The British Viceroy first meets Simon Carne while traveling in India. Charmed, he invites the reclusive hunchbacked scholar to London, little suspecting that his guest is actually an adventurer and a master of disguise. Carne—aided by his loyal butler, Belton—embarks on a crime spree, stealing from London's richest citizens and then making fools of them by posing as a detective investigating the thefts. First published in 1900, A Prince of Swindlers introduces a gentleman thief predating both E.W. Hornung's A.J. Raffles and Maurice Leblanc's Ars&eagrave;ne Lupin. Finally back in print, one of literature's first, greatest, and most dastardly gentleman rogues promises to delight a new generation of crime fans.