of India” (Adventure, February to April 1914) was published in the book “Rung Ho” (Scribners, New York, 1914) and is another good story of the Sepoy Rebellion.  In January and July 1914, appeared two stories about the Princess Yasmini, a character that he used extensively in later novels—­as the lead, with King, with Ranjoor Singh, and in the Jimgrim-Ramsden saga.  The first of his sagas (Dick Anthony of Arran) was never published in book form.  This series included eight novelettes and short novels, enough to fill four or five books, and appeared in successive issues of Adventure Magazine, beginning August 1914.  These were very good adventure tales of a Scotch gentleman fighting for Iran against Old Russia, but are rather dated now.  Following this, most of his novels appeared first in a magazine and were then immediately published in book form.

This brings us to the “Jimgrim-Ramsden Saga,” the greatest of them all.  If the early (and later) development of the associated characters is added, it continues through twenty-one books (twenty-two novels), and fifteen books (sixteen novels) for the actual Jimgrim-Ramsden stories.  This is not counting some eighteen novelettes and novels found in magazines only.

This Saga, in the main, is the story of James Schuyler Grim, (Jimgrim) a remarkable characterization, beginning as an American “Lawrence in Arabia” and evolving into a human but unapproachable high priest of the occult.  There is Jeff Ramsden, the strong man and his closest friend, who with the Australian, Jeremy Ross, make up the triumvirate of Grim, Ross, and Ramsden, with their henchman Narayan Singh, the indomitable Sikh. (Who cuts throats with an outward thrust.) Later the multimillionaire, Meldrum Strange, hires them to fight evil.  Then, Athelbert King, a hero of novels in his own right, joins up, making a quartet.  Other characters from Mundy’s novels appear—­the seductive and dangerous Princess Yasmini; Cotswold Ommony, the forester of India; the Babu, Chullunder Ghose; the Gunga Sahib, and O’Hara.

His sagas

For an interesting reading sequence, the following is suggested.
    *** means excellent escapist reading—­and fantastic
    (***) means excellent escapist reading—­not fantastic
    Numbers indicate a book
    Indented numbers with letter mean magazine only
    Major characters, and their appearances, follow each title
    (Ramsden tells many of the stories and is not listed
     except as necessary to connect the series.)

JIMGRIM-RAMSDEN, et al, Saga

(***) 1.  GUNS OF THE GODS (Bobbs-Merrill)
                                       Yasmini 1.

(***) 1a.  A SOLDIER AND A GENTLEMAN (Adventure January 1914)
                                       Yasmini 2.

(***) 1b.  GULBAZ AND THE GAME (Adventure July 1914)
                                       Yasmini 3.