<b>The Amateur Cracksman</b> is an 1899 short story collection by <b>E. W. Hornung</b>.&nbsp;It was the original short story collection by Hornung, featuring his most famous character, <b>A. J. Raffles</b>, a gentleman thief in late <b>Victorian Great Britain</b>. The book was very well received and spawned three follow-ups: two more short story collections, <b>The Black Mask</b> (1901) and <b>A Thief in the Night</b> (1904), as well as a full-lenh novel, <b>Mr. Justice Raffles</b> (1909).<br /><br /><b>Ernest William Hornung </b>(7 June 1866 &ndash; 22 March 1921) was an English author and poet known for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Hornung was educated at Uppingham School; as a result of poor health he left the school in December 1883 to travel to Sydney, where he stayed for two years. He drew on his Australian experiences as a background when he began writing, initially short stories and later novels.