Prolific American author and lawyer, whose best-known works centres on the lawyer-detective Perry Mason, his helpmates the loyal and beautiful secretary Della Street, the private detective Paul Drake, and the opponent, District Attorney Hamilton Burger. Gardner worked as a professional attorney for twenty-two years. He was an ardent sportsman, an enthusiastic wildlife photographer, and a constant traveller, who spoke fluent Chinese.

Erle Stanley Gardner was born in Malden, Massachusetts. His father, who was a mining engineer, took the family west to Portland, Oregon. Three years later his father found employment as a mining engineer in Klondike. Finally the family settled in the small mining town of Oroville. During these years Gardner also picked up knowledge of mining, which was reflected later in his novels.

In his youth Gardner led a wild life. He was kicked out of Valparaiso University in Indiana, later he boxed and arranged unlicensed wrestling matches. In 1909 he graduated from Palo Alto High School, in the San Francisco Bay Are. While working as a typist in a law office in California, he 'read law' without formal instructions and was admitted to the bar in 1911.

From 1911 to 1918 Gardner worked as a lawyer in Oxnard, California, then as a salesman for Consolidated Sales Company (1918-1921). Between 1921 and 1933 was as a lawyer in Ventura, California. In the early 1920s he began writing western and mystery stories for the pulp magazines. Gardner was of the most successful writers before he ever published a novel. In 1921 Gardner married Natalie Frances Talbert; they had one child.

To earn additional income Gardner turned to pulp writing, using the pen name Charles M. Green. In the mid-1920s he contributed regularly Black Mask magazine and became one of its most popular contributors. Among his crowd of series characters were Lester Leith, the "Gentleman Rogue", Sidney Zoom, "Master of Disguise", and Soo Hoo Duck, "King of Chinatown." At the time of the Depression Gardner wrote westerns for a penny a word, selling to such publications as Western Roud-Up, West Weekly, and Western Tales. Of course he tried to stretch the final shoot-out as far as possible - each time he wrote 'Bang' he made another penny.

In 1931 Gardner and his wife made a six-month tour in China. The experience in the restless land inspired Gardner to create a new hero, Major Copely Brane, "International Adventurer." In 1932 Gardner began to dictate his stories on wax cylinders, turning them over to his secretary for transcriptions. An oddball pair of private investigators, the big and crude Bertha Cool and the tiny lawyer Donald Lam, were born in 1938 - Gardner wrote the books under the pseudonym of A.A. Fair.

Gardner's first Perry Mason stories THE CASE OF THE VELVET CLAWS and THE CASE OF THE SULKY GIRL appeared in 1933, and with their popularity he gave up law and wrote eighty more Masons. In this huge production Gardner had help from a staff of several secretaries, who typed his dictation. From the late 1930s to the late 1950s Saturday Evening Post serialized most of the Masons before book publication. In 1935 Gardner's marriage to Natalie ended; there was no divorce and Gardner send her money for the remainder of her life. After her death Gardner married in 1968 his private secretary Agnes Jean Bethell, who had worked for him from the 1930s.

"Murder is not perpetrated in a vacuum. It is a product of greed, avarice, hate, revenge, or perhaps fear. As a splashing stone sends ripples to the farthest edges of the pond, murder affects the lives of many people."
(from The Case of the Horrified Heirs, 1964)

From 1940s Gardner dedicated many of his books to penologists and specialists in forensic medicine. THE CASE OF HORRIFIED HEIRS (1964) was dedicated to the barrister and doctor of science and medicine, John Glaister, who after thoroughgoing research identified two bodies, which had been mutilated by removal of eyes, ears, nose, lips and skin - all teeth had been extracted. John Glister also was the author of Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology; one of the most comprehensive and authoritative books in the field.

