Erle Stanley Gardner (1889–1970)
Author of The Case of the Velvet Claws
About the Author
Mystery writer Erle Gardner was born on July 17, 1889 in Malden, Massachusetts. In 1902, he had moved to Oroville, CA. His parents could not afford to send a second son to college, so he worked in a legal office as a clerk reading law. He spent a short time at Valparaiso University in Indiana but show more had to drop out because of an illegal boxing exhibition. He continued to travel throughout California and read law at several law offices and finally passed the bar in 1911, at the age of 21. He married Natalie Francis Beatrice Talbert on April 9, 1912. In 1916, he formed the Law Firm of Orr and Gardner in Venture, CA. Gardner used many pseudonyms such as Charles Green, Kyle Corning and Grant Holiday. While working as an attorney, he began writing fiction. In 1921, "Nellie's Naughty Nighty" was published in the pulp magazine Breezy Stories. He had a goal of writing 100,000 words a month and would sometimes write two or more stories a day. In 1923, "The Shrieking Skeleton" was sold to the Black Mask Magazine. In the 1930's, Gardner had two manuscripts that were rejected and than "rediscovered" by Thayer Hobson, the president of the William Morrow Publishing Company, and rewritten as courtroom mysteries. During this process, the character Perry Mason was born. In 1933, the first Perry Mason book was written, "The Case of the Velvet Claws." The next one was entitled "The Case of the Sulky Girl" and they were followed by more than eighty additional Mason mysteries. Gardner died on March 11, 1970. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
Also wrote under pseudonyms:
A.A. Fair
Carleton Kendrake
Charles J. Kenny
Image credit: John Atherton, modified by anetode
Series
Works by Erle Stanley Gardner
The Case of the Cautious Coquette | The Case of the Crimson Kiss | The Case of the Crying Swallow (1947) 79 copies
A Perry Mason Omnibus (The Case of the Velvet Claws | The Case of the Sunbather's Diary | The Case of the Demure… (1956) 72 copies
The Perry Mason Casebook: The Case of the Sulky Girl | The Case of the Careless Kitten | The Case of the Fiery Fingers (1933) 61 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Horrified Heirs [and] The Case of the Lame Canary (1974) 17 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Rolling Bones [and] The Case of the Silent Partner (1976) 15 copies
Perry Mason Omnibus: The Case of the Singing Skirt | The Case of the Blonde Bonanza | The Case of the Horrified Heirs (1964) 13 copies
The Case of the Cautious Coquette | The Case of the Sulky Girl | The Case of the Empty Tin (1984) 13 copies
Neighborhood Frontiers: Desert Country, Puget Sound Country, Yucatan Peninsula, Yaqui River, Barranca Country (1954) 12 copies
The Case of the Phantom Fortune | The Case of the Amorous Aunt | The Case of the Fabulous Fake (1984) 12 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Borrowed Brunette [and] The Case of the Careless Cupid (1976) 11 copies
The Case of the Blonde Bonanza | The Case of the Fenced-in Woman | The Case of the Reluctant Model (1984) 10 copies
The Case of the Worried Waitress | The Case of the Fugitive Nurse | The Case of the Crying Swallow (1984) 9 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Fan-Dancer's Horse [and] The Case of the Hesitant Hostess (1977) 9 copies
The Case of the Lame Canary | The Case of the Perjured Parrot | The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands (1984) 9 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Worried Waitress [and] The Case of the Baited Hook (1975) 9 copies
The Case of the Calendar Girl | The Case of the Singing Skirt | The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife (1984) 8 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Daring Decoy [and] The Case of the Demure Defendant (1977) 8 copies
The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe | The Case of the Substitute Face | The Case of the Silent Partner (1984) 8 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Howling Dog [and] The Case of the Substitute Face (1974) 8 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret [and] The Case of the Amorous Aunt (1977) 8 copies
