Saint Errant
Encyclopedia
Saint Errant is a collection of short stories
by Leslie Charteris
, first published in 1948 by The Crime Club
in the United States
and in 1949 by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom
. This was the 28th book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
, alias "The Saint", and the first Saint short story collection since 1939's The Happy Highwayman
. Several of the stories were based upon the then-current Saint comic strip
, while the story "Judith" was first published in 1934 (the version featured in this book has been revised and updated).
Saint Errant was the first of several themed story collections that Charteris would publish over the next decade. In the case of Saint Errant, each story focuses on a different female acquaintance of Templar's. This was also the final book to feature Templar's longtime love interest and partner, Patricia Holm
. Charteris decided that Templar should no longer be tied down to just one woman (although he had enjoyed romantic dalliances in several previous books, suggesting his relationship with Holm was non-exclusive). In later years, Charteris would refuse to allow continuation writers to bring Holm back to the series, although he might have made an exception with the unpublished Saint novel, The Saint's Lady
(1979) as Holm appears in that work. There is also a brief reference to Holm in the final book of the series, Salvage for the Saint
.
The Saint book series went on hiatus after this release; the next Simon Templar story collection would not appear until 1953, although the character continued to appear in radio plays and comic strips during the interval. All further Saint books used the short story format until Vendetta for the Saint
was published in 1963.
Early editions of the book use only the single female names for the titles of the different stories. Several stories were novelisations of radio show episodes.
. In all cases, the episode titles did not include the original stories' subtitles.
During the second season "Judith" aired on October 3, 1963, followed by "Teresa" on October 10, "Iris" on November 7, and "Luella" on January 23, 1964. "Lucia" was retitled "Sophia" and aired on February 27, 1964. During the third season, "Lida" aired on October 15, 1964 and "Jeannine" followed on October 22.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
, first published in 1948 by The Crime Club
The Crime Club
The Crime Club was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series.Many classic and popular works of detective and mystery fiction had their first U.S. editions published via the Crime Club, including all 50 books of The Saint by Leslie Charteris...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in 1949 by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. This was the 28th book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
, alias "The Saint", and the first Saint short story collection since 1939's The Happy Highwayman
The Happy Highwayman
The Happy Highwayman is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in 1939 by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom and The Crime Club in the United States. This was the 21st book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint"...
. Several of the stories were based upon the then-current Saint comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
, while the story "Judith" was first published in 1934 (the version featured in this book has been revised and updated).
Saint Errant was the first of several themed story collections that Charteris would publish over the next decade. In the case of Saint Errant, each story focuses on a different female acquaintance of Templar's. This was also the final book to feature Templar's longtime love interest and partner, Patricia Holm
Patricia Holm
Patricia Holm is the name of a fictional character who appeared in the novels of Leslie Charteris from the 1920s to the 1940s. She was the on-again, off-again girlfriend and partner of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint" and shared a number of his adventures....
. Charteris decided that Templar should no longer be tied down to just one woman (although he had enjoyed romantic dalliances in several previous books, suggesting his relationship with Holm was non-exclusive). In later years, Charteris would refuse to allow continuation writers to bring Holm back to the series, although he might have made an exception with the unpublished Saint novel, The Saint's Lady
The Saint's Lady
The Saint's Lady is the title of an unpublished novel by Joy Martin featuring the character of criminal-turned-detective Simon Templar who had been created by Leslie Charteris in 1928....
(1979) as Holm appears in that work. There is also a brief reference to Holm in the final book of the series, Salvage for the Saint
Salvage for the Saint
Salvage for the Saint is the title of a 1983 mystery novel featuring the character of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". The novel was written by Peter Bloxsom based on the two-part Return of the Saint episode, "Collision Course" by John Kruse, but per the custom at this time, the author credit on...
.
The Saint book series went on hiatus after this release; the next Simon Templar story collection would not appear until 1953, although the character continued to appear in radio plays and comic strips during the interval. All further Saint books used the short story format until Vendetta for the Saint
Vendetta for the Saint
Vendetta for the Saint is the title of a 1964 mystery novel featuring the character of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". The novel is credited to Leslie Charteris, who created the Saint in 1928, but the book was actually authored by Harry Harrison, a noted science fiction author who also wrote the...
was published in 1963.
Stories
The book consisted of 9 stories:- "Judith" aka "The Naughty Niece"
- "Iris" aka "The Old Routine"
- "Lida" aka "The Foolish Frail"
- "Jeannine" aka "The Lovely Sinner"
- "Lucia" aka "The Homecoming of Amadeo Urselli"
- "Teresa" aka "The Uncertain Widow"
- "Luella" aka "The Saint and the Double Badger"
- "Emily" aka "The Doodlebug"
- "Dawn" aka "The Darker Drink"
Early editions of the book use only the single female names for the titles of the different stories. Several stories were novelisations of radio show episodes.
Television adaptations
All but two of the stories from this collection formed the basis for episodes of the 1962-69 TV series, The SaintThe Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
. In all cases, the episode titles did not include the original stories' subtitles.
During the second season "Judith" aired on October 3, 1963, followed by "Teresa" on October 10, "Iris" on November 7, and "Luella" on January 23, 1964. "Lucia" was retitled "Sophia" and aired on February 27, 1964. During the third season, "Lida" aired on October 15, 1964 and "Jeannine" followed on October 22.