Gardner was one of the founding members of the Court of Last Resort (The Case Review Committee), an association who reopened cases wherein a person might have been falsely convicted. In 1952 he won the Fact Crime Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. When the long running Perry Mason television series started in 1957, Gardner worked without credit as script supervisor. Gardner died on March 11, 1970, in his home at Rancho del Paisano. His cremated ashes were scattered over his beloved Baja Peninsula. THE CASE OF THE POSTPONED MURDER (1973) was Gardner's last Mason story. After the death of the author Thomas Chastain has continued the series, starting with The Case of Too Many Murders (1989).

For further reading: The Case of Erle Stanley Gardner by Alva Johnston (1947); Erle Stanley Gardner: The Case of the Real Perry Mason by Dorothy B. Hughes (1978); Secrets of the World's Best-Selling Writer by Francis L. Fugate and Roberta B. Fugate (1980); Murder in the Millions by J. Kenneth Van Dover (1984); Erle Stanley Gardner's Ventura by Richard L. Senate (1966); Perry Mason by J. Dennis Bounds (1996)

• THE CASE OF THE VELVET CLAWS, 1933 (Mason)
• THE CASE OF THE SULKY GIRL, 1933 (Mason)
• THE CASE OF THE LUCKY LEGS, 1934
• THE CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG, 1934
• THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE, 1934
• THE CLEW OF THE FORGOTTEN MURDER, 1935 (as Charleton Kendrake)
• THIS IS MURDER, 1935 (as Charles J. Kenny)
• THE CASE OF THE COUNTERFEIT EYE, 1935
• THE CASE OF THE CARETAKER'S CAT, 1935
• THE CASE OF THE STUTTERING BISHOP, 1936
• THE CASE OF THE SLEEPWALKER'S NIECE, 1936
• THE CASE OF THE LAMENT CANARY, 1937
• THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DOWAGER, 1937
• MURDER UP MY SLEEVE, 1937)
• THE D.A. CALLS IT MURDER, 1937 (Selby novel)
• THE CASE OF THE SHOPLIFTER'S SHOES, 1938
• THE CASE OF THE SUBSTITUTE FACE, 1938
• THE D.A. HOLDS A CANDLE, 1938
• THE BIGGER THEY COME, 1939 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE PERJURED PARROT, 1939
• THE CASE OF THE ROLLING BONES, 1939
• THE D.A. DRAWS A CIRCLE, 1939
• TURN ON THE HEAT, 1940 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE SILENT PARTNER, 1940
• THE CASE OF THE BAITED HOOK, 1940
• THE D.A. GOES TO TRIAL, 1940
• GOLD COMES IN BRICKS, 1940 (as A.A. Fair)
• TURN ON THE HEAT, 1940
• SPILL THE JACKPOT, 1941 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE HAUNTED HUSBAND, 1941
• THE CASE OF THE TURNING TIDE, 1941 (Wiggins novel)
• THE CASE OF THE EMPTY TIN, 1941
• DOUBLE OR QUITS, 1941 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE D.A. COOKS A GOOSE, 1942
• THE CASE OF THE DROWNING DUCK, 1942
• THE CASE OF THE CARELESS KITTEN, 1942
• OWLS DON'T BLINK, 1942 (as A.A. Fair)
• BATS FLY AT DUSK, 1942 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE BURIED CLOCK, 1943
• THE CASE OF THE SMOKING CHIMNEY, 1943
• THE CASE OF THE DROWSY MOSQUITO, 1943
• CATS PROWL AT NIGHT, 1943 (as A.A. Fair)
• FOOLS DIE ON FRIDAY, 1944
• THE D.A. CALLS A TURN, 1944
• GIVE 'EM THE AX, 1944 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE CROOKED CANDLE, 1944
• THE CASE OF THE BLACK-EYED BLONDE, 1944
