Charles James Louis Gilson, who published as Captain Charles Gilson and Major Charles Gilson and Barbara Gilson (1878–1943) was a British officer and a popular author of science fiction, adventure stories, and historical fiction books for children.[1][2] Some of his stories were illustrated including at least one book, The Refugee; the Strange Story of Nether Hall, by Arthur E. Becher. Cyrus Cuneo also illustrated his writing.[2] His fiction included works about the Pygmies of the Upper Congo.[3] He also depicted Boxer Rebellion era adventures. Some of his stories were serialized in magazines.[4] Many of his stories are available online through resources such as Project Gutenberg.
Gilson served in China after the Boxer Rebellion and featured China in some of his stories.[5] Gilson featured a Chinese detective in one of his stories.[6] He wrote young adult fiction and was praised for his "wide knowledge of the world" in his portrayals.[1] His stories were also published in magazines for youth such as The Captain and St. Nicholas Magazine.[7] Another of his works featured the exploits of Jerry Abershaw.[8] He also produced an account of Robin Hood.
The Spectator reviewed his book The Lost Column in 1908.[9]
Bibliography
The Silver Shoe
The Law of Natural Healing (1905)
The Lost Island: A Strange Tale of Adventure in the Far East (1910)
The Refugee: the Strange Story of Nether Hall with illustrations by Arthur E. Becher (1910)
The Pirate Aeroplane (1913)
Certain Passages in the Life of Mr Wang (1914)
Across the Cameroons: A Story of War and Adventure[10]
The Pirate Yacht, an Amazing Yarn of Modern Pirates (1918)
The Lost City: Being the Authentic Account of Professor Miles Unthank of the Search for the Sarcophagus of Serophis, and the Theft of the Mystic Scarab, Formerly in the British Museum (1920)
