Erle Stanley Gardner Books

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Erle Stanley Gardner was a novelist and lawyer that wrote the famous Perry Mason novels. Born in 1889 in Malden, Massachusetts, he attended Palo Alto High School, California, and Valparaiso University, Indiana.

But he did not graduate from Valparaiso. He was expelled for fighting after just one month. But Erle, who spoke fluent Chinese, was a boxer. In fact, his interest in boxing had become a distraction.

Once he left Valparaiso, he decided to make boxing a priority. For a time, he was able to support himself, especially when the illegal wrestling matches he promoted entered the picture.

The author’s life took a sharp turn when he landed a position as a typist in a law office in California. He was so fascinated by the legal field that he decided to become a lawyer.

Fortunately for Erle, he lived in an era where people could become lawyers without attending law school. They were expected to learn everything they needed to know through practical experience. This is why Erle passed the state bar exam even though he had no formal training in the legal field.

After joining the California Bar in 1911, he opened a law office. The author was just 21 at the time. But times were tough. He tried to make a living by defending Chinese clients. But he eventually migrated to Ventura, joining forces with another lawyer.

He did not stick around for long. A sales agency lured him out of the legal field. The author worked as a salesman (Consolidated Sales Co.) for three years, marrying Natalie Frances Talbert during this period.

He finally returned to Ventura, joining a new law firm (Sheridan, Orr, Drapeau, and Gardner). But the author found that he did not like working as a lawyer. He enjoyed certain aspects of his career, including litigation. But for the most part, the legal practice was dull.

He responded to this realization by writing stories for pulp magazines. Once he published his first story in the early 1920s, it sparked a passion for writing that he pursued for the rest of his life.
During those early days, he created a litany of renowned characters, including Lester Keith and Ken Corning. But it is for Perry Mason that Erle Stanley Gardner is best known.

When he was a child, Gardner was a regular reader of the magazine ‘Youth’s Companion’. The magazine was published by ‘Perry Mason and Company’ whose name was printed in large letters on the cover. The name stayed with the author. His Perry Mason stories had a strong following of readers that loved the author’s rich plot details. As interest in the Perry Mason novels grew, Erle’s contribution to pulp magazines decreased.

By the time pulp magazines died out in the 1950s, Erle was already writing for radio programs.

Erle Stanley Gardner Awards

The author won an Edgar Award.

Erle Stanley Gardner Books into Movies

Some of Erle’s novels became live-action films, including ‘The Case of the Howling Dog’, ‘The Case of the Lucky Legs’, ‘The Case of the Velvet Claws’, ‘The Case of the Black Cat’, ‘The Case of the Stuttering Bishop’, ‘The Case of the Curious Bride’, and ‘Granny Get Your Gun’.

The Perry Mason books became a successful TV series in 1957. It featured Raymond Burr. The show ended in 1966 before making a comeback of sorts in 1989 as various TV movies.

Best Erle Stanley Gardner Books

The author died in 1970 at the age of 80. Cancer was the cause. Erle’s best novels include:

The Case of the Velvet Claws: Perry Mason has a complicated case on his hands. Eva and Harrison survived an attempted robbery at a restaurant. But Harrison isn’t Eva’s husband. In fact, George, Eva’s husband, was behind Frank Locke’s decision to blackmail congressman Harrison.

But now George is dead. Someone shot him in the heart. His will is a forgery. This isn’t good for Carl, George’s nephew, because he benefits greatly from the will. The young man is planning to marry the daughter of Eva’s housekeeper.

The Case of the Sulky Girl: Frances is a 24-year-old girl that wants to get married. Her father left her a sizeable inheritance. But his will has a clause that prevents her from getting married before the age of 25. She wants Perry Mason to find a way around the clause.

When Does The Next Erle Stanley Gardner book come out?

Erle Stanley Gardner doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Court of Last Resort: The True Story of a Team of Crime Experts Who Fought to Save the Wrongfully Convicted and was released on May, 9th 2017. It is the newest book in the Erle Stanley Gardner Non-Fiction Books.

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