Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (April 1, 1875 - February 10, 1932) was an English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles in newspapers and journals. Over 160 films have been made of his novels. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him. He is most famous today as the co-creator of King Kong, writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, The Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime. (wikipedia.org) THE PEOPLE OF THE RIVER is set in Colonial Africa, British colonial official Sanders fights for British power and to protect his colonial charges set against the backdrop of mostly-unexplored Africa.