Coming (1900) imagines Jesus Christ returning to London in the early 1900s.

Short Stories and Characters

Marsh was also very good at writing short stories. These appeared in magazines like Household Words and The Strand Magazine. He also published them in book collections. His story collections often mixed humor, crime, romance, and spooky tales.

He also created characters whose adventures could be told in many short stories. Mr. Pugh and Mr. Tress in Curios (1898) are rival collectors. They find strange objects like poisoned rings and a phonograph record where a murdered woman seems to speak.

One of Marsh's most interesting characters is Miss Judith Lee. She is a young teacher for deaf students. Her amazing ability to read lips helps her solve mysteries. She acts like a detective! Another popular character was Sam Briggs. His funny adventures as an office clerk and later a soldier were published in The Strand magazine.

Selected Works

• Daintree (1893)
• The Mahatma's Pupil (1893)
• The Devil's Diamond (1893)
• Mrs Musgrave and Her Husband (1895)
• The Beetle (1897)
• Crime and the Criminal (1897)
• The Duke and the Damsel (1897)
• The Mystery of Philip Bennion's Death (1897)
• The Datchet Diamonds (1898)
• The House of Mystery (1898)
• Curios: Some Strange Adventures of Two Bachelors (1898)
• A Second Coming (1900)
• The Goddess: A Demon (1900)
• The Seen and the Unseen (1900)
• Marvels and Mysteries (1900)
• Ada Vernham: Actress (1900)
• The Joss: A Reversion (1901)
• The Twickenham Peerage (1902)
• The Magnetic Girl (1903)
• Miss Arnott's Marriage (1903)
• The Confessions of a Young Lady: Her Doings and Misdoings (1905)
• A Spoiler of Men (1905)
• A Duel (1905)
• The Coward Behind the Curtain (1908)
• That Master of Ours (1908)
• Sam Briggs: His Book (1912)
• Judith Lee: Some Pages from Her Life (1912)
• The Adventures of Judith Lee (1916)
• Sam Briggs, V.C (1916)
• Violet Forster's Lover (1916)
• The Deacon's Daughter (1917)
• On the Jury (1918)
• The Master of Deception (1918)