Sexton Blake, Detective – Volume I – Anonymous

The first Sexton Blake story was ‘The Missing Millionaire’ and appeared in The Halfpenny Marvel No 6, on 20th December 1893. Unusually the Sexton Blake stories were written by a variety of writers, usually anonymously as a ‘pen-for hire’ and endured as a popular favourite for decades. In that time Blake appeared in magazines, comic-strips, books, radio, stage, TV and films. Initially he was modelled on other detectives from the 1890’s, primarily Sherlock Holmes but as various influences were added to the writing and publishing mix he evolved, mutated and became an elastic character able to adapt to any set of circumstances or characters the writers cared to place him up against. Indeed, twice he was on the trail of two of his own delinquent, gone-bad brothers. Wherever he was and whoever the villain or the plot Sexton Blake was a survivor. His stories down the years are testament to a great and enduring British character.