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R. Austin Freeman (1862–1943)

Author of The Red Thumb Mark

171+ Works 2,715 Members 128 Reviews 6 Favorited

About the Author

Richard Austin Freeman enjoyed a prolific career that saw him gain qualification as pharmacist and surgeon, pull off a diplomatic coup along the Gold Coast of Africa, work for Holloway Prison and become a formidable man of fiction. For the first twenty-five years of his writing career, Freeman was show more to dominate and remain unrivalled in the world of detective fiction, introducing the well-loved and highly memorable Dr Thorndyke. Through the creation of this character, Richard Austin Freeman continues to be read as an extremely popular addition to the world of the mystery novel. show less

Includes the names: Austin Freeman, AUSTIN R FREEMAN, R Austin Freeman, Clifford Ashdown, R. Austin Freeman, R. Austin Freeman, Freeman R. Austin, Richard Austin Freeman, Pitcairn R. Austin Freeman Clifford Ashdown, Clifford Ashdown (R. Austin Freeman and John J. Pi, R. AUSTIN WITH DR. JOHN JAMES PITCAIRN (clifford a, Clifford Ashdown; R. Austin Freeman & John J. Pitc, R[ichard] Austin and John James Pitcairn Freeman, writing as Clifford Ashdown.

Disambiguation Notice:

R. Austin Freeman also wrote books with John James Pitcairn under the joint pseudonym Clifford Ashdown, some of which have now been re-issued under Freeman's name. Please do not combine Ashdown with Freeman. Thank you.

(nor) R. Austin Freeman also wrote books with John James Pitcairn under the joint pseudonym Clifford Ashdown, some of which have now been re-issued under Freeman's name. Please do not combine Ashdown with Freeman. Thank you.

Image credit: R. Austin Freeman (1862-1943) (AP Watt)

