Indexes to the Short Stories and Novels of
Richard Harding Davis

Gallegher, Van Bibber and Other Stories 

“Gallegher and Other Stories” — The leading reporter (Richard Harding Davis) for the New York Sun in the 1890’s published this collection of stories about an intrepid newspaper copyboy with a talent for crime detection, which helped make Davis one of the most popular authors in America during the decade. This book also introduces Courtlandt Van Bibber the wealthy man-about-town. “Gallegher And Other Stories” has the stories: Gallegher: A Newspaper Story; A Walk Up the Avenue; My Disreputable Friend, Mr. Raegen; The Other Woman; The Trailer for Room No. 8; “There Were Ninety and Nine”; The Cynical Miss Catherwaight; Van Bibber and the Swan-Boats; Van Bibber’s Burglar; and Van Bibber as Best Man.

“Van Bibber and Others” — This book collects stories concerning Davis’s most popular creation, the wealthy man-about-town Courtlandt Van Bibber, who provides a lens on the often ridiculous antics of the rich and famous in Newport and along New York’s Park Avenue at the turn of the 20th Century. “Van Bibber and Others” has the stories: Her First Appearance; Van Bibber’s Man-Servant; The Hungry Man was Fed; Van Bibber at the Races; An Experiment in Economy; Mr. Travers’s First Hunt; Love Me, Love My Dog; Eleanore Cuyler; A Recruit at Christmas; A Patron of Art; Andy M’gee’s Chorus Girl; A Leander of the East River; How Hefty Burke Got Even; Outside the Prison; and An Unfinished Story.

What the critics sa­­id: 

As pictures of human life in a great city, these ... stories are simply unique. —Newark Advertiser.

Mr. Davis is a writer of unquestioned genius. His sketches of city life in the poorer districts have a force which makes them exceptionally vivid and inspiring. —Albany Express.

... remarkable newspaper and magazine stories. They will make capital winter reading, and the book is one that will find a welcome everywhere. —N. Y. Journal of Commerce.

The freshness, the strength, and the vivid picturesqueness of the stories are indisputable, and their originality and their marked distinction are no less decided. —Boston Saturday Gazette.

His figures stand forth clear cut, and marvelously truthful and lifelike. Their wholesome tone is in grateful contrast to the false and exaggerated note so often struck by young authors. —Philadelphia Ledger.

“Gallegher And Other Stories” and “Van Bibber and Others,” were published in 1891 and 1892, respectively, and this volume includes the original illustrations from those editions.

Captain Macklin, Ranson's Folly, The Bar Sinister, and In the Fog

“Captain Macklin” — Royal Macklin is tossed out of West Point because of a minor infraction. This displeases the father of his sweetheart Beatrice and he forces the young couple to break up. But as he says good-bye, Macklin swears that he will make good. He decides to travel to Honduras to join up with soldier of fortune General Laguerre, fighting for the freedom of the Honduran citizens.

“Ranson’s Folly” — Lt. Ranson, an army officer, out of boredom, bets his friends that he can successfully pull off a stagecoach robbery armed with nothing more than a pair of scissors. Disguised as the notorious masked bandit “the Red Rider,” Ranson makes good his wager. Unfortunately, the army paymaster is shot shortly thereafter. All evidence points to the Red Rider — and, of course, to the innocent Lt. Ranson. It appears as though the genuine culprit is the father of Ranson’s sweetheart...

“The Bar Sinister” — Told from a dog’s point of view, this Horatio Alger-style rags-to-riches story is about “The Kid,” a street bull-terrier and his rise to “Best in Show” (based on the life of a real dog).

“In the Fog” — One of Davis’ most famous works: While dining at a club, four gentlemen begin spinning murder stories in an attempt to detain Sir Andrew from speaking at the House of Commons (Sir Andrew frequently forgets what he’s doing and where he’s going when reading crime novels). One starts off by relating how one night he got lost in a thick London fog.  He stumbled upon a house where a a young nobleman and a Russian princess had just been murdered.  He escaped from the house and reported the killings to Scotland Yard.  But they were unable to find the location of the dwelling.  The next speaker relates that the murdered Princess, was known to him personally. And the next claims to know the family of the murderer. Will the four men succeed in making Sir Andrew miss his engagement at the House of Commons?

This volume includes the complete text of all four novels, published in 1902, 1902, 1903, and 1901, respectively. Also included are the original full-page illustrations that graced those volumes.

The King's Jackal, Once Upon a Time, Cinderella, and Other Stories

“The King’s Jackal” —  Richard Harding Davis’s daring adventure set in a dangerous, foreign land. The exiled King of Messina, and Baron Kalonay, plot to re-establish the king’s financial fortunes by purchasing arms and invading his former country! The only one standing in the way of the diabolical plans of the bankrupt exiled King is a courageous American reporter. But is the King really planning an invasion? If he isn’t, what is his plan?