• THE CASE OF THE GOLDDIGGER'S PURSE, 1945
• THE CASE OF THE HALF-WAKENED WIFE, 1945
• THE D.A. BREAKS A SEAL, 1946
• CROWS CAN'T COUNT, 1946 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE BACKWARD MULE, 1946
• THE CASE OF THE BORROWED BRUNETTE, 1946
• TWO CLUES, 1947
• THE CASE OF THE FAN DANCER'S HORSE, 1947
• THE CASE OF THE LAZY LOVER, 1947
• FOOLS DIE ON FRIDAY, 1947 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE LAND OF SHORTER SHADOWS, 1948
• THE CASE OF THE VAGABOND VIRGIN, 1948
• THE D.A. TAKES A CHANCE, 1948
• THE CASE OF THE DUBIOUS BRIDEGROOM, 1949
• THE CASE OF THE CAUTIOUS COQUETTE, 1949
• BEDROOM HAVE WINDOWS, 1949 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE D.A. BREAKS AN EGG, 1949
• THE CASE OF THE NEGLIGENT NYMPH, 1950
• THE CASE OF THE MUSICAL COW, 1950
• THE CASE OF THE ONE-EYED WITNESS, 1950
• TWO CLUES, 1951 (Eldon novel)
• THE CASE OF THE ANGRY MOURNER, 1951
• THE CASE OF THE FIERY FINGERS, 1951
• THE CASE OF THE MOTH-EATEN MINK, 1952
• THE CASE OF THE GRINNING GORILLA, 1952
• THE COURT OF LAST RESORT, 1952
• TOP OF THE HEAP, 1952 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE GREEN-EYED SISTER, 1953
• THE CASE OF THE HESITANT HOSTESS, 1953
• SOME WOMEN WON'T WAIT, 1953 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE FUGITIVENURSE, 1954
• THE CASE OF THE RUNAWAY CORPSE, 1954
• THE CASE OF THE RESTLESS REDHEAD, 1954
• NEIGHBORHOOD FRONTIERS, 1954
• THE CASE OF THE GLAMOROUS GHOST, 1955
• THE CASE OF THE NERVOUS ACCOMPLICE, 1955
• THE CASE OF THE SUN BATHER'S DIARY, 1955
• THE CASE OF THE TERRIFIED TYPIST, 1956
• BEWARE THE CURVES, 1956 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE GILDED LILY, 1956
• THE CASE OF THE DEMURE DEFENDANT, 1956
• THE CASE OF THE SCREAMING WOMAN, 1957
• THE CASE OF THE LUCKY LOSER, 1957
• THE CASE OF THE DARING DECOY, 1957
• SOME SLIPS DON'T SHOW, 1957 (as A.A. Fair)
• YOU CAN DIE LAUGHING, 1957 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE COUNT OF NINE, 1958
• THE CASE OF THE LONG-LEGGED MODELS, 1958
• THE CASE OF THE FOOT-LOOSE DOLL, 1958
• THE CASE OF THE CALENDAR GIRL, 1958
• THE COUNT OF NINE, 1959 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE DEADLY TOY, 1959
• PASS THE GRAVY, 1959 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE MYTHICAL MONKEYS, 1959
• THE CASE OF THE SINGING SKIRT, 1959
• THE CASE OF THE WAYLAID WOLF, 1960
• THE CASE OF THE DUPLICATE DAUGHTER, 1960
• THE CASE OF THE SHAPELY SHADOW, 1960
• KEPT WOMEN CAN'T QUIT, 1960 (as A.A. Fair)
• HUNTING THE DESERT WHALE, 1960
• HOVERING OVER BAJA, 1961
• THE CASE OF THE SPURIOUS SPINSTER, 1961
• THE CASE OF THE BIGAMOUS SPOUSE, 1961
• BACHELORS GET LONELY, 1961 (as A.A. Fair)
• SHILLS CAN'T CASH CHIPS, 1961 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE RELUCTANT MODEL, 1962
• THE CASE OF THE BLONDE BONANZA, 1962
• THE CASE OF THE ICE-COLD HANDS, 1962
• TRY ANYTHING ONCE, 1962 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE HIDDEN HEART OF BAJA, 1962
• THE CASE OF THE MISCHIEVOUS DOLL, 1963
• THE CASE OF THE STEPDAUGHTER'S SECRET, 1963
• THE CASE OF THE AMOROUS AUNT, 1963
• FISH OR CUT BAIT, 1963 (as A.A. Fair)
• THIS DESERT IS YOURS, 1963
