The Broad Highway

Jeffery Farnol was born on the 10th February 1878 in Aston, Birmingham. He was raised in Kent and his early years were spent with a fascination for folklore as well as a gathering reputation for a pugilistic temperament that often led to trouble.

After losing his job at a brass foundry, Farnol studied at the Westminster School of Art. He married and the newly-weds moved to New York for several years where he worked as a theatrical scene painter while writing his breakthrough novel, ‘The Broad Highway’ in 1910. It was a global sensation and the best-selling book of 1911.

Over the next 5 decades he wrote over 40 novels, including the acclaimed ‘The Amateur Gentleman’. His swashbuckling style often featured romantic adventures, Georgian-era mysteries, and the detective character Jasper Shrig.

Farnol spent his final decades in Eastbourne, Sussex, where he continued writing until his death from cancer. Alongside Georgette Heyer he is widely credited with pioneering the Regency romance genre.

Geoffrey Farnol died on the 9th August 1952 in Eastbourne, Kent. He was 74.