The Case of the Beautiful Beggar / The Case of the Crimson Kiss / The Case of the Lonely Heiress (1948) 8 copies
A New Perry Mason Omnibus: The Case of the Reluctant Model | The Case of the Amorous Aunt | The Case of the Beautiful… (1965) 8 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Mythical Monkeys [and] The Case of the Fabulous Fake (1977) 8 copies
The Case of the Buried Clock | The Case of the Careless Cupid | The Case of the Careless Kitten (1984) 7 copies
The Case of the Drowning Duck | The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret | The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece (1984) 7 copies
The Case of the Caretaker's Cat | The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister | The Case of the Angry Mourner (1960) 7 copies
The Case of the Lucky Legs | The Case of the Crooked Candle | The Case of the Dangerous Dowager (1984) 7 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister [and] The Case of the Troubled Trustee (1975) 7 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde [and] The Case of the Singing Skirt (1973) 7 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Golddigger's Purse [and] The Case of the Buried Clock (1992) 7 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Fugitive Nurse [and] The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands (1975) 7 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Perjured Parrot [and] The Case of the Beautiful Beggar (1975) 6 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Haunted Husband | The Case of the Careless Kitten (1975) 6 copies
Erle Stanley Gardner's Big Mystery Book: The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe [and] The D.A. Calls It Murder (1938) 6 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Lazy Lover [and] The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom (1975) 5 copies
Mexico's Magic Square 5 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Caretaker's Cat [and] The Case of the Cautious Coquette (1977) 5 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Fiery Fingers [and] The Case of the Angry Mourner (1975) 5 copies
Obras Escolhidas de E. Stanley Gardner e A. A. Fair: O Caso da Testemunha Suicida; Pegar ou Largar 5 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Waylaid Wolf [and] The Case of the Shapely Shadow (1976) 5 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Terrified Typist [and] The Case of the Gilded Lily (1975) 4 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Drowning Duck [and] The Case of the Crooked Candle (1976) 4 copies
The Case of the Velvet Claws | The Case of the Grinning Gorilla | The Case of the Golddigger's Purse (1980) 4 copies
The Case of the Angry Mourner | The Case of the Silent Partner | The Case of the Reluctant Model 4 copies
The Case of the Horrified Heirs / The Case of the Counterfeit Eye / The Case of the Postponed Murder (1984) 4 copies
The Case of the Velvet Claws | The Case of the Curious Bride | The Case of the Baited Hook (1984) 4 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Duplicate Daughter [and] The Case of the Restless Redhead (1975) 4 copies
The Case of the Howling Dog | The Case of the Mischievous Doll | The Case of the Rolling Bones (1984) 4 copies
The Hand of Horror 3 copies
Early Birds 3 copies
The Erle Stanley Gardner Triple-Decker: The Case of the Sulky Girl | The Case of the Baited Hook | The Case of the… (1940) 3 copies
Perry Mason Mysteries 2 in 1: The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito [and] The Case of the Empty Tin (1976) 3 copies
The Case of the Daring Divorcee | The Case of the Queenly Contestant | The Case of the Hesitant Hostess (1984) 3 copies
The Case of the Irate Witness / The Case of the Stuttering Bishop / The Case of the Troubled Trustee (1984) 3 copies
The Case of the Baited Hook / The Case of the Curious Bride / The Case of the Counterfeit Eye / The Case of the… (1980) 3 copies
