Erle Stanley Gardner

Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970), American detective novelist, born in Malden, Massachusetts. His numerous novels are notable for their fast action and revelations of legal ingenuity, the latter due in part to Gardner's work for more than 20 years as an attorney. The character of lawyer-detective Perry Mason appeared in more than 80 of Gardner's novels, which have titles such as The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933) and The Case of the Duplicate Daughter (1960). These books were developed into a popular television show starring American actor Raymond Burr. Gardner also wrote a series of novels featuring a district attorney named Doug Selby. He featured detective Bertha Cool and legalist Donald Lam in 29 books written under the pseudonym A. A. Fair. Gardner also wrote Western novels, science fiction, short stories, and nonfiction. His books have sold hundreds of millions of copies.