Series

Works by R. Austin Freeman

The Red Thumb Mark (1907) 289 copies
The Eye of Osiris (1911) 234 copies
The Mystery of 31 New Inn (1912) 172 copies
The Best Dr. Thorndyke Detective Stories (1973) 112 copies
John Thorndyke's Cases (1909) 102 copies
Mr. Pottermack's Oversight (1930) 99 copies
A Silent Witness (1914) 92 copies
The Singing Bone (1912) 88 copies
The D'Arblay Mystery (1926) 63 copies
The Mystery of Angelina Frood (1924) 62 copies
As a Thief in the Night (1928) 58 copies
The Stoneware Monkey / The Penrose Mystery (1749) 57 copies
The Uttermost Farthing (1914) 57 copies
The Penrose Mystery (1936) 56 copies
Helen Vardon's Confession (1922) 55 copies
The Stoneware Monkey (1938) 54 copies
The Cat's Eye (1923) 54 copies
A Certain Dr. Thorndyke (1927) 53 copies
For the Defence: Dr Thorndyke (1934) 48 copies
Mr. Polton Explains (1940) 47 copies
Dr. Thorndyke Intervenes (1933) 47 copies
Felo de Se? (1937) 45 copies
The Jacob Street Mystery (1942) 44 copies
The Shadow of the Wolf (1925) 42 copies
Pontifex, Son and Thorndyke (1931) 40 copies
The Famous Cases of Dr. Thorndyke (1929) 40 copies
When Rogues Fall Out (1932) 40 copies
The Magic Casket (1927) 38 copies
The Puzzle Lock (1925) 37 copies
Dr. Thorndyke's Case-Book (UK); The Blue Scarab (US) (1923) 34 copies
The Great Portrait Mystery and Other Stories (1918) 30 copies
Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries Collection, Volume 1 (Ignacio Hills Press) (2008) 27 copies
The Further Adventures of Romney Pringle (1969) 23 copies
The Adventures of Romney Pringle (1902) 21 copies
From a Surgeon's Diary (1975) 21 copies
Flighty Phyllis (1928) 14 copies
The Queen's Treasure (1975) 14 copies
The Surprising Experiences of Mr. Shuttlebury Cobb (1927) 14 copies
Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries Collection, Volume 2 (Ignacio Hills Press) (2008) 12 copies
The Golden Pool (1905) 12 copies
The Unwilling Adventurer (1996) 11 copies
The Complete Adventures of Romney Pringle (2011) 9 copies
The Exploits of Danby Croker (1924) 7 copies
The Works of R. Austin Freeman: 28 Novels and Short Stories (Halcyon Classics) (2010) 6 copies
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack: 27 Mystery Tales of Dr. Thorndyke & Others (2014) 6 copies
The dead hand and other uncollected stories (The R. Austin Freeman omnibus edition) (1998) 6 copies
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume 2: Short Stories (Part I): John Thorndyke's Cases The Singing Bone The Great… (2019) — Author — 5 copies
The Silkworms of Florence [short story] (2010) 5 copies
Complete Works of R. Austin Freeman (2014) 5 copies
The Aluminium Dagger [short story] (2015) 5 copies
The Assyrian Rejuvenator [short story] (1901) 5 copies
Dr. Thorndyke Investigates (1930) 5 copies
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume 1: The Red Thumb Mark, The Eye of Osiris and The Mystery of 31 New Inn (The… (2019) — Author — 4 copies
The Submarine Boat [short story] (1903) 4 copies
Travels and life in Ashanti and Jaman (2013) 4 copies
The Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus 4 copies
The Famous Cases of Dr. Thorndyke: Thirty-Seven of His Criminal Investigations Part 1 (2004) 4 copies
The Case of Oscar Brodski [short story] 4 copies
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume IV: A Silent Witness, Helen Vardon's Confession and The Cat's Eye (2020) — Author — 4 copies
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume III: Short Stories (Part II) - Dr. Thorndyke's Casebook, The Puzzle Lock and The… (2020) — Author — 4 copies
Percival Bland's Proxy [short story] 3 copies
The Famous Cases of Dr. Thorndyke: Thirty-Seven of His Criminal Investigations Part 2 (2004) 3 copies
The R. Austin Freeman Omnibus Edition Volume 6 (1999) 3 copies
Percival Bland's Proxy and The Missing Mortgagee (1918) (2015) 3 copies
The R. Austin Freeman Omnibus Edition Volume 7 (1999) 3 copies
The Case of the White Footprints [Short story] (2009) 3 copies
The Missing Mortgagee 3 copies
The Mysterious Visitor [short story] (2004) 3 copies
The Moabite Cipher [short story] (1909) 3 copies
The Echo of a Mutiny [short story] 3 copies
A Case of Premeditation [short story] 3 copies
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume V: The Mystery of Angelina Frood, The Shadow of the Wolf and The D'Arblay Mystery (2020) — Author — 3 copies
DR. THORNDYKE MYSTERIES – Complete Collection: 21 Novels & 40 Short Stories (Illustrated): The Red Thumb Mark, The Eye… (2016) 3 copies
The Red Thumb Mark / The Eye of Osiris / A Case of Premeditation 2 copies
The Collected Adventures of Romney Pringle (2014) 2 copies
Dr. Thorndyke (2014) 2 copies
Dr Thorndyke: The Complete Short Stories (Black Heath Classic Crime) (2014) 2 copies
Classic Authors Super Set Series: 3 (Shandon Press): Agatha Christie, H. G. Wells, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Victor Hugo.... 2 copies
8 Mystery Novels: Boxed Set (2014) 2 copies
DR. THORNDYKE VOL.2. 15 Novels & 30 Short Stories (Timeless Wisdom Collection Book 1961) (2014) 2 copies
R. Austin Freeman: The Complete Mysteries Collection (2019) 2 copies
Dr Thorndyke Short Story Omnibus 2 copies
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack: 19 More Classic Tales of Dr. Thorndyke and Others 2 copies
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack: 19 Mystery Tales of Dr. Thorndyke & Others 2 copies
Delphi Collected Works of R. Austin Freeman (Illustrated) (Series Six Book 14) (2016) 2 copies