O Caso da Dactilógrafa Aterrada 3 copies
消えた目撃者 3 copies
The Case of the Postponed Murder | The Case of the Fenced-in Woman | The Case of the Irate Witness (1973) 3 copies
脅迫された継娘 3 copies
The Cat Woman 3 copies
幸運な足の娘 3 copies
忘れられた殺人 3 copies
Perry Mason 2 in 1: The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll [and] The Case of the Deadly Toy (1975) 3 copies
The Perry Mason Omnibus 3 copies
The Perry Mason Omnibus: The Case of the Dangerous Dowager [and] The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe (1945) 2 copies
The Case of the Silent Partner | The Case of the Drowning Duck | The Case of the Singing Skirt (1963) 2 copies
Hett om öronen 2 copies
The Case of the Velvet Claws / The Case of the Sulky Girl / The Case of the Curious Bride / The Case of the Howling Dog… (1998) 2 copies
Two Clues 2 copies
The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary | The Case of the Glamorous Ghost | The Case of the Restless Redhead (1955) 2 copies
OBRAS SELECTAS (XVII) 2 copies
O caso da sombra assassina 2 copies
O caso do Canário Coxo 2 copies
3x Doug Selby 2 copies
The Case of the Candied Diamonds 2 copies
Hard As Nails 2 copies
Bracelets for Two 2 copies
Claws of Crime 2 copies
Bunched Knuckles 2 copies
The Gong of Vengeance 2 copies
The Crime Crusher 2 copies
Hell's Kettle 2 copies
Dark Alleys 2 copies
Beating the Bulls 2 copies
Above the Law 2 copies
Crash and Carry 2 copies
A Chance to Cheat 2 copies
Hot Cash 2 copies
The Case of the Misplaced Thumbs 2 copies
Brass Tacks 2 copies
Black and White 2 copies
Beyond the Law 2 copies
The Hour of the Rat 2 copies
The Heavenly Rat 2 copies
Burnt Fingers 2 copies
Big Shot 2 copies
For Higher Stakes 2 copies
Cop Killers 2 copies
The Hope-So Hunch 2 copies
A Guest of the House 2 copies
Dead Men's Shoes 2 copies
Hawks of the Midnight Sky 2 copies
The Kid Clips A Coupon 2 copies
Claws of the Man Bird 2 copies
Cooking Crooks 2 copies
Face Up 2 copies
Forget 'em All 2 copies
The Case of the Gilded Lily | The Case of the Screaming Woman | The Case of the Long-Legged Models (1956) 2 copies
Feet First 2 copies
According To Law 2 copies
The Hot Squat 2 copies
Chinatown Murders 2 copies
Come and Get It 2 copies
Hairy Hands 2 copies
The Case of the Crushed Carnations 2 copies
Hooking the Crooks 2 copies
Perry Mason Two In One 2 copies
Snow Bird 1 copy
Out of the Shadows 1 copy
The Case of the Angry Mouner 1 copy
La brunette bouclee 1 copy
Il cadavere è in ritardo 1 copy
Terrified Typist 1 copy
Berta, la tetera y el gato 1 copy
Agencia de detectives 1 copy
El fiscal salva el escollo 1 copy
O CASO DO CADÁVER TROCADO 1 copy
Las lechuzas lo ven todo 1 copy
The D A Breaks A Seal 1 copy
O CASO DA MODELO ERÓTICA 1 copy
PERRY MASON: SEASON 1 V.2 1 copy
El fiscal desconcertado 1 copy
La coquetería de Berta Cool 1 copy
No Questions Asked 1 copy
Gardner, Erle Stanley - El Fiscal Acorralado / Erle Stanely Gardner ; Versión Española De G. López… (1944) 1 copy
L'hotêsse hésitante 1 copy
Gardner, Erle Stanley - El Caso Del Canario Cojo / Erle Stanley Gardner ; Traducción De E. Machado Quevedo ;… (1960) 1 copy
Gardner, Erle Stanley - El Caso Del Perro Aullador / Erle Stanley Gardner ; Traducción E. M. ;… 1 copy
Erle Stanley Gardener CASE OF THE CAUTIOUS COQUETTE Perry Mason Morrow 1949 [Hardcover] unknown 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (X) 1 copy
The Next Stiff 1 copy
Yellow Shadows 1 copy
One Crook to Another 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (V) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (VII) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (VIII) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (XVIII) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (III) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (I) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (II) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (IV) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (IX) 1 copy
OBRAS SELECTAS (VI) 1 copy
Whispering Feet 1 copy
Grinning Gods 1 copy
Los tontos mueren en viernes 1 copy
Mujeres atrapadas 1 copy