• THE CASE OF THE DARING DIVORCEE, 1964
• UP FOR GRABS, 1964 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE PHANTOM FORTUNE, 1964
• THE CASE OF THE HORRIFIED HEIRS, 1964
• THE WORLD OF WATER, 1964
• THE CASE OF THE TROUBLED TRUSTEE, 1965
• THE CASE OF THE BEAUTIFUL BEGGAR, 1965
• HUNTING LOST MINES BY HELICOPTER, 1965
• CUT THIN TO WIN, 1965 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE WORRIED WAITRESS, 1966
• WIDOWS WEAR WEEDS, 1966 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE QUEENLY CONTESTANT, 1967
• GIPSY DAYS ON THE DELTA, 1967
• TRAPS NEED FRESH BAIT, 1967
• OFF THE BEATEN TRACK IN BAJA, 1967
• THE CASE OF THE CARELESS CUPID, 1968
• MEXICO'S MAGIC SQUARE, 1968
• THE CASE OF THE FABULOUS FAKE, 1969
• THE CASE OF THE MURDERER'S BRIDE AND OTHER STORIES, 1969
• DRIFTING DOWN THE DELTA, 1969
• COPS ON CAMPUS AND CRIME IN THE STREETS, 1970
• HOST WITH A BIG HAT, 1970
• ALL GRASS ISN'T GREEN, 1970 (as A.A. Fair)
• THE CASE OF THE CRIMSON KISS, 1971
• THE CASE OF THE FENCED-IN WOMAN, 1972 - Perry Mason ja piikkilanka-aita
• THE CASE OF THE IRATE WITNESS, 1972
• THE CASE OF THE POSTPONED MURDER, 1973 (Gardner's last Mason novel)
• THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF LESTER LEITH, 1981 (Lester Leith stories)
• WHISPERING SANDS, 1981
• THE HUMAN ZERO, 1981
• PAY DIRT AND OTHER STORIES OF GOLD FEVER AND THE WESTERN DESERT, 1983
• DEAD MEN'S LETTERS, 1989 (Ed Jenkins story)
• HONEST MONEY, 1989 (Ken Corning story)
• THE ADVENTURES OF PAUL PRY, 1989 (Paul Pry stories)
• DEAD MEN'S LETTERS, 1990
• THE BLONDE IN LOWER SIX, 1990
• HONEST MONEY, 1991

  Films: The Case of the Howling Dog (1934), dir. by Alan Crosland; The Case of the Curious Bride (1935), dir. by Michael Curtiz; The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935), dir. by Archie L. Mayo; The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936), dir. by William Clemens; The Case of the Black Cat (1936), dir. by William Mc Gann; The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1937), dir. by William Clemens. - Television series Perry Mason from 1957-66, starring Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale and William Hopper, produced by Gardner's company Paisano Productions. Gardner played the role of the judge in the final first run episode, The Case of the Final Fadeout. Among the scriptwriters were also Jonathan Latimer. - The New Perry Mason in 1973, starring Monte Markham. - Two-hour TV movies, starring Raymond Burr: Perry Mason Returns (1985), Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun (1986), Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star (1986); Perry Mason. The Case of the Lost Love (1987); Perry Mason and the Case of the Sinister Spirit (1987); Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam (1987); Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel (1987); Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace (1988); Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake (1988); Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson (1989); Perry Mason. The Case of the Musical Murder (1989). - Radio: CBS soap opera from 1943 to 1955, 15 minutes daily.