DR. THORNDYKE: 7 NOVELS & 12 SHORT STORIES. Premium Collection Vol.1 (Timeless Wisdom Collection) (2014) 2 copies
R. AUSTIN FREEMAN - Ultimate Mystery Collection: 9 Novels & 39 Short Stories, including Dr. Thorndyke Series, Romney… (2016) 2 copies
THE DR. THORNDYKE MYSTERY OMNIBUS: THE RED THUMB MARK; DOCTOR THORNDYKE'S CASES; THE EYE OF OSIRIS (2009) 2 copies
The Blue Sequin [short story] 2 copies
The Apparition of Burling Court [short story] 2 copies
Social Decay and Regeneration (2017) 2 copies
R. Austin Freeman: the anthropologist at large, Thorndyke scholarship and pastiches (The R. Austin Freeman omnibus… (2000) 2 copies
A Wastrel's Romance [short story] 2 copies
The Other Eye of Osiris (1999) 2 copies
The R. Austin Freeman Omnibus Edition Volume 3 (1999) 2 copies
Dr. Thorndyke's Crime File (1941) 2 copies
A Mystery of the Sand-Hills [short story] (2004) 2 copies
Le singe d'argile 1 copy
The Stalking Horse 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus Volume 3 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus Volume 5 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus Volume 1 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus Volume 6 1 copy
The Dr. Thorndyke Short Story Omnibus (2011) 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus Volume 7 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus Volume 2 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus Volume 4 1 copy
A Message from the Deep Sea [short story] (2019) 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke’s Case-Book 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke's cases 1 copy
BRITISH MYSTERIES COLLECTION - 27 Novels in One Volume: Complete Dr. Thorndyke Series, A Savant's Vendetta, The… 1 copy
R. Austin Freeman's Collected Works: Dr. Thorndyke Series, The Eye of Osiris, A Silent Witness, The Uttermost Farthing,… 1 copy
The Contents of a Mare's Nest 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vol 6 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vol 1 1 copy
Best of Dr. Thorndyke Detective Stories 1 copy
The Old Lag 1 copy
The Man with the Nailed Shoes [short story] 1 copy
The Stranger's Latchkey 1 copy
The Anthropologist at Large [short story] 1 copy
The Mandarin's Pearl 1 copy
PISCINE PISCINA GONFIABILE PER BAMBINI SPIDERMAN CM 152X30 1 copy
Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vol 2 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke: His Famous Cases 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vol 7 1 copy
The Naturalist at Law 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vol 5 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vol 4 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vol 3 1 copy
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes — the Book (Annotated): The Stories of the BBC TV Show 1 copy
Thorndyke: Novels 1-4 (2022) 1 copy
The Puzzle Lock and Other Stories 1 copy
A Fisher of Men [short story] 1 copy
The Seal of Nebuchadnezzar 1 copy
The Mystery of 31 New Inn / The D'Arblay Mystery / The Penrose Mystery (2014) 1 copy
Phyllis Annesley's Peril 1 copy
A Sower of Pestilence 1 copy
Rex V. Burnaby 1 copy
The New Jersey Sphinx [short story] 1 copy
The Touchstone [short story] 1 copy
The Stolen Ingots [short story] 1 copy
Gleanings from the Wreckage [short story] 1 copy
The Funeral Pyre [short story] 1 copy
The Essential Works of R. Austin Freeman 1 copy
DR. THORNDYKE VOL.2 17 NOVELS & 28 SHORT STORIES (Timeless Wisdom Collection Book 1961) (2014) 1 copy
Dr Thorndyke Omnibus Vols 1-7 1 copy
The Silkworms of Florence (2009) 1 copy
The Dr. Thorndyke Series: 21 Novels and Short Stories (Halcyon Classics) (2010) 1 copy
Dr. Thorndyke Collection 1 copy
The Green Check Jacket 1 copy
The Adventures of Dr. Thorndyk 1 copy
The Collected Works of R. Austin Freeman (Illustrated Edition): 27 Novels & 60 Short Stories: The Red Thumb Mark, The… 1 copy
31 New Inn [original magazine version] (2017) 1 copy
Short Mystery Story Collection 004 1 copy
The Dr. Thorndyke Mystery Collection 1 copy
THE COLLECTED WORKS OF R. AUSTIN FREEMAN (Illustrated Edition): 27 Novels & 60 Short Stories: The Red Thumb Mark, The… 1 copy
Complete Detective Dr. John Thorndyke of R. Austin Freeman- Mystery of 31 New Inn, John Thorndyke's Cases, Red… (2016) 1 copy
The Complete Works of R. Austin Freeman: Thriller Classics, Adventure Novels & Detective Stories: (Illustrated) The Red… (2016) 1 copy
Thorndyke: Forensic Investigator: A BBC Radio Collection (2021) 1 copy
The Stranger's Latchkey [annotated] 1 copy
By the Black Deep 1 copy
The Pathologist to the Rescue 1 copy
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume VIII: For the Defense: Dr. Thorndyke, The Penrose Mystery and Felo de se? (2021) — Author — 1 copy
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume VII: Pontifex, Son, and Thorndyke When Rogues Fall Out and Dr. Thorndyke Intervenes (2021) — Author — 1 copy
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume VI: A Certain Dr. Thorndyke, As a Thief in the Night and Mr. Pottermack's… (2021) — Author — 1 copy
The Complete Dr. Thorndyke - Volume IX: The Stoneware Monkey Mr. Polton Explains and The Jacob Street Mystery (2021) — Author — 1 copy
Mr. Ponting's Alibi 1 copy
Pandora's Box 1 copy
The Trail of Behemoth 1 copy
CUADERNOS ESCARLATAS nº 10 (Raffles el ladrón de manos de seda, Un regalo por Jubileo; Sherlock Holmes contra sus… 1 copy
Work Explorer