El profesor de gimnasia 1 copy
Morder på en tommelfinger 1 copy
La vita è breve 1 copy
Perry Mason novels 1 copy
En doft av mord 1 copy
Mord i Honolulu 1 copy
Massor av pengar 1 copy
Samarbete med polisen 1 copy
Ten Days After Date 1 copy
Garner 1 copy
El caso del gato del portero; El caso de la mujer de ojos verdes; El caso de la prometida celosa 1 copy
Pahase leinaja juhtum 1 copy
PERRY MASON 1 copy
Polisen tappar tråden 1 copy
Las lechuzas lo ven todo 1 copy
Gardner 1 copy
El caso del loro perjuro 1 copy
MORTE À 6.ª FEIRA 1 copy
Obras Escolhidas de E. Stanley Gardner e A. A. Fair - 4: O Caso do Anzol Iscado; Sobre Brasas 1 copy
Vagabond Virgin 1 copy
Mördare på språng 1 copy
Reluctant Model 1 copy
With Fingers of Steel 1 copy
The Wax Dragon 1 copy
Register Rage 1 copy
The Triple Cross 1 copy
This Is So Sudden! 1 copy
varokaa kurveja 1 copy
Laugh That Off 1 copy
In Full of Account 1 copy
Three O'Clock in the Morning 1 copy
Not So Darn Bad 1 copy
The Room of Falling Flies 1 copy
Midnight Justice 1 copy
A Time-Lock Triangle 1 copy
Three Days to Midnight 1 copy
On the Stroke of Twelve 1 copy
Ribbons of Light 1 copy
Lord of the High Places 1 copy
Trapped in Darkness 1 copy
Phantom Bullets 1 copy
King of the Eagle Clan 1 copy
The Man in the Silver Mask 1 copy
Die goldgelbe Tuer 1 copy
The Man Who Talked 1 copy
The Silver Mask Murders 1 copy
Budhien arvoitus 1 copy
Il canarino da caccia 1 copy
Straight from the Shoulder 1 copy
Den dömda staden 1 copy
Ljudlös död 1 copy
Red Jade 1 copy
The Weapons of a Crook 1 copy
The Murder Push 1 copy
Nylon is doorzichtig 1 copy
The Case of the Howling Dog / The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece / The Case of the Lucky Legs 1 copy
New Twenties 1 copy
Nakendansöserna 1 copy
Det forsvundne glasøje 1 copy
Minne för mord 1 copy
Polisen i huset 1 copy
Rough Stuff 1 copy
Den brustna länken 1 copy
Mutskandalen 1 copy
Stadens skräck 1 copy
Under the Guns 1 copy
Gardner Erle Stanley 1 copy
Leg Man 1 copy
A Perry Mason Omnibus 1 copy
Ullstein-Kriminalmagazin 1 1 copy
Et Pent sted å bo 1 copy
White Rings 1 copy
Muscle Out 1 copy
Tong Trouble 1 copy
Jade Sanctuary 1 copy
The Phantom Crook 1 copy
Rain Check 1 copy
Two Dead Hands 1 copy
The Incredible Mister Smith 1 copy
No Quarter 1 copy
Terra incognita 1 copy
Money, Marbles and Chuck 1 copy
Man's Book-The Case of the Queenly Contestant / One Man’s War / The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 — Author — 1 copy
The Monkey Murder 1 copy
The Case of the Caretaker's Cat | The Case of the Curious Bride | The Case of the Howling Dog 1 copy
O caso do amante preguiçoso 1 copy
A Pes Vyl Dál 1 copy
Triple Treachery 1 copy
Případ Bázlivé Tanečnice 1 copy
Novelas escogidas 1 copy
Terningerne ruller 1 copy
Det gådefulde portræt 1 copy
The Case of the Stuttering Bishop | The Case of the Howling Dog | The Case of the Curious Bride | The Case of the… (1969) 1 copy
The Case of the Crying Swallow / The Case of the Crimson Kiss / The Case of the Irate Witness 1 copy
Seven Complete Novels The Glamorous Ghost, The Terrified Typist, The Lucky Loser, The Screaming Woman, The Long-Legged… (1979) 1 copy
Perry Mason (Season 1-9) 1 copy
Blackmail with Lead 1 copy
EL CASO DEL GATO PORTERO 1 copy
Případ bázlivé tanečnice 1 copy
Perry Mason Books Series - A Collection of 90 Detective Mystery Books Under this Series (2003) 1 copy
Lånta fjädrar 1 copy
NOVELAS ESCOGIDAS TOMO I 1 copy
Den farlige enke 1 copy
Statsadvokaten klarer sig 1 copy
Straight Crooks 1 copy
Strictly Personal 1 copy
Den forfløjne model 1 copy
Fotomodellen 1 copy
Den mutte pige 1 copy
Promise to Pay 1 copy
Yalancı Şahit 1 copy
The Case of the Lonely Heiress / The Case of the Cautious Coquette / The Case of the Lucky Legs / The Case of the… (1993) 1 copy
Mördare i natten 1 copy
Cloak and Dagger — Author — 1 copy
Tommy Talk 1 copy
Ung dam söker vittne 1 copy
Associated Works
Murder Plus: True Crime Stories from the Masters of Detective Fiction (1958) — Contributor — 44 copies
Black Mask 1: Doors in the Dark and Other Crime Fiction from the Legendary Magazine (2011) — Contributor — 32 copies
