Sir Reginald Austin Freeman KCVO (29 June 1864 – 23 February 1947) was an English writer and amateur detective.
Freeman was born in London, the son of Sir John Austin Freeman, a painter. His mother died in childbirth. He was brought up by his father, who later remarried, to be the seventh of eight children.
Freeman started writing at the age of four with several books published by his father. He continued writing until he was eighteen when he left school to become an apprentice clerk with the firm of J
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& W. Nimmo, grocers, of 14 Westbourne Grove, near Hyde Park in London. After working for them for two years he became an articled clerk with the leading firms of Messrs Murray and Co., solicitors (later Murray and Sons), and Messrs Herbert & Co., solicitors (later Herbert & Co.).
He joined the chambers in 1880, four years later becoming a partner in the firm. He had obtained his law degree at Cambridge University in 1884 and qualified as a solicitor in 1887.
He retired from business in 1888 to devote himself to literature; his first book, "The Marrying Kind" was published in 1890 by Aylott & Jones, limited (London). Freeman's first novel, "The Mystery of a Hansom Cab", was serialised in "The Graphic" magazine from September 1893 to March 1894, and published in book form later that year by William Heinemann Ltd., London.
This novel introduced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who had moved away from Scotland Yard towards more exotic adventures after being demoted under Anthony Trollope's editorship of "The Star". The story also introduced Sherlock Holmes' arch-enemy Professor Moriarty for the first time to Doyle's readership who would subsequently feature him prominently in several Holmes stories written by Doyle after this meeting. The book also introduced Sir Henry Baskerville to Doyle's readership who would subsequently feature him prominently in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories written after this meeting.
Sir John Harington had already made some reference to Sir Henry Baskerville some years before Sir Arthur Conan Doyle met him while Sir John Harington was writing "Gulliver's Travels" where Sir Henry Baskerville is mentioned several times as being one of Gulliver's companions on the voyage to Laputa ("Gulliver's Travels" was published anonymously on 30 April 1726 but
