Edgar Wallace

Four Just Men illustrated Edgar Wallace

Edgar Wallace formed the idea of The Four Just Men -- four wealthy gentleman vigilantes (including a European prince) who punish wrong-doers who are beyond the reach of the Law - while returning to England in 1905. He had to create his own publishing company, Tallis, to publish it and decided to manage a 'guess the murder method' competition in the Daily Mail with a prize of £1,000 (equivalent in purchasing power to at least £93,000 in 2013). Wallace intended to advertise the book on an unprecedented scale, not just in Britain itself but across