from a government aircraft. Templar's plans to clear his name are complicated when Hoppy punches out a policeman and Teal finds himself with a case that might finally put Templar behind bars. It is stated that five years have passed since Templar's first dealings with Inspector Teal, which coincides with the first stories featuring Teal that appeared in 1929. Some later editions include a Foreword by Charteris apologising for the "dated" nature of the stories. Publication history The three novellas had previously been published in Thriller magazine under different titles: "The Simon Templar Foundation" - 10 February 1934 (as "The Book of Fate") "The Higher Finance" - 24 February 1934 (as "On the Night of the 13th!") "The Art of Alibi" - 24 March 1934 (as "After the Murder") References 1934 short story collections Simon Templar books Short story collections by Leslie Charteris Hodder & Stoughton books