Allen, F M
Entry updated 30 December 2024. Tagged: Author.
Main pseudonym of Irish author and publisher Edmund Downey (1856-1937), in London for much of his working life after 1878 until 1906; he also wrote as by William D Hayes. In a sense, his fiction was self-published, as he owned the firms that published his books as by Allen; but both Downey & Co and Ward & Downey had reputable lists of authors beyond Downey himself. His short Disaster sequence, set in Ireland – The Voyage of the Ark, as Related by Dan Banim (1888), which retells the Biblical story of the Flood, and The Round Tower of Babel (1891) – conflates hyperbolic comedy and sf instruments, ending in a visionary plan to build a great tower for profit. A House of Tears: An Original Story (1886) anon, is a fantasy featuring a half-man half-snake, as are Brayhard: The Strange Adventures of One Ass and Seven Champions (1890) and The Little Green Man (1895), the eponymous figure being a leprechaun (see Little Green Men). The eponymous entrepreneur featured in Mr Boyton – Merchant, Millionaire, and King (1899) as by William D Hayes, having become king of Poland in the Near Future, defeats a German Invasion with a secret Weapon (see Inventions). London's Peril (1900 chap), also set in the Near Future, warns against a Channel Tunnel being constructed by the nefarious French. The Ugly Man (1896) anon features a giant ape (see Apes as Human) whose brain is operated on, giving it human intelligence. [JC]
Edmund Downey
born Waterford, Ireland: 24 July 1856
died Waterford, Ireland: 11 February 1937
works
- The Voyage of the Ark, as Related by Dan Banim (London: Ward and Downey, 1888) [first appeared as a shilling paperback: pb/]
- A House of Tears: An Original Story (London: Ward and Downey, 1886) anonymous [simultaneously published as a shilling paperback: hb/]
- The Round Tower of Babel (London: Downey and Co, 1891) [first appeared as a shilling paperback: pb/]
- Brayhard: The Strange Adventures of One Ass and Seven Champions (London: Ward and Downey, 1890) [hb/]
- The Little Green Man (London: Downey and Co, 1895) [hb/]
- The Ugly Man (London: Ward and Downey, 1896) anonymous [hb/]
- Mr Boyton – Merchant, Millionaire, and King (London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent and Co, 1899) as by William D Hayes [hb/]
- London's Peril (London: Downey and Co, 1900) [chap: pb/]
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