John Jeffrey Farnol (1878 – 1952) was an English author, known for his many romantic novels, some formulaic and set in the Regency period, and swashbucklers. He with Georgette Heyer founded the Regency romantic genre; one of his first books, The Broad Highway, has been issued in an version edited by Barbara Cartland. Electronic versions of early works are now available.
He was born in Aston, Birmingham and brought up in London and Kent. He attended the Westminster Art School, after he had lost his job in a Birgming ham metal-working firm. He married in 1900 Blanche Hawley, daughter of the noted New York scenic artist Hughson Hawley; they moved to the USA, where he found work as a scene painter.
The success of his early novels led to become a professional writer; he returned to England around 1910, and settled on the south coast. He produced around 40 novels and volumes of stories, and some non-fiction and children's books. His last book was completed by his second wife Phyllis (nee Clarke), whom he had married in 1938.
Works
- The broad highway (1910)
- The Money moon (1911)
- My Lady Caprice (1912)
- The Honourable Mr. Tawnish (1913)
- The amateur gentleman (1913)
- Beltane the smith (1915)
- The Definite Object (1917)
- Our Admirable Betty (1918)
- The geste of Duke Jocelyn (1919)
- Black Bartlemy's treasure (1920)
- Martin Coningsby's vengeance (1921)
- Peregrine's progress (1922)
- Sir John Dering (1923)
- The Loring mystery (1925)
- High adventure (1926)
- Gyfford of Weare (1928)
- Another day (1929)
- Over the hills (1930)
- A Jade of Destiny (1931)
- Charmian Lady Vibart (1932)
- Voices from the dust (1932)
- The Way beyond (1933)
- John o'the Green (1935)
- Winds of Fortune (1934)
- A Pageant of victory (1936)
- The crooked furrow (1937)
- The Lonely road (1938)
- The happy harvest (1939)
- Adam Penfeather, buccaneer (1940)
- Matter of business and other stories (1940)
- Murder by nail (1942)
- The Piping times (1945)
- Heritage perilous (1946)
- My lord of Wrybourne (1948)
- The Fool Beloved (1949)
- The Ninth earl (1950)
- The glad summer (1951)
- Waif of the river (1952)
- Justice by midnight (1955)