Associated Works

The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) — Introduction, some editions — 2,940 copies
English Country House Murders (1989) — Contributor — 489 copies
The Oxford Book of English Detective Stories (1990) — Contributor — 404 copies
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: Early Detective Stories (1970) — Contributor; Contributor — 317 copies
Detection by Gaslight: 14 Victorian Detective Stories (Dover Thrift Editions) (1997) — Contributor — 185 copies
Blood on the Tracks (2018) — Contributor — 181 copies
The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime (2009) — Contributor, some editions — 179 copies
Capital Crimes: London Mysteries (2015) — Contributor — 165 copies
Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries (2015) — Contributor — 154 copies
London After Midnight : A Tour of Its Criminal Haunts (1996) — Contributor — 137 copies
Great Detective Stories (Watermill Classics) (1986) — Contributor — 112 copies
Serpents in Eden: Countryside Crimes (2016) — Contributor — 111 copies
Miraculous Mysteries: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes (2017) — Contributor — 109 copies
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: A Collection of Victorian Detective Tales (2008) — Contributor — 109 copies
101 Years' Entertainment: The Great Detective Stories 1841-1941 (1941) — Contributor — 103 copies
Deep Waters: Mysteries on the Waves (2019) — Contributor — 88 copies
The Measure of Malice: Scientific Mysteries (2019) — Contributor — 86 copies
The Mammoth Book of Great Detective Stories (1985) — Contributor — 81 copies
Crime and Mystery Short Stories (2016) — Contributor — 74 copies
The Oxford Book of Detective Stories (2000) — Contributor — 69 copies
The Big Book of Rogues and Villains (2017) — Contributor — 67 copies
14 Great Detective Stories (1949) — Contributor — 58 copies
Tales of Detection (1940) — Contributor — 56 copies
Detective Duos (1997) — Contributor — 52 copies
The Third Omnibus of Crime (1935) — Contributor — 45 copies
Murder Most British: Stories from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (1996) — Contributor — 38 copies
Fourteen Great Detective Stories (1928) — Contributor — 37 copies
Murder in Midsummer (2019) — Contributor — 37 copies
Bodies in the Library: Short Stories (2020) — Contributor — 34 copies
Agents & Spies Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2018) — Contributor — 32 copies
The Boy's Book of Great Detective Stories (1938) — Contributor — 32 copies
Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery, and Horror (1928) — Contributor; Contributor — 32 copies
The World's Great Detective Stories (1927) — Contributor — 31 copies
Famous Stories of Code and Cipher (1965) — Contributor — 30 copies
Detective Mysteries Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2019) — Contributor — 29 copies
Murder Takes a Holiday (2020) — Contributor — 28 copies
Rogues' Gallery: The Great Criminals of Modern Fiction (1945) — Contributor — 27 copies
The Great Book of Thrillers (1935) — Contributor — 27 copies
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: The Greatest Detective Stories: 1837-1914 (2019) — Contributor — 25 copies
In the Shadow of Sherlock Holmes (2011) — Contributor; Contributor — 25 copies
Shot in the Dark (1950) — Contributor — 24 copies
The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries (2019) — Contributor — 24 copies
Murder by the Seaside (2022) — Contributor — 23 copies
The Pocket Book of Great Detectives (1941) — Contributor — 22 copies
Great Tales of Detection (1936) — Contributor — 21 copies
A Century of Detective Stories (1935) — Contributor — 20 copies
Great detective stories (1998) — Contributor — 20 copies
The World's Best One Hundred Detective Stories, Volume 7 (1929) — Contributor — 17 copies
Ten Tales of Detection (1967) — Contributor — 14 copies
Fifty Masterpieces of Mystery (1937) — Contributor — 13 copies
The Second Century of Detective Stories (1938) — Contributor — 12 copies
Classic Crime Stories (2014) — Contributor — 10 copies
Crime and Detection (1926) — Contributor — 10 copies
Toward the Golden Age: The Stories That Turned Crime to Gold (2016) — Contributor — 9 copies
My Best Detective Story (1931) — Contributor — 9 copies
Detection Medley (1939) — Contributor — 8 copies
Sorte orkideer : 13 korte kriminalromaner (1988) — Contributor — 6 copies
The Times' Red Cross Story Book — Contributor — 6 copies
Sleuths: Twenty-Three Great Detectives of Fiction and Their Best Stories (1931) — Contributor — 6 copies
Verdens største detektiver II (1995) — Contributor — 5 copies
My Funniest Story (1933) — Contributor — 5 copies
Great Unsolved Crimes (1975) — Contributor — 5 copies
Verdens største detektiver I (1995) — Contributor — 4 copies
London After Midnight: A Conducted Tour, Part 2 (1996) — Contributor — 3 copies
Detective-verhalen — Contributor — 3 copies
Living London, Vol. III: Its Work and Its Play, Its Humour and Its Pathos, Its Sights and Its Scenes (1903) — Contributor — 3 copies
30 Mystery Stories: Boxed Set (2014) 3 copies
Great Stories of Detection (1960) — Contributor — 2 copies
Classic Crime Stories: 13 Tales from Edgar Allan Poe to Lawrence Block (2007) — Contributor — 2 copies
Fra farezonen (1988) — Author, some editions — 2 copies
Living London, Vol. I: Its Work and Its Play, Its Humour and Its Pathos, Its Sights and Its Scenes (1902) — Contributor — 2 copies
Living London, Vol. II: Its Work and Its Play, Its Humour and Its Pathos, Its Sights and Its Scenes (1902) — Contributor — 2 copies
The Unconscious Witness | Death on the Aisle | Lady Killer — Contributor — 2 copies
Crime and Detection (Second Series) — Contributor — 2 copies
Adventure [Vol. 1 No. 3, January 1911] (1911) — Contributor — 1 copy
Xmas Thrillers: The Greatest Holiday Mysteries in One Volume (2017) — Contributor — 1 copy
Verdens beste kriminalhistorier (1960) — Contributor — 1 copy
Traditional British Mysteries: 30 Novels (Boxed Set) — Contributor — 1 copy
Murder Mixture: An Anthology of Crime Stories (1963) — Contributor — 1 copy
Rex Stout Mystery Magazine — Contributor — 1 copy
De bedste kriminalhistorier fra hele verden (1966) — Contributor — 1 copy