“Once Upon a Time” — A collection of eight of Davis’s short stories, drawn from his experiences abroad as a correspondent. “A Question of Latitude” deals with European cruelty and misrule in the Congo. “The Spy” visits the South America of dictators, revolutions, and corrupt financial schemers from the U.S. Also included are “The Messengers,” “A Wasted Day,” “A Charmed Life,” “The Amateur,” “The Make-Believe Man,” and “Peace Maneuvers.”

“Cinderella and Other Stories” — Five stories, starting with the one naming the book: “Cinderella,” an outing with Van Bibber in which he and a friend think the have found a Cinderella, but discover it is not as easy as the fairy tale makes it sound. “The Reporter Who Made Himself King” follows a reporter who wants to cover a war but is posted to a remote island; the appearance of a German ship provides him an excuse to write a thrilling report, but then things go wrong, very wrong. “Miss Delamar’s Understudy,” “The Editor’s Story,” and “An Assisted Emigrant” round out the collection.

This volume includes the complete text of all three novels, published in 1902, 1902, and 1901, respectively (“The Reporter Who Made Himself King” appeared in both “The King’s Jackal” and “Cinderella and Other Stories,” but is included here only in “Cinderella and Other Stories.”)  Also included are the original 15 full-page illustrations that graced those volumes.

The Scarlet Car, The White Mice, and Other Stories

“The Scarlet Car” — Written in 1906, when automobiles were still something of a novelty, this is a set of three stories based on the adventures of Winthrop, Sam, Beatrice, and Peabody. First , they get accused of speeding in a small town, then the car breaks down on a remote country lane, and finally, they accidentally run down a man in the street while helping Peabody, an aspiring politician, run up the vote on election day. Can they keep this from costing Peabody the election?

“The White Mice” — Four Americans make a solemn pact to combat tyranny and save human lives. Thus begins the Secret Order of the White Mice.  Roddy Forrester’s father owns the Forrester Construction Company, a big concern which builds lighthouses. To give his son a taste of business, he sends him to Venezuela as a foreman. But he doesn’t want Roddy to know too much about company policy—least of all its political intrigues. Once there Roddy finds Don Miguel Rojas, a patriot unfairly put in prison. It’s unlikely that anyone will bust him out, until White Mouse Roddy hears about his plight and decides to do something.

“A Derelict” — Judged to be Davis’ best short story, “A Derelict” is based on the battle of Santiago Bay (July 3, 1898) in which the American fleet destroyed the Spanish fleet. The story is in part an attack on Consolidated (Associated) Press, and a contrast between two newspapermen — a drunken CP man whose talent has been repressed by the CP’s demand for cold, colorless “facts” and a ne’er-do-well free-lancer who is nevertheless a genius writer.

“La Lettre d’Amour” — The lover who will take no, and goes on his way disconsolate, may live to love another day, and everyone is content; but the one who will not have no, who will not hear of it, nor consider it, has much to answer for in making life a burden to himself and all around him. This is the story of one such lover, and how Edouard, the second violinist, showed him the hopelessness of his position.

This volume includes the complete text of all the stories, published in 1907, 1909, 1902, and 1902, respectively. Also included are the original 23 full-page illustrations that graced these stories.

The Red Cross Girl, and Vera the Medium

“The Red Cross Girl” — Written in 1912, updated with two additional stories in 1919, and ranging from New York to Cuba to Britain, this is a collection of nine of Davis’s dramatic and gripping stories. An American sets out to fake a German invasion of England, a salesman missing his train ends up accidentally participating in an invasion of Cuba, a student who flunked a history course helps his professor regain his position after being unfairly booted from the college (by turning him into a world-wide celebrity!),  a man about to give up discovers he can actually read people’s minds, and five other tales will hold you riveted in this book. The stories included are: “The Red Cross Girl,” “The Grand Cross Of The Crescent,” “The Invasion of England,” “Blood Will Tell,” “The Sailorman,” “The Mind Reader,” “The Naked Man,” “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” and “The Card-Sharp.”

“Vera the Medium” — The romance of Vera the Medium, a young woman who “speaks” to the spirits of the dead. Trapped in a profession of lies by something she did years before, Vera meets the District Attorney, Winthrop, who offers her hope of a way out. But will her compatriots and clients let her go? Full of tragedy and humor, a thrilling love story as only Richard Harding Davis can tell. The heroine is a kind new to fiction and the story is told with the vigor and skill.

