Gardner, Erle Stanley

Gardner, Erle Stanley, 1889–1970, American detective-story writer, b. Malden, Mass. He served as a trial lawyer for many years. About 1921 he began writing detective stories for magazines; after that time he produced an extraordinary number of novels and stories noted for their fast action and clever legal devices. His most famous character was the lawyer Perry Mason. Gardner often wrote under two pseudonyms, A. A. Fair and Carleton Kendrake.

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