The Mammoth Book of Short Spy Novels: Twelve Espionage Masterpieces (1986) — Contributor — 31 copies
Ellery Queen's Anthology #32: Magicians of Mystery (Fall/Winter 1976) (1976) — Contributor — 9 copies
The Case of the Irate Witness | The Phone Calls | A Shadow of Himself (1972) — Contributor — 8 copies
Shake-speare, the Mystery, by George Elliott Sweet. [Foreword by Erle Stanley Gardner.] (1956) — Foreword — 8 copies
Perry Mason and the Case of the Velvet Claws: A Radio Dramatization (Perry Mason Series) (2010) 6 copies
The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde | Death Comes as the End | Not Quite Dead Enough (1944) — Author — 6 copies
Perry Mason and the Case of the Sulky Girl: A Radio Dramatization (Perry Mason Series) (2011) 6 copies
Perry Mason and the Case of the Lucky Legs: A Radio Dramatization (Perry Mason Series) (2016) 5 copies
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine - 1954/11 — Contributor, some editions — 4 copies
The Girl With the Frightened Eyes | The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife | Dark Prophecy (1945) 4 copies
Detektivhistorier fra Sherlock Holmes til Hercule Poirot — Contributor — 3 copies
Ellery Queen's Anthology #31: Giants of Mystery (Spring/Summer 1976) (1977) — Contributor — 3 copies
The Case of the Restless Redhead | Another Morgue Heard From | Six Murders in the Suburbs (1955) 2 copies
The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito | Motto for Murder | The Affair of the Fainting Butler (1943) 2 copies
The Case of the Glamorous Ghost | Death and Mr. Potter | The Man in the Green Hat (1955) — Contributor — 2 copies
10 moderne spionhistorier — Author, some editions — 1 copy
Mustang Trail (A Triple-A Western Classic) — Introduction — 1 copy
Bedrooms Have Windows | Ninth Life | The Door to Doom — Contributor — 1 copy
The Case of the Screaming Woman | The Late Miss Trimming | Death of an Old Sinner (1957) — Contributor — 1 copy
The Case of the Drowning Duck | Fear Comes to Chalfont | Mystery in the Woodshed — Contributor — 1 copy
The Case of the Runaway Corpse | The Case of the Fugitive Nurse | The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister (1954) 1 copy
The Case of the Mischievous Doll | The Unquiet Sleep | The Tarnished Angel (1963) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Fair, A. A.
Kendrake, Carleton
Kenny, Charles J.
Green, Charles M. - Birthdate
- 1889-07-17
- Date of death
- 1970-03-11
- Burial location
- Cremated: Ashes scattered above Baja peninsula in Mexico
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Malden, Massachusetts, USA
- Place of death
- Temecula, California, USA
- Cause of death
- cancer
- Places of residence
- Palo Alto, California, USA
Oxnard, California, USA
Ventura, California, USA
Oroville, California, USA - Education
- Valparaiso University
- Occupations
- professional boxer
lawyer
novelist
short-story writer - Organizations
- The Court of Last Resort
- Awards and honors
- MWA Grand Master (1962)
- Disambiguation notice
- Also wrote under pseudonyms:
A.A. Fair
Carleton Kendrake
Charles J. Kenny
Members
Reviews
Shills Can't Cash Chips & Bedrooms Have Windows by A.A. Fair
Shills Can't Cash Chips review: This book was a lot of run to read. There's no way you could have had a chance to solve the case before the end as new, significant details are brought in throughout the story. However, if you just give yourself up to the flow of the stor and the situations Donald Lam finds himself in (and how he gets out of them), it's a great read for the genre! I highly recommend.
Forty-second Mason. Lawyer nitpicks poorly thought out case to death.
Twenty-second novel in the Mason series. Mason shoots himself in the foot for 200 pages. Some of the shine wearing off.
This Perry mason is distinctly, and frequently unpleasantly, unlike the TV one. Read anyway.
Lists
Edgar Award (1)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 730
- Also by
- 182
- Members
- 26,793
- Popularity
- #775
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 646
- ISBNs
- 1,901
- Languages
- 22
- Favorited
- 32