This volume includes the complete text of all the stories, published in 1912, and 1919 editions. Also included are the original 14 full-page illustrations that graced these stories.

The Princess Aline & The Man Who Could Not Lose

“The Princess Aline” — Morton Carlton, a portrait-painter of international reputation, is unlucky in love.  It’s not that he never meets the right women. It’s only that when the right “one” comes along, he changes his mind.  Indeed, it seems he is destined to forever wander like a lost votary through Venus’s domains.  But one day a change appears on the horizon.  He sees a portrait of the Princess Aline of Hohenwald in an illustrated newspaper, and falls madly in love with his artist’s conception of her.  Throwing all to the winds, he resolves to go to Europe and look her up.  The quest begins. As is usual with Davis’s stories, the plot moves right along.  There are interesting diversions in each of the major capitals at which the travelers stop, and these give unmistakable local color and interest to the whole.  However, the preservation of Imperial Europe’s unique flavor is what gives this novel its chief value. Published in 1895.

“The Man Who Could Not Lose” — Published in 1911 and updated with an additional story in 1917, these eight stories continue Davis’s fine tradition of dramatic and gripping writing. Beginning with a nearly destitute couple who risk their last savings on a race-track dream, then to a Foreign Service Civil Agent who risks his career refusing the demands of a powerful Senator, to a reporter who believes a story is hidden in a piece of paper found in a street gutter, these stories will keep you spell-bound in your seat. The stories included are: “The Man Who Could Not Lose,” “My Buried Treasure,” “The Consul,” “The Nature Faker,” “Billy and the Big Stick,” “The Frame-Up,” “The Lost House,” and “The Log of the ‘Jolly Polly’.” Includes a commemorative foreword written by Leonard Wood.

This volume includes the complete text of all the stories, published in 1895, 1911, 1915, and 1917. Also included are the original 18 full-page illustrations that graced these stories.

“The Lost Road” — Published in 1913 and updated with three additional stories in 1917, this is a collection of ten of Davis’s dramatic and gripping stories. From soldiers who never give up, to how a Boy Scout saved hundreds of jobs and large company from disaster, you will find these stories well worth your time. The stories included are: “The Lost Road,” “The Miracle of Las Palmas,” “Evil to Him Who Evil Thinks,” “The Men of Zanzibar,” “The Long Arm,” “The God of Coincidence,” “The Buried Treasure of Cobre,” “The Boy Scout,” “Somewhere in France”, and “The Man Who Had Everything” (also known as “The Deserter”). Includes a commemorative foreword written by John T. McCutcheon.

“The Lion and the Unicorn” — Published in 1899, these five stories continue Davis’s fine tradition of dramatic and gripping writing. A playwright goes to London to make his name, but finds love instead; A wounded soldier on a hospital ship struggles through hallucinations and delirium and refuses to die because his girl is on her way to care for him, she has promised so; a politician is placed in an awkward situation; a vagrant turns out to be more than he first appears; and three viewpoints on a rebellion in South Africa. The stories are: “The Lion and the Unicorn,” “On the Fever Ship,” “The Man with One Talent,” “The Vagrant,” and “The Last Ride Together — A Sketch Containing Three Points Of View.”

This volume includes the complete text of all the stories, published in 1899, 1913, 1915, and 1917. Also included are the original 14 illustrations that graced these stories. 

“Stories for Boys” — Published in 1891, this is a collection of six of Davis’s dramatic and gripping stories for boys. These are from early in his career and focus on boys and young adults, including two stories featuring one of Davis’ most popular characters: Van Bibber. The stories range from a boat race between rival hotels; a baseball star who injures a bystander at a game; a tennis star who runs up against some dishonest players and judges; kids playing a dangerous game of “I dare you;” a Circus outing with Van Bibber, and a novice jockey hit with temptation to throw a race. The stories included are: “Midsummer Pirates,” “Richard Carr’s Baby,” “The Great Tri-club Tennis Tournament,” “The Jump at Corey’s Slip,” “The Van Bibber Baseball Club,” and “The Story of a Jockey.”

“The Exiles and Other Stories” — Published in 1894, this is a collection of seven stories, one of which is a record of one of Davis’ real experiences in England breaking the law, and continue Davis’s fine tradition of tight writing, including another Van Bibber story where he is the victim of a slanderous letter. The stories are: “The Exiles,” “The Writing on the Wall,” “The Right of Way,” “His Bad Angel,” “The Boy Orator of Zepata City,” “The Romance in the Life of Hefty Burke,” and “An Anonymous Letter.”

This volume includes the complete text of all the stories, published in 1891 and 1894. Also included are the original 17 illustrations that graced these stories.

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