Among the not so numerous works published in Russia written by Mine Reed, the most popular are those in which brave Indians fight with pale-faced invaders - “The White Leader”, “The Quarteron”, “In Search of the White Bison” and “Oceola, the Leader of the Seminole” . The action of these adventure novels takes place in America. This is the source of the misconception that they were written by an American author. The "Headless Horseman" does not stand out from the general row, since the Indians are also present there, and the action takes place in Texas. And even though the main character is an Irishman by birth, his beloved is a 100% American.
By the way, not only the brave Maurice Gerald is a native of the Emerald Isle. And the author of the book "Headless Horseman" was born in the Irish village of Ballironi. He sincerely considered himself Irish, despite the fact that both of his parents were purebred Scots. From Ireland, he went in search of adventure overseas. He returned there after the end of the Mexican War, in which he took part.
After his marriage, Thomas decides to start earning a living as a writer, since his father-in-law is a publisher. In 1865, the famous "Headless Horseman" was published. The author himself did not expect his book to be so successful. On this wave, he decides to return to the States again and establish his own magazine there. But failure befalls him. Oddly enough, Americans do not perceive the author’s new novels as ardently as he expected and how they deserve it. No, he is read, praised, published, and even translated into foreign languages, but he cannot repeat the success that the "Headless Horseman" brought to him.
The author returns to England again and no longer leaves her. At this time, he writes a lot
of popular science books, primarily aimed at a youthful audience. But he does not forget about fiction books. That's when the historical novel “The White Glove” comes out.
But all this is not the same, and the author himself knows about it. Headless Horseman turned out to be an ideal adventure novel, and Mine Reed is not destined to repeat such a feat. Someone from the Russian classics said very interestingly about this novel, it seems - Turgenev. We will not quote verbatim, since there is no exact text at hand. But the meaning is something like this: “Yesterday I finished reading Mine Reed. Well done author. "The Headless Horseman" is such a strong book that an adult, intelligent man watched for several hours, without stopping, the actions of fools. "
You can disagree with the classic that the heroes of the novel are fools, but Mine Reed’s mastery is undeniable. And Russian readers quite appreciated it. Paradoxical as it sounds, Mine Reed and his books are more popular in Russia than in his homeland. We remember novels, we know who their author is. The Headless Horseman rightfully occupies a place of honor on youthful bookshelves next to Captain Blood's Odyssey, The Last of the Mohicans, and Tom Sawyer. And it’s not just the boys who read the novel. Many girlish tears spilled on pages describing the love of Maurice and Louise. Woeful in the middle of the novel, when people and circumstances separate the lovers, and happy in the end, when loving hearts are united forever.