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Members

Reviews

BRITISH MYSTERIES COLLECTION - 27 Novels in One… by R. Austin Freeman
An entertaining collection of golden age mysteries, particularly those featuring Dr. Thorndyke.
 
Flagged
M_Clark | Feb 7, 2024 |
John Thorndyke's Cases (Illustrated) by R. Austin Freeman
I like the old school mysteries from time to time. Not earth-shattering but clever plots written nicely.
 
Flagged
AliceAnna | 5 other reviews | Jul 16, 2023 |
The Red Thumb Mark (Dr. Thorndyke, #1) by R. Austin Freeman
3.5*

While the 'who' in this case seemed quite obvious to me, the 'how' baffled me. I got the strong feeling that Freeman's mysteries will mostly focus on the method of the crime (which is okay with me!).
 
Flagged
leslie.98 | 10 other reviews | Jun 27, 2023 |
The Mystery of 31 New Inn (The Dr. Thorndyke… by R. Austin Freeman
While I enjoyed this 4th book in the Dr. Thorndyke series, it seemed unlikely to me that Jervis (who first enters Dr. Thorndyke's employment during the course of the book) couldn't make some connections that struck me as obvious such as his patient Graves had a specific type of injury to his right eye and Jeffery Blackmore had an injury to one of his eyes!.
 
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leslie.98 | 7 other reviews | Jun 27, 2023 |
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Awards

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Haycraft Queen Cornerstones
Julian Symons' 100 Best Crime Stories
Barzun and Taylor's Classics of Crime
Queen's Quorum

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Associated Authors

Statistics

Works
171
Also by
81
Members
2,715
Popularity
#9,464
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
128
ISBNs
550
Languages
11
Favorited
6

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