Arthur Frederick Hobart Mills is one of a family of authors. His grandfather, Arthur Mills, was a Tory and an expert of colonial economies and governance. The senior Mills' India in 1858 describes the political and economic conditions in India after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Arthur F. H. Mills is the brother of children's book author George Mills (Meredith and Co., King Willow) and author, explorer, and adventurer Lady Dorothy Mills (The Laughter of Fools, The Road to Timbuktu), to whom he was married from 1916 through their divorce in 1933.
Arthur F. H. Mills | |
|---|---|
 The author pictured on the dust jacket of his 1916 memoir, Hospital Days | |
| Born | Arthur Frederick Hobart Mills 12 July 1887 Stratton, Cornwall, United Kingdom |
| Died | 18 February 1955 Hampshire, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Genre | War, Adventure, Crime |
| Notable works | With My Regiment: From the Aisne to La Bassée (1916); Hospital Days (1916); The Yellow Dragon (1925) |
| Spouse | Lady Dorothy Rachel Melissa Walpole Mills (1889–1959); divorced in 1933 |
| Relatives | Grandfather: Arthur Mills (MP); Father: Revd Barton R. V. Mills; Brother: George Mills |
| Website | |
| www | |
Education and career edit
Captain Mills (Wellington College, Berkshire, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst) was wounded in World War I at La Bassée and wrote a pair of books, his first, about that experience: With My Regiment: From the Aisne to La Bassée (J. B. Lippincott & Co.: Philadelphia, 1916) and Hospital Days (T. Fisher Unwin: London, 1916) under the pseudonym Platoon Commander. At his wedding to Lady Dorthy Walpole in 1916, her wedding ring was made from a bullet that had been surgically removed from his ankle.[1]
Despite favorable reviews, frequent impressions, and global translations of many of his earlier books (The Broadway Madonna, The Gold Cat), Mills eventually became known as a genre author of cheap crime and adventure novels.[2] His work has been largely forgotten.[3]
Mills died in Hampshire, United Kingdom, on 18 February 1955.
Bibliography edit
| Title | Publisher | Date | Pseudonym |
|---|---|---|---|
| With My Regiment: From the Aisne to La Bassée |
Lippincott | 1916 | "Platoon Commander" |
| Hospital Days | Unwin | 1916 | "Platoon Commander" |
| Ursula Vanet | Bale | 1921 | |
| Pillars of Salt | Duckworth | 1922 | |
| The Primrose Path | Duckworth | 1923 | |
| The Yellow Dragon | Hutchinson | 1924 | |
| The Broadway Madonna | Unknown | 1924 | |
| The Gold Cat | Hutchinson | 1925 | |
| The Danger Game | Hutchinson | 1926 | |
| Live Bait | Hutchinson | 1927 | |
| Modern Cameos | Hutchinson | 1928 | |
| White Snake | Hutchinson | 1928 | |
| The Blue Spider | Collins | 1929 | |
| Pursued | Collins | 1929 | |
| The Apaché Girl | Collins | 1930 | |
| Intrigue Island | Collins | 1930 | |
| Escapade | Collins | 1931 | |
| Stowaway | Collins | 1931 | |
| One Man's Secret | Collins | 1932 | |
| Judgment of Death | Collins | 1932 | |
| Gentleman of Rio | Collins | 1933 | |
| Black Royalty | Collins | 1933 | |
| The Ant Heap | Hutchinson | 1934 | |
| Paris Agent | Collins | 1935 | |
| Brighton Alibi | Collins | 1936 | |
| Café in Montparnasse | Collins | 1936 | |
| French Girl | Collins | 1937 | |
| The Broken Sword | Collins | 1938 | |
| Jewel Thief | Collins | 1939 | |
| White Negro | Collins | 1940 | |
| Don't Touch the Body | Collins | 1947 | |
| Shroud of Snow | Evans | 1950 | |
| Last Seen Alive | Evans | 1951 | |
| Your Number Is Up | Evans | 1952 | |
| The Jockey Died First | Staples | 1953 | |
| The Maliday Mystery | Staples | 1954 |
References edit
- ^ "1914: George's Brother Goes to War". Who Is George Mills?. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Arthur Mills Bibliography". Classic Crime Fiction. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Great War Dust Jackets". greatwardustjackets.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2016.