Robert Barr (1849–1912) was a Scottish-Canadian short story writer and novelist, born in Glasgow, Scotland who relocated to London in 1881 where he founded the magazine „The Idler” in 1892 in collaboration with Jerome K Jerome. In 1895 he retired from its co-editorship and became a prolific novelist. His famous detective character Eugéne Valmont, fashioned after Sherlock Holmes, is said to be the inspiration behind Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Some of his works include: „In the Midst of Alarms”, a story of the attempted Fenian invasion of Canada in 1866; „A Woman Intervenes”, a story of love, finance, and American journalism; and „Countess Tekla”, a historical novel. Mr. Robert Barr’s „ Cardillac” is a machine-made historical tale of the time of King Louis XIII, set in old France.